( ... and, posting personally, I agree with her!  )

http://ihatefirstgreatwestern.blogspot.com/2008/06/lets-get-something-clear-here.html

A couple of points from me (cue groans from the other moderators!  )

Describing FGW^▸ (First Great Western) in the press these days apparently involves the obligatory use of the phrase "Under fire train company FGW ...".  For goodness sake!  Why not try to be impartial and just describe them (at least initially) as "Local train operating company FGW ... " ?

And there are some very high quality reporters around, in my personal opinion: for example, among our members here in the coffee shop! 

For completeness, here is the Oxford Mail's view on the story:

http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.2359375.0.highspeed_rail_study_on_way.php

... and open it did - with some celebration, apparently:

http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/display.var.2359019.0.party_marks_end_of_road_closure.php

Thousands of people took part in Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride yesterday, cycling one of six routes - from the 10-mile Family Fiesta along the Portway and back to a 52-mile ride to Chew Valley along the Avon Cycleway.

http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20928833

Sorry for some slight duplication in this story, but it is more specific to London to Bristol:

Christopher Irwin, chairman of the public transport passenger watchdog group TravelWatch South West, said: "We are looking at this with great interest as it has great potential. Trains on the Paddington to Bristol line currently have a maximum speed of 125mph and the quickest time between London and Bristol is one hour, 40 minutes.

"Faster trains would cut that to 40 or 45 minutes."

Mr Irwin said a lot of work had been done previously by Network Rail to look at high speed routes, including London to the West Country.

Transport operator First Group had also set up a working party, of which Mr Irwin was a member, to consider high speed routes, but it ceased after a number of meetings.

See http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231190&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144922&contentPK=20928862

A council subsidy will keep two bus services going after the withdrawal of operator First.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is to arrange the replacement of the 228 and 175 services.

http://thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=20909058&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047

... and the view from the Clevedon Mercury:

The most detailed analysis yet of creating a rail link for Portishead has been completed. And it could be full steam ahead for the line as the study shows no insurmountable objects to creating a rail route to Bristol. Rail campaigners and local councillors were given a presentation earlier this week of a feasibility study carried out by consultants on behalf of North Somerset Council. The study and its outcome have been broadly welcomed by rail campaigners.

Portishead Railway Group membership secretary Peter Maliphant said: "We were pleased with the report and pleased there are identifiable steps to move forward. Lots of people said it was good to hear what was possible rather than reasons why we should not do it."

The study looked at several different options, based on one train per hour between Portishead and Bristol Temple Meads, either direct or stopping at interim stations such as Pill and Ashton Gate. It also evaluated the cost of building infrastructure, including a new station for Portishead west of Quays Avenue, and re-laying track between the town and the existing Portbury Dock spur.

Depending on options chosen, detailed calculations show infrastructure is likely to cost between ^7.5 and ^15 million, while annual operating costs would be between ^1.6 and ^2.4 million, of which approximately a third will need to be covered by a subsidy. Identifying funding will now be the subject of ongoing work, as will a more detailed analysis of the route to meet Network Rail rail planning guidance.

See http://www.thisisclevedon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=223432&command=displayContent&sourceNode=224133&contentPK=20909139&folderPk=104742&pNodeId=224152

The South West is in line for a new high-speed rail link to London in a move welcomed with cautious optimism by passenger watchdogs.

Network Rail is considering turning the Penzance to Paddington mainline into a 186mph super route, slashing journey times to the capital.

The line is one of five key rail routes under consideration following a 40 per cent increase in passengers using trains over a decade.

If the proposals go ahead, it is hoped to have new tracks laid by 2025. Most would be similar to those built in France to carry the high-speed TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) network.

Stuart Walker, regional spokesman for transport users group Travelwatch South West, said the scheme could have huge benefits to Devon and Cornwall ^ if it comes off.

At the moment, the main rail route through Devon and Cornwall is restricted to a speed of around 60mph, with a 110mph section between Reading and Paddington. More than an hour could be shaved off the five-and-a-half- hour journey time to London if the route is chosen for expansion.

See http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/TGV-style-train-link-transform-West/article-195365-detail/article.html

Ah, yes ... Bristol and Portishead - even on 'Weekdays only' ... 

Sorry, Timmer, but it's Wimbledon fortnight and Glastonbury festival: therefore it's bound to pee down with rain for days on end!

 

Oh.

Less for those in Devon, then, next year?

 

Hmmm.  I have to say, I do agree with you, dog box: a couple of them have turned up at BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) recently, and I've been startled by their rather bizarre colour scheme!

C. 

This story is also hitting the 'national news' pages of our local newspapers, due to interesting local implications.

For example, see http://www.thisisclevedon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=224107&command=displayContent&sourceNode=223485&contentPK=20923615&folderPk=104671&pNodeId=224162

Rail bosses are to look at the possibility of building five new high-speed main lines as part of a review of the network's future, Network Rail said.

Network Rail said it was to commission a study which would look into the feasibility of new lines along the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s busiest routes in what would amount to the largest track build since the 19th century.

The review, which will be announced on Monday, will also assess the need for high speed trains similar to the French TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) to cope with Britain's growing number of rail users.

Over the last decade, the network has seen passenger numbers increase by about 40%. More people are using the service than at any time since 1946.

Numbers are expected to swell by a further 30% in the next ten years, adding to the burden on the current network.

The study being commissioned by Network Rail will look at the service in the post-2014 period, with all options "on the table".

If given the go-ahead, the new lines are likely to run alongside some of the UK's busiest existing routes.

They include the West Coast line to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, the East Coast line to Edinburgh, the Great Western to Bristol, the Midland main line to Sheffield and the Chiltern route to Birmingham.

The London to Penzance line will also be looked at as part of the review.

If the proposals are adopted, the new tracks are thought likely to be built with high-speed passenger trains in mind.

The story has now appeared in the local press: see http://www.thisisclevedon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=223432&command=displayContent&sourceNode=241560&home=yes&more_nodeId1=224152&contentPK=20907456