Was wondering where it had got to when I arrived at Oxford station and suspected an under-maintained Adelante might be to blame, though if you believed the ever-unreliable ex-Thames Trains info system it was running 15 minutes late, though these screens were outvoted 2-1 by the new Internet-linked ones at the ticket barrier, which both had it cancelled.

With impeccable comic timing, I arrived home to a letter from Plymouth enclosing a compensation voucher for a similar occurrence on December 16 - so at least one person down there knows the terms of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Link compensation scheme!

What made me laugh was the final sentence: "I hope that future journeys will be completely trouble-free."

If only... the compensation claim for tonight will be in the post tomorrow.

Well, at least they seem to have worked out how to unplug the train from the mains at Hereford when it does run, after the first day of the timetable fiasco.

While I agree a 125 seems like overkill on this service, I suspect a good few of the empty seats are because people who might once have boarded this train at Moreton, Kingham, Charlbury and even Oxford have given up on FGW^▸ (First Great Western), because if the 05.45 is cancelled, the 05.42 from Hereford has such a slack timing now that, as I think you have observed elsewhere, Mookiemoo, even if it is on time at Paddington, it is no use to anyone who needs to be at a desk in London by 9am.

Driving over to Bicester North (or Haddenham & Thame in the case of Oxford), means that, even if it's a Turbo or Clubman, the train will usually turn up right time and get to Marylebone thereabouts too (six trains arrive into MYB^▸ (London (Marylebone)) from BCS between 07.48 and 08.50) From Oxford there is also the option of express coaches on the M40 to London roughly every five minutes, at rather lower fares than FGW.

Not sorry my shifts got changed and I no longer have to get the 6am-ish from Moreton or this train. Was always thrilled when some clown left the doors open on a Turbo while the 6am was standing at Moreton on a winter's morning, letting out all the warmth that had built up on the ecs run from Oxford.

At least if that train was cancelled what was then the 05.34 from Malvern usually turned up 30 minutes later, but then it was stabled overnight at Worcester and crewed from there too.

I don't know whether progress (or lack of) on staff retraining at Worcester to work 125s may be an issue here, as taxi-ing over from Worcester to Hereford has got to make more sense than travelling from Bristol. But there I am using sense in the context of FGW^▸ (First Great Western)...

More fun and games reported on the Charlbury commuter blog tonight - an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Combe!

Probably one coach with unlocked doors. A 125 did run on the Oxfordshire halts train during the first week of the new timetable, but skipped Combe, though it did call at Finstock and Ascott-under-Wychwood.

Blog report follows, along with a further entry about the 17.51 from London's extended wait at Oxford. I surmise this was waiting for the the single line of a late-running 17.06 from Malvern, presumably delayed by the shenanigans with the 15.51 and halts services.

15.51 ex-Paddington.
Arrived Oxford late and was 'cancelled'. Somehow then became the Halts' train - a 125 calling at both Finstock Metropolitan and Combe International. Eventually arrived after 18.20. Some problems with locating cycles and positioning doors - Carriage E had both doors on platform but passengers were asked to alight from D causing further delay

17.51 ex-Paddington, blogger joined at Oxford
Announcements to say was going to be delayed and then rolled in only a couple of minutes late. We then sat at Oxford waiting until single line cleared and were 24 minutes late leaving, 22 arriving in Charlbury. They even had to re-route the Manchester bound train to Platform 1!! Rubbish. No excuse given - and again all the boards were saying something different. I despair!

It may just be a coincidence, but the Worcester stations aren't managed by FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

How many people even know that this exists?

It was launched in January 2003 by Thames Trains, after the ^10 minimum fare was introduced for the Network Card the previous June, rendering that railcard useless for all journeys on the Cotswold Line except Worcester-Oxford, where it saved you about 40p. The Cotswold card was ^5 for a year when launched. It's now ^7.50 and has escaped an increase this week, probably because FGW^▸ (First Great Western) seems to have forgotten about it.

It gives a third off standard cheap day fares and is valid on the 08.37 from Worcester Foregate Street to London and the 08.49 from Oxford to Great Malvern and all subsequent weekday services between Oxford and Worcester, and all day at weekends and bank holidays.

