Great Western Coffee Shop

Recently had a circular that was inserted in my local weekly free paper, The Observer.

This circular was a joint publication by FGW, South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority and Severnside Rail Partnership.

It was a listing of times of trains from my local station Yate and the ultimate destination of the services with samples of fares.

A very informative document in itself except for one thing.

My attention was drawn to this document by a friend who asked me how he could get to Swindon from Yate by train.

I of course told him to get a local train from Yate to Bristol Parkway and change there for a London service which stopped at Swindon.

He said are you sure to which I looked stunned until he showed me the map on the front page of this leaflet.

From the map to travel from Yate to Swindon you had two choices ;-

1. travel to Gloucester and change for a service to Swindon via Stroud and Kemble

or

2. travel to Bristol Temple Meads and change there for a service to Westbury alighting at Trowbridge and catching a service from there  to Swindon via Melksham.

You see that whoever provided the artwork for the front cover of this leaflet had omitted the direct line to Swindon from Bristol Parkway and the direct line from Bath to Chippenham.

I showed this leaflet to an FGW manager who was intrigued at the map and when asked who would have provide the artwork for the cover said it would have been us as its got the new livery wavy lines across the bottom of the front cover as is being rolled out on the refurbished stock that is currently being put back into service.

From the reference on the leaflet it is suggested that it was produced by South Gloucestershire Council.

It also has the old logo of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership on it which was superceeded in January 2007 by a new logo.

What with the new line from Falmouth to Redruth and the 'now closed' Bristol Parkway to Swindon and Bath to Chippenham lines First are certainly Transforming Travel.