Would I be correct that there's some automation in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s delay repay system?  It's easy to see how a "computer says no" scenario could arise if changes have been made to the timetable at very short notice.  I have always customer service representatives tend to give benefit of doubt in situations where they could technically wriggle out of paying compensation.  Definitely worth appealing a failed delay repay claim, as it will then have to receive the attention of a real person.

And from TfW JourneyCheck:

A PRM^▸ (Persons with Reduced Mobility)-modified class 67 locomotive - now, that's an interesting concept.

My train was definitely on diesel when it went through the tunnel on diesel yesterday.  There was a noticeable surge of power as the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) switched to electric on the way up the bank after Pilning.  Currently they are also still running on diesel between Newport and Cardiff.

Yesterday I had the misfortune to be delayed by two incidents on the same journey - first, a points failure at Pilning, and then by a broken-down freight train on the diversionary route between Lydney and Chepstow.  And when we finally pulled in at Newport, the connecting service I had hoped I might catch was just leaving. 

Since I was already very late, and it would be a long wait until the next train, I asked the TfW staff at Newport whether they could request a taxi for me.  They called GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), who duly authorised a taxi, but the local taxi company refused - saying GWR no longer have an account with them!  It's fair enough that a ToC can make the call when it is appropriate to use taxis to get customers to their end destinations, but on occasions it *will* be necessary - and surely they *must* have contingency arrangements with taxi companies for such eventualities?

The staff member I spoke to at Newport was very keen I followed this up with GWR, as I wasn't the first, and wouldn't be the last person asking him for help to get home after a problematic journey.

This morning it was the 0615 and 0713 CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) that were cancelled, which are the stopping services.  The fast SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) - PAD trains that are scheduled to overtake them at Swindon did run - although I suspect they made Swindon stops in lieu.

A good idea to give people a heads-up when it's known in advance a service will be ram packed.

A train you can't get on might as well be a cancelled train - in fact it's worse because it may be too late to change plans.  When is this going to be added to the valid reasons for claiming delay repay?

The STJ^▸ (Severn Tunnel Junction railway station) stop on the 0629 Swansea to Paddington has continued on a fairly regular basis.  One or more short-forms on the 0730, 0800 and 0830 Cardiff departures to Bristol TM^‡(resolve) and beyond has been pretty normal for the last few months.

However, it will be interesting to see whether GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) continue with this practice from next week.  This Swansea to London train becomes one of the fast ones that runs non-stop from Bristol Parkway to London and leapfrogs the preceding Cardiff to London service en route.

Previously, when services are disrupted, was it not possible to get a train back to your originating station and get a refund?  This situation typically arises when the journey involves changing to a connecting service, and you are effectively left stranded mid-journey.

Also, does the return portion of a ticket count as unused if the outward journey has been made?

"Delayed" seems to mean that a train hasn't left a station or passed a timing point within a certain time of when it was predicted.  When the reason is that another train has been pathed in front of it, the system doesn't seem to be intelligent to make an appropriate re-calculation, and give an updated delay.

The same issue sometimes means that an earlier predicted time is given for a train that is following one showing a later time.  This, of course, means they show in the wrong order.  When the first train arrives in the platform the system sorts itself out, but that doesn't stop some passengers who weren't paying full attention from getting on the wrong train.

In these days of AI, railway information systems seem still to be remarkably stupid.

All very fine, but still no southbound services from Shrewsbury until after 11 a.m.

As electric cars become a bigger and bigger proportion of the total, fuel duty is going to raise a smaller proportion of the funds needed to maintain the road network.  Clearly it's impossible to tax electricity used to power cars differently to electricity used in the home.  So presumably there will need to be some new funding model - maybe including 'smart' forms of road pricing.  Wouldn't it makes sense if you had to pay a premium to drive your car in cities during the morning and evening rush hour?

Yes, that's the one - I checked its number today.  If it was just to provide a turnback facility, wouldn't they have put it at the east end of the station so that the train could stop at the platform?  I also wondered if it had any use in connection with the rebuilding of Gypsy Patch Bridge if single line working was needed for a while.

Down line in the up direction.  Other side of the tracks to signal no 1536 I think.

At the west end of Patchway station a signal has recently appeared on the down line in the westbound direction.  Since there is not a crossover between there and Pilning, does that not imply the down line is also bidirectional now?

I noticed today that the the lines between Patchway and Pilning are now signalled in both directions.  Not sure whether this extends in the other direction to Bristol Parkway.

I realise that this means, in principle, a westbound train could now call at Pilning - though finding a long enough gap between eastbound services to fit one in might be challenging.  And theoretically I suppose it means a train could now turn back at Patchway.  Some off-peak Weston to Bristol Parkway trains are going to be terminating at Filton in the new timetable, so could perhaps be extended to give Patchway 2 trains an hour.  But I expect there's a good reason why not...