Good advice not to travel unless you have to.  However, there are some positives looking at Live Arrivals and Departures and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journeycheck on the web:

- services are running between Plymouth and Exeter (despite NRE^‡(resolve) disruption pages saying lines closed Plymouth to Taunton)
- A few Penzance / Plymouth to/from Paddington services appear to be diverted via Honiton/Yeovil/Castle Cary offering some through trains without having to change.
- Unlike last time, Exeter to Waterloo route is still open
- Bristol - Taunton is shut, but you could take SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Exeter to Basingstoke and change there to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services to Birmingham and the North (or the few FGW services diverted via Yeovil and change at Reading)

Worrying notice that North Devon and Looe branch lines may be closed until 29 December, which suggests damage must be very severe.  No bus replacements to Barnstaple possible either. 

Puzzled - According to Live Departure Boards, Cross Country services seem to be getting thorugh with only around 15 minutes delay (eg: 1059 Glasgow - Penzance reported Tiverton Parkway only 11 late at 1929) , yet FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are terminating services at Taunton and running buses to Exeter. Is this something to do with the relative weights of Voyagers v HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) on bridges over fast flowing rivers?

Not convinced about the Banksman reason.  First (who are usually the most obsessed about health and safety) are continuing to use the Interchange at St Austell, and Western Greyhound has a number of routes that regularly require the driver to undertake reversing moves on the public highway without assistance (eg: Gurnard's Head on services 507/508, and all services at Penzance Bus station)  


I'll ignore the gender based comments on drivers beyond pointing out there is no scientific evidence that a person's gender has any impact on their competency as a driver.  

On 1 April, Western Greyhound's bus services will cease to serve the transport interchange at St Austell Railway Station.  It is not clear why they have chosen to do this - there is no explanation on their website.  For services 524/525/526/527 (to Fowey, Mevagissey, Gorran Haven, Eden Project) this will not be too inconvenient as the buses will still serve Kings Avenue / Carlyon Road a short walk from the station. However services 520/521/522/529 (to the Clay Villages, Bodmin, Newquay and Truro) will depart from Trinity Street a hefty walk to the other side of town from the station (and a very steep climb uphill when walking towards the station). The only bus services continuing to call at the Transport Interchange will be the First service 27 to Truro and 101 to the Eden Project  With First Group refusing to serve the proposed transport interchange at St Erth (except for its Summer only Open top service) it makes you wonder why we should bother building these facilities.  If you object to this change - which I believe is the first time on these routes that St Austell station has not been served since GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) days - Email info@westerngreyhound.com

Panorama missed a trick here - fancy not mentioning XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))'s doubling of turn up and go fares due to the new 0930 restriction.  Cross Country's official response to my complaint is repeated below (when is a fare increase not a fare increase? When there is a change in restrictions to make Off Peak travel more consistent!):

"Question:  Why has Cross Country found it necessary to charge twice as much as the old fare for exactly the same service? 
Answer:  We are not charging any more for the service - this fare has always been in place.  We have however, changed the restriction for the Off-peak fare to make Off-peak travel more consistent across our network.  This is in line with our Off-peak travel policy. 
   
Question:  You have not explained why the cheaper option you suggested is not shown on Cross Country^s website.
Answer:  Split ticket journeys are not always the available for all journeys.  Further to this, the National Conditions of Carriage have strict conditions relating to when a combination of tickets can be used.  Therefore it is only appropriate to sell tickets valid for the entire journey.   
 
I appreciate these may not be the answers you want to hear and I am sorry if you are disappointed."

How do the cyclists in Fleetwood, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Manchester, Croydon (and soon to be joined by Edinburgh) - all of which have street running trams - cope when it seems cyclists in Weymouth cannot?

And cyclists in Porthmadog where the Welsh Highland line runs along the street to the Ffestiniog railway station?

Come to think of it, how do cyclists cope with all those potentially dangerous rails at level crossings on the national rail network?

Perhaps cyclists in Weymouth should take a tip from cyclists in these towns and take care to avoid the tram lines.  An appropriate warnng sign might help them.     

1406 Paddington - Penzance, 0541, 0645, 1600 Penzance - Paddingtons and the Down Night Riviera all call at Lostwithiel.

Not all bad news.

Liskeard to Plymouth

Standard Day Return was ^8 now ^7.90
Seven Day Season was ^23.90 now ^19 - a 20% reduction!

See my message earlier below - but I don't know why Liskeard to Plymouth has been singled out for these reductions when the rest of Cornwall is facing increases nearer to 6%

Interesting how different parts of First Group support the New Year Celebrations:

First Great Western - temporarily suspends the Reading blockade 31 Dec and puts on additional trains Paddington-Reading in the early hours of New Years Day to "...help get customers home from celebrations"

First Devon and Cornwall Buses - Most buses to stop between 1900 and 2000 New Years Eve and no buses at all on New Years Day.  (A bus driver's comment when decision to stop early questioned by a passenger - "We have to get home to our families as well you know"). Lucky other essential services don't hold this view (eg: Fire and Rescue, Ambulance, Police, Hospitals and... First Great Western's trains which all ran on New Years Day including all Cornwall and Devon branches).

