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 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
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29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
13:48 Bedwyn to Newbury
14:12 Newbury to Bedwyn
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:46 Bristol Temple Meads to Warminster
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
09:10 Penzance to London Paddington
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
etc
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1  Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Devon and Cornwall resignalling on: March 11, 2024, 13:47:34
I presume CL, as seen on the Truro signal posts, refers to Cornwall. New workstation at Exeter 'box, yes?

Mid-Cornwall workstation at Exeter PSB (Power Signal Box).  CL for CornwalL
2  Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Keyham bomb removal - temporary suspension of rail traffic on: February 23, 2024, 12:58:08
Line will be closed 1400 to 1800.
3  Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Devon delays 2024 on: February 22, 2024, 08:43:33
Stagecoach supplied a double decker for a 0625am all stations to Exeter and a 0640 non stop to Exeter this morning.
Doesn’t appear to be many other road vehicles although I imagine some might appear once school runs are out of the way.

Those are scheduled RRBs (Rail Replacement Bus) due to scheduled ongoing overnight resignalling works.
4  Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Devon delays 2024 on: February 21, 2024, 21:05:20
And just after that the s#it hit the fan again at Brent Mill Viaduct.

No trains will run tomorrow (22nd) between Plymouth and Newton Abbot until at least 10.00, when the structure can be properly inspected.
5  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Labour to renationalise train operators with no compensation on: February 05, 2024, 09:45:45
In all likelyhood, the difference we will see will be dictated by the whims of the government at the time and thus changes every 5 years. 

Currently, we have one of the most anti-rail PMs in office.  I don't believe there will be wholesale reform of fares, services or stock under any government spending plan.  If the railways were fully nationalised today, the service would probably be remarkedly worse than it is.

And I don't really understand why Mick Lynch wants to see the railways fully under government control.  Disputes will become more frequent as public servants.  Or maybe that is why.

Nationalisation is therefore not a panacea.
6  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Labour to renationalise train operators with no compensation on: February 03, 2024, 09:11:12
Political rhetoric in a lead up to a GE is one thing the practical delivery of a policy after the GE is another

This is the most important aspect.  I have very little faith that any party will do what they promise they will.
7  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Trains idling at termini on: February 01, 2024, 08:29:29
Noting that shutting down the engine means the heating turns off, which is not ideal at this time of year.
8  Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Damage to bridge on Barnstaple line - January 2024 on: January 21, 2024, 21:17:18
A 2m section of this bridge has come away from the structure, which itself is bulging.
9  Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Devon delays 2024 on: January 20, 2024, 08:26:01
Alterations to services between Paignton and Exeter St Davids via Newton Abbot
Due to a fault with the signalling system between Newton Abbot and Paignton fewer trains are able to run on some lines. Disruption is expected until 11:00 20/01.
Train services between Paignton and Exeter St Davids via Newton Abbot will be revised.
Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the signalling system we are only able to run a shuttle service between Paignton and Newton Abbot.
-
We regret passengers will be required to change at Newton Abbot for onward journeys.

Alterations to services between Exmouth and Paignton via Exeter St Davids
Due to a fault with the signalling system between Newton Abbot and Paignton fewer trains are able to run on some lines. Disruption is expected until 11:00 20/01.
Train services between Exmouth and Paignton via Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot will be revised.
Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the signalling system we are only able to run a shuttle service between Exmouth and Exeter St Davids.
-
We regret to advise passengers will be required to change at Exeter St Davids for onward journeys.

Fault (currently) rectified.

Data signal failure meant signalling lost between Preston Sands - Newton Abbot & Dainton Tunnel.
10  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Call for rail fare simplification on: January 20, 2024, 08:06:36
Fares simplification is always going to lead to a rise one way or another, because simplification it's not simple.

Starting point: Anytime fares - always will be expensive as it's the nature of the beast.  Now there is an argument for shrinking the peak period, no journey starting at 04.30 in the morning should be classified as peak!  If "peak" became, say 07.00-09.00, then someone leaving Plymouth on the 04.55 is arriving into Paddington at 08.35, bang on peak passenger flow in a now heavily loaded train.  So do you add graduated fares that take account of this peak period? 

Similarly do we keep a (universal?) evening peak period?  Currently someone travelling to Cornwall can travel on an off-peak ticket on a "peak train" as it takes longer to get there, do we make them wait?  Do we abolish evening peak and that same person is now unable to board a train at 17.00 due to evening commuters?

