286
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All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Routeing query - Chippenham to Moreton in Marsh
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on: March 30, 2022, 19:59:08
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Makes you wonder - what on earth is the point of having "not via Reading" fares in the first place. Why on earth spend £100ms on revamping it as a major interchange station and then go to the trouble of working out marginally more expensive (or cheaper!) fares for using it!
Wouldn't it be better just to abolish all "not via Reading" fares to give everyone no incentive not to have to change at stations with poorer connections and facilities - heavens above - it might just make rail travel a tad more attractive!
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287
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Journey by Journey / TransWilts line / Re: Out and about, 25.3.2022
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on: March 26, 2022, 18:38:08
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Perhaps I can add a few observations from someone who has been a one day a week commuter for just over a month.
I have been travelling my Goring-Guildford route every Tuesday - sometimes also taking an onward train to (or from) London Road near where the office is. The proportion of mask wearers has been steadily reducing, although where space permits passengers seem to be mostly exercising social distancing measures. I agree with TG's observation that it is no longer the young who don't and the older who do wear masks. I continue to do so, and I likely to continue to do so until I retire at the end of next month, especially as infection rates have increased considerably in all areas west and south west of London - and I have been pinged twice for being close to someone subsequently testing positive for covid, although the "contact" was a week before on the first occasion and 5 days before on the second.
The station car parks remain less full than before, but the trains I am travelling on seem back much closer to the level of use before - are the shorter distance (into Reading or Guildford) commuters returning faster than London commuters? Train cleanliness still seems better then before lockdown, if not quite at the level it was during the initial remissions from lockdown.
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288
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: Tram overturns in Croydon - 7 killed, 51 injured - 9 Nov 2016
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on: March 25, 2022, 21:59:16
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"Up to two years imprisonment" - seems a pretty light penalty for 7 lives lost? (if found guilty) There's a lot that this statement. It is easy for those of us who spent a working life sat at a desk when the worse thing that a moment's inattention could cause is knocking your coffee over your keyboard to make a statement like this. This person did not set off to work intending to cause injury, and quite likely did not realise what danger had arisen immediately before the accident - although if he was (for example) playing with a mobile device instead of concentrating on his job, or under he influence of drink or drugs, that would be different. Personally, I get more upset when a psychopath beats the living daylights out of some unfortunate who gets in their way when their blood is up gets away without a jail sentence. We sadly have a tabloid culture which whips up a revenge culture against those involved in accidents, when what we really need to do is to make sure as far as possible the risk of a recurrence is reduced or eliminated. We would be a better society if grieving relatives were made to feel some consolation if this happens, rather than encourage a culture baying for revenge against someone whose "crime" might be just a few moments inattention when they were tired. What we should be getting upset about is that in this modern and apparently safety pre-occupied world we ended up with a rail based mode of transport that could hurtle towards a bend this sharp at this speed.
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289
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Engines left running on train layovers
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on: March 25, 2022, 21:07:16
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It's not just passenger trains on layovers at Reading (and indeed when being assembled into longer combinations of two or three being assembled to go to the depot, which in a northwesterly wind results in the over bridge canopy filling with noxious fumes) it is also the Windhof (?) Railhead cleaning trains that sit at the inner ends of platforms 5 or 6 adding a loud unpleasant racket to the fumes.
Switch the d.........d things off!
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291
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Journey by Journey / Thames Valley Branches / Re: Reading Green Park
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on: March 20, 2022, 21:34:13
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And with what I anticipate will be my last visit before it opens, here's what it looked like this morning.
Let's hope Reading avoid relegation so I can use it for a match or two in the Championship next season.
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292
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: P&O Ferries
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on: March 20, 2022, 14:31:01
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I used to think that they would also haver access to the best HR▸ ▸ advice and public relations companies, but it seems I was wrong. This has the hallmarks of some of the worst practices of the 1970s, but without the original disputes. Having access to the best advisers does not mean that their advice will be followed. I understand that they have made what they consider to be a generous offer of a pay off, which could very well be calculated based on what they have been advised the employees would be awarded. It does not (of course) excuse the way they have gone about it.
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294
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion
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on: March 13, 2022, 18:20:48
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Bearing in mind that the current crisis in Ukraine has resulted in calls for resilience in energy supply and accelerating the move away from fossil fuels, am I the only one who has noted that this has not (yet?) included any commitment to, or discussion of, accelerating electrification of the remainder of the UK▸ rail network?
And before more discussion of battery power, please bear in mind that Russia is one of the world's leading suppliers of nickel...........
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297
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Journey by Journey / Portsmouth to Cardiff / Re: On-train catering to end, Cardiff to Portsmouth, from 1st April
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on: March 09, 2022, 22:18:28
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What certainly doesn't help is having nowhere to put your food and drink down on at most seats on a Turbo. Horribly laid out commuter trains unsuited to an inter-regional service.
Ironically, the small side shelves on 165s and some small seat back fold down shelves were removed years ago during various "refreshes" of these trains and some of the full sized tables from 166s went too. Sorry BNM that it will be little comfort that you will soon have new more durable and washable charcoal and green upholstery to balance or spill it on.
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