And do guards actually use this to record passenger numbers at each station on every train?

A number of times I've travelled from Parson St to Lawrence Hill -- a single is nearly 3 quid for the 3 mile journey, but it's pretty unusual to have a chance to buy a ticket, because AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) it's not on to disturb the guard while they're operating the doors, and that's often the only time you see them. One time I asked for a ticket after getting off as the guard was stood on the platform, and he told me not to bother. I didn't argue as I didn't want to delay the train.

Personally I don't have a moral dilemma about this. I never deliberately avoid paying, but I don't see why I should put myself out too much to get a ticket from someone who doesn't even want to sell me one. My only concern therefore is the passenger numbers and I have wondered whether there might sometimes be an unnofficial policy behind it. For example, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) may not want evidence of a market for passengers travelling between Parson St/Bedminster and Lawrence Hill/Stapleton Rd because it might increase pressure on them to provide a service in both directions, when the potential numbers are unlikely to make such an improvement profitable.

Incidentally there are a lot of journeys I could easily make for free from Parson St, and occasionally I did a few years back before I found out that I could buy tickets from by the exit at Temple Meads, which is what I always do now when I'm changing there, if I haven't already been sold one on the train. Which makes me wonder how many people don't buy tickets cause they don't know they can -- it's one of those things you can't be expected to just know.

I've also travelled to Weston a few times without the opportunity to buy a ticket, although as I've always bought a single for the way back FGW have only missed out on about 10p each time.

Here's a good one from First's local bus website: I'm sure that goes against the Trades Descriptions Act, as a number of routes have been withdrawn, and of course fares go up by well above inflation every single year. However I'm sure First have expensive lawyers who have thought of that, so I won't be mounting a legal challenge. 

Yep, ban them all from trains, buses, roads, pavements, gutters, schools, hospitals, well everywhere in fact. A minority of each minority behaves badly, so they'll only have themselves to blame. Even the well behaved ones get in the way of the righteous majority, whose time is so much more precious. 

I like this idea. I'd definitely use this scheme if there was a reasonably priced bike available for hire at my destination, and they could also start charging a hefty fee for bike reservations on trains, to encourage people to hire them instead.

Yes I was one of those bad cyclists who delayed a train once. I was arguing with the guard, insisting that he let me put my bike on the train, on the grounds that I had a valid reservation which I had showed him, while he said he couldn't because he hadn't been told about my reservation and there were parcels in the bike section. After a few minutes he let me on and we left 3 or 4 minutes late. Clearly some of the people on the train saw the argument as I got a fair few dirty looks as I walked down the carriage -- being a cyclist I was obviously in the wrong. After a few experiences like that I got the message that we're more trouble than we're worth and haven't taken my bike on a train in over 10 years.
Having had two bikes stolen from in front of the so-called police station on Platform 4 at Temple Meads, I don't leave my bike at train stations any more either.

It seems to me that the delay was caused by the train running the wrong way round, not by the cyclists. If there's a last minute platform alteration and the train has to wait for passengers to come from the other platform, does that count as a delay caused by the passengers?

I would be interested to see what percentage of delay minutes on our rail network are actually caused by cyclists.

Absolutely, if there were spare crews and units I'd rather they ran from Salisbury/Westbury to Swindon/Oxford than Bristol to Oxford.

I find it hard to believe that there isn't a market for an arrival in Exeter from London in time for a business meeting or conference at 10am. Things do happen in provincial cities. Exeter is the hq of South West Arts, for example.

Based on past experience when services improve, I think FGW^▸ (First Great Western) might be surprised at the number of passengers an early service to Devon would attract. After all there hasn't been one since before the "railway renaissance" began.

Thanks Nick for your historical perspective. I vaguely remember local news reports from the time and knew it was something to do with unions.

There wouldn't be space in the current timetable to extend Cardiff-Taunton trains to Bishops Lydeard. If the WSR trains could only operate to their own platform Taunton as was once planned... 

Surely the communist thing to do would be for First and Standard Class to become Soft and Hard Class. 

True it's not "summer only", but I wouldn't exactly call it "throughout the year" either: the Feb 09 to Jan 10 timetable shows that they only operate on 7 days in Feb, 4 in November, and there's no service at all in January after the 3rd. So it's no use for anyone wishing to travel outside weekends and school holidays/half terms. (I'm not having a go at WSR - I'm sure they would if they could.)

Reading other posters' comments about the bus connection has made me even less likely to ever use the line.

I imagine the biggest obstacle to there ever being a regular train service from Taunton to Minehead would be the potential loss of business to the bus route -- because bus fares are higher than train fares -- the same reason First would never want to run a decent service between Penzance and St Ives.

There's no mention of Minehead in the RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) consultation document.

What a ridiculous state of affairs. There's a working railway all the way to Minehead but we can't get there by train without using a bus link to a summer only heritage line. With all this talk of possible re-openings it seems even more crazy now than it did a few years ago.

I've never been to Minehead, but funnily enough I have visited St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay, Looe, Calstock, Exmouth, Barnstaple etc, most of those a number of times. Can't any of these clever report writers make a case based on the benefit to the local economy and environment? I appreciate that some work might need doing on the line and of course the Great Train Drought would have to end before a unit could be found, but come on....... there could hardly be an easier re-opening in the country, and it would bring good cheap publicity for the politicians, and extra customers travelling to Taunton for FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

This reminds me of an occasion a few years ago in Virgin days when I was taking a Voyager from Penzance to Temple Meads. It was already busy in Cornwall so the Guard announced that they were attaching another set at Plymouth, meaning that passengers (such as me) who were currently sat in seats that were reserved from points up the line could get off at Plymouth and join the extra coaches which were all unreserved.

Then as we approached Plymouth he announced that this was in fact not going to be possible, because due to planned engineering works the train was going via the Severn Tunnel and timetabled to stop at "Bristol Patchway" instead of Bristol Parkway (we knew this from his announcements, but it sounded like someone responsible had only just noticed/remembered). The platform wasn't long enough at Patchway for a 9 car train, so the extra set would have to run empty till after the stop at Patchway -- he said it was for reasons of Health and Safety, in case anyone tried to get out where there wasn't a platform. I said to the bloke next to me, "Is this the first day they've run a train service?"

However, a couple of minutes before we left Plymouth, he announced that the problem had been solved  -- they were going to miss out Patchway, so anyone for Patchway should now change at Temple Meads. Then there was a mad scramble while half the passengers, including those who'd just got on the train, retrieved their luggage and found seats on the empty set.

So that's how I learnt that Voyagers don't have SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening).

How extraordinarily sensible. And they've even realised that electric ones are more viable!!!

One day Bristol could have them as well........ if it wasn't in the westcountry.