Simplifying off peak.

We have 1 off peak ticket that starts at a universal time (say 09.00).  Problems:  day trips become more expensive as all OP (Original Poster / topic starter) tickets are valid for return for 30 days or longer trips become more expensive as you need to buy 2 singles as returns are only valid for 1 day. 
Someone travelling from Penzance to Scotland arrives in Scotland after 8pm as they have to start their journey later.  You can already see pitfalls in a Melksham - Paddington journey, where the 10.02 with an arrival at 11.35 jumps straight to super off-peak, as the previous train at 08.02 is peak.

1 ticket 1 journey.

Already happening where some off-peak tickets in Devon have been abolished and the only available is an Anytime.  Ticket is naturally more expensive compared to what it was.

Simplifying/abolishing routing

Currently, I can buy a ticket from Plymouth to Manchester routed Any Permitted or via Hereford.  If we abolish routing, can I then have a jolly via Southampton, Canterbury, Durham...?  Making every route any permitted would still need a routing guide to determine what is permitted and what would that be?  Any sensible route between two stations or just the quickest, in both cases cheaper fares on more round about routes would disappear?

Pence per mile

Someone travelling from Exeter to Portsmouth Arms is now paying nearly the same as someone travelling Exeter to Taunton.  And Cardiff - Holyhead is now slightly more expensive than London - Preston.  How much will the longest journey on a single train (734 miles) be?!  Admittedly, from an end-user perspective, weighting could be added to more heavily used routes and no-one would be any the wiser.

1 train, 1 journey

A frequent complaint is over-crowding and "overselling" tickets.  So do we go compusory reservations and abolish walk-up fares?  It would be a nightmare in practice but if that's what the will of the loudest people is.



11  Journey by Journey / Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Liskeard closed - signal person taken ill on: January 11, 2024, 18:57:15
Surprised to see the Looe train cancelled.
Would have thought that once it took the token first thing in the morning, it could run up and down the branch without a problem.

The Looe branch is split in two: Liskeard - Coombe Junction and Coombe Junction - Looe. 
Liskeard to Combe is worked by token, which is left in/withdrawn from the token machines at either end. The train is then locked into Coombe Junction - Looe under staff working.  This leaves Liskeard - Moorswater available as the points at Coombe Junction are left in the Liskeard - Moorswater position. 

The locking and release of the token requires the signaller to be informed.  It is perfectly legitimate (though now, practically, never) to have another train in the section between Liskeard ground frame and Coombe Junction whilst a train is stood at either Liskeard platform, or traversing Coombe Junction - Looe.
12  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: National Rail web based ticketing site: december '23 update. on: January 10, 2024, 08:49:24
If you plan a journey using a via point and a change is required, see journey details doesn't break the journey down to show the separate trains.
13  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Call for rail fare simplification on: December 28, 2023, 17:19:25
All forgetting that in the UK (United Kingdom), the cost must be borne by the customer.  We don't do public transport in its proper meaninig in this country.
14  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption elsewhere - ongoing, since Oct 2014 on: December 17, 2023, 09:23:55
As a life long railway engineer since 1978 and on Western TV area since 2007, I find it embarrassing that our infrastructure appears to be as fragile as apparently it is.
What I find worse is that internally within the business nothing appears to be getting said as how the situation is being addressed.
today, the Chief Executive was urging members of staff to complete the diversity and inclusion survey.......

I too was a lifelong railway engineer.  If to-day's managers are incapable of devising systems to safely evacuate electric trains before the batteries run out you need either better batteries or better management. 

It's worse, there IS a system - the Elizabeth line had extensive evacuation drills - but it takes too bloody long for everyone to decide to actually put it into practice.  There's always a 'just one more thing' to try to fix the root cause before someone sighs and says 'I suppose we'd better think about evacuation'. 
15  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Updates to GWR TVMs on: December 15, 2023, 20:43:13
GWR (Great Western Railway) TVMs (Ticket Vending Machine) are being updated (should have been  by now) to allow purchase of tickets to/from other stations ie you are no longer limited to buying a ticket with origin of where the TVM is, but you can purchase Anywhere to Anywhere.

They were also meant to be able to sell car parking tickets for stations with car parks that are run by APCOA (Car parking company used at GWR - controlled stations in the area), but that has been pushed back to January next year.
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