Last night's Up Sleeper was delayed for nearly two hours due to a fatality on the line in Cornwall.

Faced with that amount of delay the service has often been terminated at Reading with passengers forced to change onto other services to reach Paddington.  However today the train continued into London and didn't even have to wait for the second loco to be coupled to the rear at Reading.   The light loco was sent on ahead and held in Royal Oak sidings before being joined to the train in platform 1 in Paddington to bring the empty coaches back to Reading Traincare Depot.

We have talked a lot about the fact IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) on diversion are unable to call at Melksham.   It has been suggested this is because the software hasn't been programmed to allow it.

At Par I noticed the sign below on platform 3 - the one normally used for the Newquay branch.   However there is a route west towards Penzance which I imagine doesn't get used that often for passenger service (at the moment).  However it seems to indicate it could be used by the longer IETs under a special arrangement.



Could this be a possibility for Melksham?  A sign would be a cheaper option that a software upgrade, but are there other factors in play?

Ironically I can beat that!   

As you posted I was sorting my photos from a day out in Cornwall last Friday http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28646.0.  Taking the day as a whole I travelled on 13 trains and all were, to within a minute, on time. 

The total rises to 14 if you include my train home after catching the sleeper which I caught less than 24 hours after leaving the previous day.

No platform staff at Foregate Street until 11am.  Also affects West Midlands Railway services. 

Just to note, road replacement transport was arranged for this morning's cancellations.

Personal opinion, but I sincerely hope the driver did fall ill - and was not intimidated into not booking on.

The Evening Single (available from 12 noon) is £1 from Ryde St Johns Road to Ryde Esplanade.   Slightly more scenic is Ryde Esplanade to the Pier Head for £1.60.

I wonder when Melksham last had more planned departures than Swindon?

I say planned - the first of the two round trips has been cancelled. 

It is the Midland Pullman.



(as seen at Swindon in 2021)

Refreshing in a way.  Reminded me of the days when almost all shops were regularly closed on a Sunday.   We all coped!  (Well Tony Hancock struggled)

Well that shattered the dream!

I think the work was first announced by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on Thursday afternoon.

All now re-instated.   Staff have been to site between Melksham and Bradford Junction and carried out repairs.   There were initially delays in finding staff, such have been the demands on permanent way staff over the last few days.

stagecoach West in Swindon were running a Saturday service on Good Friday.  That allowed me a solo trip out for the first time in a while with time in Cheltenham, Cirencester and Cricklade - all for £8.

Buses were well used but not uncomfortably full.  My first one, the 07:00 off Swindon, took healthy loads of workers to an industrial estate on the outskirts of town before then picking up more who looked to be on their way to work in Cirencester and again on the last leg to Cheltenham.    Coming back there were a good sprinkling of shoppers and day trippers like me.   There didn't seem to be that many using ENCTS^▸ (English National Concessionary Travel Scheme) passes.

…and that’s before someone mentions E.coli in the water.