Okay, the RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) seem to be completing their reports in a more timely fashion these days.   

I got the email notification earlier today as well. Thought I'd leave you to post the report link, Chris. 

Just don't attempt to use it to buy a can of beer from Taunton's Pumpkin Cafe. The staff there are still under the misapprehension the BiTE card cannot be used to purchase alcoholic beverages.

I don't know why we have those bicycle stop lines either. Despite it being illegal for a motorised vehicle to pass the first white line when a traffic signal is at red they appear to be universally ignored by motorists.

The guard would only be obliged to sell full Anytime fares with no discounts if you had an opportunity to buy your ticket(s) before departure. So, I'd suggest you buy your Honiton to Paignton return from Salisbury before travel.

Hmm... you may be right blakey, I'd failed to consider King's Sutton. However....

Journey Planners offer up the fares. Yet the Routeing Guide easements list this:


So you can buy the ticket, but the Routeing Guide easements appear to disallow the route if you are going all the way to London. Thus according to that easement you can only travel from Oxford as far Wembley Stadium!!

An anomaly in fares and routeing, who'd've thought it?

EDIT: Just to add... WebTIS Journey Planners offer up the fares.

Aha!! Of course the 0736 is the summer Saturdays HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to Newquay. Indeed a bit of a booking system fupp up. Even when it is running it doesn't call at TVP!

Maybe worth dropping a line to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Customer Services so they can remove this spurious train!! You could point out how annoying it would've been for you to turn up in good time for the 0736 only to discover you had an Advance Purchase ticket for a non existent train.

If it ties in with your finishing time then the 1622 to Oxford is the fastest of the available trains in the evening peak. If on time at Didcot (1708) you've got 4 minutes to connect with the 1712 to Temple Meads. Gives you half hour to kill at Temple Meads before the 1848 down to Redland.

Miss that 1712 then it's the 1742 from Didcot, which arrives at Temple Meads at 1844. Just 4 minutes here to make the Redland connection. Not easy if the Avonmouth train is over on Platform 1!

I have made both these connection options in the past, but have also just missed them. If that happens then I just cut my losses and take the bus home from Temple Meads! Either that or kill an hour or so in Wetherspoons waiting for the next SVB Line train at 1933.

You can still leave Paddington at any time. You are just limited to non express services and then a change at Didcot.

Don't see why not. The current map shows Banbury so CrossCountry cannot arbitrarily opt out of an 'Any Permitted' fare. If the route is permitted and they run trains on the route then they have to accept the ticket.

In fact I just tried a journey planner and it gives up plenty of options utilising CrossCountry between Oxford and Banbury.

Also a trawl through previous Routeing Guides show that Oxford - London via Chiltern Main Line to Marylebone has been a permitted route for a number of years.

The current map for Oxford - London Terminals is Map CS:



Of course, this map could be modified at a future date with a Bicester routeing point added at the 'junction' (on the map) between Oxford and Banbury. That would then prevent journeys via Banbury as routeing rules forbid travelling through a routeing point twice on one journey.

According to the Routeing Guide, Oxford to London Terminals is already valid to either Paddington or Marylebone on 'Any Permitted' tickets.

Lloyds exited from the consortium owning Porterbrook on 15th October 2010.

http://www.porterbrook.com/pages/shareholders.html

Angel Trains sold by RBS in 2008 to a consortium advised by Babcock & Brown.

http://www.angeltrains.co.uk/corporate/shareholder.aspx

Alpha Trains has nothing to do with UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rolling stock.

...and nice continuation of the change of subject.

Can you tell me SDS pad how you go about telling a customer (you know - the people who you are providing a service for) "to politely b***er off to the booking office"?

Were you off sick when you were supposed to attend your employers "Putting Customers First" course?

BBC were quoting 'officials in China....'  The video report also says '...it looks like...'

So a little unfair to criticise the BBC for being wrong.

Not even close. Shanghai's Maglev Train runs in service up to 268 mph.

France's TGV^▸ (Train a Grande Vitesse) has a record of 357.2 mph

Japan's JR-Maglev has a record of 361 mph

The Chinese need to clarify the conditions. They may have broken the record for the fastest 'unmodified conventional wheel/rail' train.

Well, BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) is a nationwide force, so it kinda makes sense for them to run the command and control structure, rather than the Home Office having to set up a whole new one.