A fantastic summary, thank you.  You are spot on by saying it widens the view of what could be done - and what should not be done - in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) too, not only in railway terms but more generally.  There are times it makes you realise how lucky we are (the last few days have made we realise that) and at times how behind the times we are.  And there are time, yes, when the local systems known well to people who live in these countries are daunting / worrisome to the outsider.  I look forward to reading your further feedback.

c) A different bar code for each day

That used to be something of a special case as it was a VERY long way round except by the train - someone told me 20 miles. I think it still is by road, but you can now walk across the rail bridge?   Can someone confirm that?

Yes - the use of (and ability to speak) English is great - and also humbling.  I'm now in Valka in the Latvia / Estonia border and in the cafe that's open today, the young lady speaks English.  The folks I met at the bridge between the two countries spoke it perfectly too - though to be expected as they turn out to be from Tunbridge Wells.  And the other gent I was chatting too - also at the bridge - was from Ukraine but currently living in Latvia and appreciative of the local support he and his county are getting.  We aren't far from Russia here and the Russian influence is very much around to see.  Another post to follow on that, perhaps?

Greetings this lovely Sunday morning from a station with ...
... an open staffed ticket office
... an excellent choice of coffees
... an arrivals and departures board showing everything on time
... and enough platforms to cope with all the trains that are around

For sure, I will admit that they have issues here too - like at home - with a train service that is far too thin.  So thin, in fact, that yesterday's train to the next place on my tour was fully booked and I had to wait here for a day.

St James Park to Central is also £2.10 - how far is that?

Accosted you should not be ... but you bring back a conversation I had last week when I checked into a hotel with the chap behind the counter.  Vivid memory with a chat that would have been worthy of us sitting in the bar and putting the world to rights.  Quite extraordinary and one of the subjects we briefly touched on was women's safety, man's drive, and whether easier access to the services of females with flexible "morality" would reduce the level of unwanted forced attention by men on women.   We touched on war and refugees, the environment, employment rights and finding the right staff too.  Like I say, quite extraordinary.   There's the occasional spark on trips like these that will be in my memory for years - the dutch backpacker on his way to Vilnius, and the lady in the train on Friday who was so "hyper" in her own business ... and we ended up having a brief few minutes, but fascinating, conversation as we approached the intermediate stop where she got off.

So - who have YOU met for fascinating conversation in your travels?  I will split the thread if people pile in answers!

I find myself thinking that fares would be more equitably based on "x"p per end station and "y"p per mile - so if "x" was 80p and "y" was 50p you would have an alternative setup for the whole fare network.   And its in line with the cost of the rail industry to provide too, with customers paying for the overhead and use of two lots of facilities, plus the mileage.  I think taxis do it already.

A memorable experience and one I recommend to friends - and a big THANK YOU to those who worked so hard to make it happen. You know who you are. 

I did wonder.  Some of the long serving staff at Westbury talk of how memories have not faded (nor attitudes totally changed) between those who joined previous strikes and those who did not.

It may still be the case that actually happens - if this afternoon train runs.

Not really anything to celebrate for Melksham - the service today has been reduced to useless, and it's another own goal by the rail industry as a whole.  This is not the thread, though, to look at our archaic system of industrial relations.

The Independent has featured "10 journeys that cost more that £1 per mile" this morning ... I have hummed and haaaed and decided that's a related but separate thread - started at http://www.passenger.chat/28618

But the £2.70 Ty Glas to Birchgrove is featured:


This confirms, sadly, that I am not "normal".  But then it was a journey I walked and didn't take the train. I got off the train from Cardiff at Ty Glas, walked to Birchgrove while the train went up to Coryton and came back ...

The short journey from Hamilton Square (Birkenhead) to St James (Liverpool) does feature in the article as a short journey that people will take at over £1 per mile due to it being a long way to walk round - the Mersey is in the way!

From The Independent

Due to industrial action, the only trains scheduled to run today are:
Services at 07:45 and 16:23 from Westbury to Swindon
Services at 08:45 and 17:35 from Swindon to Westbury
All 4 trains calling intermediately at Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham at which they are the only passenger trains scheduled to call today.

Complete timetable for Westbury:
07:45 to Swindon (starts here)
08:10 to Salisbury (from Castle Cary)
(09:26 arrival from Swindon)
10:57 to Frome (from Salisbury)
11:43 to Southampton Central (from Frome)
16:23 to Swindon (starts here)
(18:18 arrival from Swindon)
19:58 to Yeovil Junction (from Salisbury)
23:12 to Salisbury (starts here)

Complete timetable for Swindon:
(08:28 arrival from Westbury)
08:45 to Westbury
(17:08 arrival from Westbury)
17:35 to Westbury