The same amount of rack space is being used as pre-December 08 TT change but only one timetable is on display.

Didn't take long to find one measure (not linked to the rejection of ticket office opening hours) SWT's e-motion magazine is being scrapped after the current issue which is a shame as its quite a good read. Wonder how long it will be before other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) follow suit once their current contracts with their magazine publishers expire and done in the name of saving the environment.

Following up on this, the government has mostly rejected SWT^▸ (South West Trains) plans to cut ticket office opening hours:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7826472.stm

So FCC may not get their way with Thameslink ticket office opening times as it looks like the government has the final say. Going back to SWT, I wonder where the cuts will fall now that they can't save money by cutting ticket office opening times? The premium has to be payed somehow and it won't be from their profits!

I thought ticket office opening times were down to the individual TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) not local government. I think your rant should be pointed at FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) on this one. London Overground is under the remit of the Mayor of London and the plan is for all these stations to be staffed.

Another article pointing out that people will begin to desert the railways and return to their cars as the cost of petrol falls. One really begins to wonder if this was a rail fare rise too far in terms of how much fares went up percentage wise at such a sensitive time where cost means a lot more than it used to. With an election looming in the next year and a half you can sure as bet the government wont be raising car tax either!

Interesting you should bring this up D/M.

I popped into Bath Spa station the other week to see that they only had 1 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) timetable being displayed on the TT racks - (Yellow) Southwest to Manchester/North East and Scotland. Pre the December 14 TT change, Bath Spa always had four XC timetables on the racks. Big deal I hear you say but a few days later passing through Bristol TM^‡(resolve) popped into the travel centre only to find they were only displaying the same XC TT as at Bath and the (Purple) Cardiff/Bristol to Derby & Nottingham.

Is this Arriva cutting back on only displaying timetables that pertain to the station/area they serve? Another hint that this maybe the case was BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) travel centre always had a selection of ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) timetables available on display. This was not the case when I was there the other week.

You can pick up all six XC timetables at Birmingham New Street though 

I do wonder if we are beginning to see the start of the end of pocket timetables as we are being constantly hounded by the TOCs to 'print your own timetable' or 'use the journey planner' which I think is sad even though some would say thats progress for you.

Its now very rare at times of engineering work that you will find either a printed timetable or one you can download online. This was the first Christmas in many years that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did not even print a Christmas/New Year timetable though to be fair there wasn't much engineering work taking place on the Western Region over the holiday period.

Southern and Southeastern franchises are both under the same company GoVia so they probably share resources at times.

Absolutely!

Can't wait to see what Dft come up with when SWT^▸ (South West Trains) cease their services to Plymouth and Paignton from December

They do indeed but there are no evening restrictions on CDRs^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) on 'Thames' services. Savers yes as Ollie points out on terminals that are served by 'Intercity' services there are restrictions on these ever since the days of BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)).

There may also be historic restrictions on the use of CDRs on evening peak 'Intercity' services on the same time restrictions as Savers. Sorry to use old names for tickets, train services. Its just the easiet way to explain things.

I guess we will have to get used to TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) 'getting nasty' with their customers as their subsidies drop and their premiums rise. One of the ways is to raise fares by stealth by tweaking with the restrictions when they can't be used as happened this week in some parts of the country when the fares went up on Monday.

Are you sure about the D/M? I believe you will find that FCC and Cross Country are the only franchises at present that have evening restrictions on CDRs hence the amount of uproar that took place when FCC introduced this restriction.

Not so much an overcrowding problem, more a lack of serviceable trains as the 'short formed' list has been rather busy since Monday. I guess we can put this down to the cold weather, affecting the units and of course the people who have to service them being off sick. What concerns me more is that if FGW are struggling to put out a full fleet at the moment, whats it going to be like without the 5 ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) 150's? Still, it could be worse...we could be on a forum discussing the many passenger woes on the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line) at the moment.

I have been using weekend first ever since BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) introduced it (Anyone remember when it was just a quid?) and have never heard that the onus was on the passenger to search out the train manager to pay the upgrade. You pay up when the train manager checks your ticket and have never once had a train manager give me or anyone else in the weekend first carriage a telling off for not buying in advance or trying to find them to buy the upgrade. That is just completely impratical if they are in coach A and First is F/G/H. Also I have never heard of tickets being sold at the buffet car.

Update from FGW^▸ (First Great Western):

All services from London Paddington will divert via an alternative route from Swindon and will not call at Chippenham or Bath Spa. Customers for Chippenham to change at Swindon for replacement road transport, customers for Bath Spa to change at Bristol Temple Meads for replacement road transport. Train services from Bristol Temple Meads on the hour to London Paddington will run on their planned route with delays, these services will call additionally Keynsham and Oldfield Park. Train services half past the hour from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington will be diverted via an alternative route and will no longer call at Bath Spa and Chippenham. It is anticipated that the disruption will last until 15:00

Line problem between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury.
Train services between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury are being disrupted due to signalling problems.Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations and cancellations can be expected.

Train services from Westbury towards Bristol Temple Meads will terminate at Bath Spa, where onward replacement road transport will operate. Customers from Bristol Temple Meads to change at Bath Spa for services to Westbury then onwards to Weymouth and Portsmouth Harbour.

Pretty major signalling problem it would appear. Vandalism/cable theft?