Great Western Coffee Shop

I don't know if members have noticed ... but Real Time Trains is still showing planned WTT schedules from this Saturday, as they were expected to be when uploaded 3 months ago.

* This week's Monday to Friday timetable will be repeated with tweaks possible over the next few week - check ahead of journeys!
* Saturday and Sunday timetable not expected to be uploaded until Friday - so do not trust journey planners
Current service around two thirds of normal levels.  Service stepped up this week but passenger numbers remain boarded static

"Where next" is like trying to read a crystal ball, but best guess is that service will go back up to around 80% after next month
Speculating even more ... GWR hope to have full (December) 2019 running in due course - perhaps by this December?

Capacity stifled - at 2m distancing,  a standard IET carriage has a capacity of 18 passengers

Reservation system moving from reserved seats to counted places on trains very soon, but some walkup places will remain, unlike Avanti and LNER. Having said which, it's pretty darned hard to forecast at the moment, so never say "never".

The majority of passengers travel with a purpose (not just for the ride) and so much of future loading and how this all works out depends on how the rules change and what's open (or not) at the far end, and whether your boss lets you carry on working from home ...

For the moment
1. Only travel if you have to
2. If you need to travel, it would be appreciated if you can do so outside the rush hour.

Above is to give members a view of where things are headed. Big message - check before you travel.

I've just booked a journey from West Wales to London for early June and I have to admit I'm really not quite sure what to expect.

The first part of the 'intercity' bit is normally quiet anyway but it did say reservations compulsory so I'm guessing this is part of the new process. The second part of the journey though said no reservations possible so unsure what happens there.

The cost was much less than usual but i don't know if that's coincidence? I normally book first class for some food and avoid crowding but didn't seem much point in doing that this time. Am I still expected to find a mask/face covering on what will possibly be an empty train? Will someone be asking me why I'm travelling?

I think part of my uncertainty comes from not having left house and land where I currently am for around 8 weeks. Has everything in England returned to normal? Different papers put  different spins on.

feels like a bit of an adventure  ;D