I somehow managed to renew mine yesterday. The 'application form' - if you can find one at one of the stations - is a tatty photocopy of the last proper printed form. I have never seen a poster promoting the railcard anywhere on the line (usually the only mention it gets at the stations is on the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about)'s noticeboards) and the FGW website's railcards page doesn't even acknowledge its existence, though it does appear on the National Rail site in the special offers area.

I wrote to Andrew Haines last month about this sorry state of affairs - enclosing that very classy application form - and he has replied admitting it wasn't a satisfactory situation and promising to pass my views along to the marketing department.

I await developments with interest, especially with all those extra seats to fill off-peak on 125s and ever-increasing premium payments to the Government in the years ahead.

In an area where the railway is the only public transport option for many journeys, and often faster than the car, you would have thought even FGW couldn't make a mess of an obvious revenue-generating tool, but then again...

On a serious note, though, if you know anyone who lives locally and could benefit from this railcard, do encourage them to go along to the following stations - Oxford, Worcester Foregate Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Evesham, Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham or Charlbury (latter two are staffed mornings only) - and demand to be sold one. A surge in sales might stir the marketing department into action.

No thanks. I can just about remember the pre-1993 days of two-car DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) shuttles on most services, getting soaked at Oxford station on the way to or from Platform 3, missed connections at Oxford due to delays elsewhere and far fewer trains all round.

While I commute into Oxford, I value the ability to get straight through to or from Reading and London at pretty much any time of the day when I need to make those journeys.

You were on the right lines with your petition about double track. And fingers crossed for whatever improvement proposals Network Rail comes up with next month - just so long as they don't give the job to whoever was responsible for Rugby last weekend...

My memory may be playing tricks on me, but I thought a key reason the backers of Crossrail settled on Maidenhead as its western terminal was because they did not want to be asked for a contribution to the cost of rebuilding Reading.

Now that this obstacle seems to have been removed, if the rebuilding does actually happen, I can't see any reason why Crossrail shouldn't go to Reading, which is the logical place for its trains to turn back, so it could replace the bulk of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) stopping services.

Turning back at Maidenhead will involve building stabling sidings on the old goods yard, which seems to provide much of the car parking at the station. I can't see where any replacement car park could go. Maybe someone with better local knowledge could enlighten me? Or have Crossrail just brushed that little problem under the carpet?

It's not on to call FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s staff slackers. The reason so many trains were cancelled over the weekend and on recent weekdays is down to the simple fact that there aren't enough traincrew on FGW's books to operate the normal timetable and cover for sickness and holidays to start with.

The cancellations were because not enough of them volunteered to work overtime and turn up for duty on a rest day. That's not their fault, that is down to an FGW management team which has been relying on staff working rest days to keep services running and has taken it for granted they will. This attitude, I'm sure, has contributed to the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) and Aslef calling strike ballots.

And do you really want your trains to be operated by drivers and conductors who are constantly working extra days, week after week? I don't, as it doesn't sound like a recipe for safe operating in the long run.

But please don't get the idea that the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) have a minimal part in what's going on. They are up to their necks in it. The disastrous December 2006 timetable was entirely their doing, as was the cut in the Wessex train fleet at the same time. Civil servants exert far more control over the timetables, operations and train fleets of supposed private operators than ever they did in the days of nationalised British Rail. Do you seriously suppose that any railway manager with half a brain would have axed all CrossCountry services from the South West and South Coast to the Lake District and the West of Scotland? That's what the DfT has just done.

I was referring to the instinctive reaction of people with standard class tickets to go to the standard class coach, as that's all it is in the case of Charlbury, rather than boarding through doors in first, which results in an almighty scrum at the two doors on coach E. See the Charlbury commuter blog at charlbury.info for eyewitness views of events at 7.30 each morning.

Or are they just scaremongering and, once we have all been re-educated and agree to bend to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s iron will, we'll wonder why for so many years HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) ever stopped with standard on the platform.

It may be easier to stop with the front end on the platform, but does it make sense? That is the point we are raising and some of us are yet to be convinced. Today, it took three minutes to get the less heavily used 6.42 from Hereford back on the move from Charlbury. Not exactly sparkling performance with only seven doors to worry about, is it? And coaches A and B were no more than half-full on arrival at Oxford.

