Great Western Coffee Shop

Does anyone know why the last train from Reading to Gatwick on a Friday does not stop at Wokingham?

Current timetable:
https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/TicketsAndTrainTimes/TrainTimes/MAY%202014%20TIMETABLE/STANDARD%20PRINT/E05A745289000Web.ashx

(incidentally I cannot open that link directly in Firefox, I have to right click/save as...)

Do Notwork Rail have 'rights' for a possession on that bit of track? Will check the possessions calendar.

Edit: Nothing obvious in the NeR ROTR (http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/Rules%20Of%20The%20Route/Viewable%20copy/EASyearXX/40wxXX.pdf) plan I can see.

Is that one of the services where they've had trouble with squaddies returning from a night out on the lash? I vaguely remember at one stage there being a police presence at Reading station for late-night Friday departures towards Sandhurst.

Yes - it dates back nearly 20 years, and was done because there were often fights between groups of youths from Wokingham and Crowthorne going home on that train. Would that still happen? Maybe, but there seems no desire on the railways' part to find out.

PS: I guess Sandhurst, and squaddies, could also come into it.

Interesting to know...all sounds a bit Ali G (East vs. West Staines)!

I saw a fare dodger thrown off at Crowthorne once (that was during the day though).

Ere blud iz not Staines, iz Staines Upon Thames ya know Blud. :-p :-p

This forum is an education ;D

Maybe the stop would be reinstated if Wokingham had a suitably upmarket rename.

And Saturday.

IIRC FGW also run through Cosham in the evening to avoid problems with a certain type of passenger, despite it being  a standard hourly call otherwise...

Paul

Link works fine for me in my firefox browser

you might have angered the person graham mentioned elsewhere on the forum who'd made remarks about spelling and grammar now. We best all run for cover.