 

Indeed there is this byelaw, along with the one that is supposed to prevent people in an intoxcated state from entering railway property (Byelaw 4) and even a person whose clothing may soil or damage any part of the railway or the property or clothing of any person on the railway (Byelaw 5) - dirty shoes on the seats? 

Unfortunately, as with most Railway Byelaws, the industry and British Transport Police generally only pro-actively enforce the laws in relation to smoking, trespass, fare evasion and abusive/violent behaviour to staff.  The rest largely go un-enforced. 

On Byelaw 7, I guess the test will be to inform the Train Manager that someone is using their Mobile/stereo etc to your annoyance and ask the TM^‡(resolve) to apply Byelaw 7.  If not, then (with the help of a witness) inform the British Transport Police.  However, I suspect BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) may not wish to pursue the case as, with most Police forces, they do not have the resources to enforce every law and have to choose which ones they feel there is most need to enforce.

If true, perhaps FGW would like to consider doing the same for the commuter market into Truro - or is the lack of train services towards Redruth, Camborne, and Penzance in the evening peak period the reason they don't?

These are some of the more broadcastable excuses for shouting/screaming/using mobiles/playing loud music in the Quiet Coach. Drawn from personal experiences of asking noisy passengers to move to the remaining 4 standard class or 1.5 first class coaches if they wish to make noise.

"No one told us it was a quiet coach when we booked seats"

"We need a table and there are no free tables in the other coaches"

"You could have waited until I'd finished my phone call before telling me this is a mobile free coach"

"Its not a (expletive deleted) library"

"They're children, what do you expect?"

"If you want peace and quiet why didn't you pay to go first class?" (Comment - interesting view that passengers in first class will always be quiet/not use mobile phones - actually untrue)

"Why - don't you like it then?" (Comment from a passenger when asked not to play his guitar)

"I'm sorry, but it was a very important call" (Actually a discussion over what to eat for tea that evening).


Other contributions (for a polite audience) welcome. 

First Great Western recently removed their leaflets in Quiet Coaches explaining the rules.  The Quiet Coach now only states it is a Quiet Coach and has one poster asking customers to keep noise to a minimum. 


 

Can anyone explain to me why the seven day season ticket from Carbis Bay to Truro has increased by an inflation busting 5.7% (from ^27.90 to ^29.50) but the Liskeard to Plymouth seven day season ticket has fallen by an astounding 20% (from ^23.90 to ^19). 

Can't be anything to do with the St Ives branch receiving investment in new trains - all we've had recently is some clapped out 150/1s from London and the West Midlands with filthy seat cushions that keep falling off and windows that require sticky tape to keep them closed. 

Strangely, Liskeard to Plymouth now has a seven day First Class Season Ticket for ^28.50 - yep thats one pound less than the Carbis Bay - Truro Standard Class season.  Liskeard - Plymouth is 17 mile journey - only 6 miles shorter than Carbis Bay - Truro.
   

Thanks for your various comments and sympathy! A ^13 taxi fare got me home in the end, but any later than 1am I would have  faced a long walk.

Re: PlusBus - Not sure what would happen here. I recall Barry Doe once stating that TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) would have had to provide a taxi if the last bus was missed, but what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff in the Control office would do is unknown.  St Ives - St Erth does not and never will have a PlusBus scheme as PlusBus are not allowed to operate where there is a 'competing' bus and rail service. The Falmouth PlusBus scheme for example does not permit use of the ticket on local train journey's between Penryn and Falmouth Docks.

Re: Cornwall Council Subsidised Services - The evening bus service from Penzance to St Ives is subsidised by Cornwall Council.  However the Council has no interest in introducing inter-available bus/rail tickets except for the Ride Cornwall day ticket which is aimed at off peak tourist travel.  No plans for Travelcards / Oystercards in Cornwall so far I'm afraid.

Re: Rail / Bus Exchange Tickets in the 1970s - Yes in the 'bad' old days of BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) and the National Bus Company - both state owned - it was possible to exchange your rail ticket for a bus ticket on the same travel corridor. 1970s BR Timetables used to include times of Western National buses between St Erth and St Ives when the Branch line services finished for the day and on Winter Sundays - but not any more.

At a recent Penwith Transport Forum meeting, a manager of First Devon and Cornwall buses was asked why they could not have inter-available rail and bus tickets.  He said if First Great Wstern paid us for them we would.
   

1702 Padd - PNZ delayed more than 2 hours due to freight train failure at Menheniot (rail adhesion problems requiring a second assisting loco to be sent out).

I had planned to catch 17 Bus from St erth to st Ives - also run by First Group - but last bus will now have gone by time train arrives late at St Erth.  Train Manager tried to persuade FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Control to provide a taxi connection instead, but they refused as there is no advertised train connection and buses - even those also run by First - don't count.  So thanks First Group for leaving me stranded at St Erth. Why don't the bus and train parts  of First talk to each other in Cornwall? What happened to First's promise of integrated transport if they ran both buses and trains?