Not the old chestnut that HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) can't accelerate! That depends on who's driving.

On a number of occasions I have ridden 2+8 125s that have done Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford, including stops at Kingham and Charlbury, in 25 minutes, start to stop. Booked time until last week was 32 minutes. They are now allowed 34 in the peak, despite having new German super-engines.

That's before we get to the padding between Reading and London. Remember 1976? The first BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) HST timetable allowed 20 minutes, start to stop! Current allowances for the Hereford morning peak 125s are 33 and 29 minutes.

SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) itself is not a problem, it's which coaches are platformed. As soon as standard was on again at Charlbury last Thursday morning, the train loaded straight way and went away on time. Coincidence? This morning the stop consumed three minutes (for a four-coach platform?!), as it was first class on the platform again.

PS: Most of the buffets are going nowhere for the moment. Andrew Haines has ordered a trial of trolleys on a few London-Bristol and Cardiff trains until the end of January, before he makes his mind up. Hence the unmodified buffets running in many rakes of overhauled coaches at the moment.

Jim, indeed it can cope, and did for the latter part of last week on the Cotswold Line after Richard Rowland came on the Wednesday morning to see for himself, after being alerted to problems on the Monday and Tuesday, especially at Charlbury - see my previous posts. Trains resumed stopping with standard on the platform, irrespective of formation, for a couple of days. Seems he may have been over-ruled by Swindon this week.

Does not get away from the fact that at 7.30am at Charlbury there is only one standard coach on the platform, with dozens of passengers trying to get into two doors, or tramping through first and the buffet to reach a seat. At Hanborough it is first class only. Wonder what the HSE^▸ (Health and Safety Executive) would make of this carry-on. I can't believe this was quite what people had in mind when SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was made compulsory. Or is using common sense selective as well now?

Shame whoever drafted the latter for him doesn't seem to know about the former FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Link (ex-Thames Trains) area compensation scheme's offer of a 50% refund for delays of 30 minutes on journeys of less than an hour (a hangover from Network South East?).

Following was lifted tonight from the FGW website Passenger's Charter section, wording which is repeated in the current FGW compensation claim form.

"Journeys on (former) First Great Western Link Services:
If you hold a ticket for a single or return ticket, or a Weekly Season Ticket, and your train is delayed or cancelled due to the fault of the rail industry, you will be entitled to compensation in National Rail travel vouchers of at least 50% of the price you paid for the delayed journey if:
You are delayed by more than one hour on a rail journey of an hour or more; or
You are delayed by more than 30 minutes on a rail journey of less than an hour."

Should add that twice in the past year I have had to write back to customer services in Plymouth pointing this out provision when they had initially refused to pay out for 30-minute-plus delays, saying the trigger was an hour. How many payouts have they saved themselves with this response, I wonder?

My first claim of new timetable has already gone in, so I await the response with interest. Could have been three, but two trains crept into Oxford 28 minutes down!

Anyone have any further observations of current practice in the stopping first or standard class at short platforms carry-on?

Apparently today the 05.30 from Great Malvern to Paddington stopped at Charlbury with the front end, ie first class coaches plus one standard, on the platform again. Was running late, though this was being put down to signalling problems.

Not quite clear what you have against the 180s. Sure, the ride can be a bit lively at times on jointed rail, but has anyone actually ever made a serious effort to sort them out?

For most of the day outside the peaks (say from 10am to 3pm and after 7pm) the Adelantes are the ideal train for the Cotswold Line. Better environment than any variety of Turbo - even non-regular travellers now groan when one of these appears - and the refurbished HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), which have way too many seats for off-peak, even if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) could be bothered to promote the Cotswold Line Railcard (which they can't - it isn't even mentioned on their website and the 'application form' currently available at the staffed stations is a photocopy of the last proper printed issue).

As a result of the all-HST policy, daytime off-peak trains both ways on the line and the evening services returning from Worcester now look like empty stock workings. Didn't Alastair Darling say something about not moving air around earlier this year? Those of us with (not that) long memories can recall that the SRA^» (Strategic Rail Authority - about) came up with idea of a high-capacity HST purely for service on the London-Reading-Oxford corridor. Trust FGW to decide that they actually meant just about anywhere on its network...