Great Western Coffee Shop

Hello Everyone.

My name is Daniel, im 15, (16 next month), and from Enfield, North London.
You may think I shouldn't be on this forum, but I am a train enthusiast and therefore quite often venture South-West - a place with some amazing views, and.. 'variable' train services.

Anyway. I'm still in mandatory school education, although in my last year, and some time next week I should hopefully head whether or not I've got a job with a company in London called traffic link - the job role being "Public Transport Editor", the role of which is to prepare live travel reports for radio stations, National Rail etc.! Boy, that'll be fun! ;)


Speak soon.
Regards,
Daniel.

Hi, Daniel .. you're very welcome indeed.  I was reading your experience on Dorchester -> Exeter via the lane around Frome and Warminster ("Heart of Wessex") board and meant to ask .... was Castle Cary actually the logical routing by public transport for that journey - it seems a bit of a dogleg to me, and I might have looked at buses west from Dorchester, or a change / transfer at Yeovil to SWT.   

Very interstingley, one of the suggestions of where things may go in the future that Lee has put together provided a service from Exeter to Yeovil Juntion, Yeovil Pen Mill, Westbury and onwards - Swindon, Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes ....

I posted a comparative piece about travelling by train on the East Coast of the USA a few weeks ago - that wasn't a picnic either - and would be delighted if you happen to provide comparisons and contrasts for us here.  Indeed is it's vaguely transporty or South Westy, it'll find a place.

Hi grahame,

As I was on holiday, I was able to pre-book tickets. As such, I was able to travel First Class with First Great Western cheaper than in Standard on South West Trains, as they have no AP tickets avaliable on that route - (route would have been Axminster-Exeter or Dawlish, as I was acctually on holiday in Bridport).

I must say that a link between Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill would be excellent. I have a family railcard, and still legally being a child I try and persuade my family to use it as much as possible. I had suggested that my mum and sister went shopping in Yeovil, but at the time there were servere problems on the WoE line, I believe it was a failed train on a single track section, and the fact that Pen Mill is away from the shops put them off.

Also, I think it'd make quite a good connection. For a start, it'd save the lengthy journey to Castle Cary and back, and, as it would presumabley be run by FGW, it would offer more services to stations between Exeter and Yeovil. I remember when trying to get home to Axminster from Exeter, (cancellations on the HoW), I waited around 30 minutes at Exeter for a SWT train, which then terminated at Honiton, leaving me with over a 1 hour wait to travel one stop. Even then, when the train arrived, (the train being booked 6 car, the Live Dep. Boards even showing this), it was a 3 car train that had not been cleaned since London, (now on a service from[/i] Plymouth, with both toilets locked out of use, and it was full and standing.

Regarding comparisons, I do often run into problems around the rail network. My local train operator, 'one' Railway, aren't the best either, as I am sure you know. During my half term next month, I'm going to Scotland, travelling with 6 different operators, (that's including those I will be using in London). I'm sure I'll have lots to post about.  :)


Speak Soon.
Regards,
Daniel.