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06:57 Swansea to London Paddington
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08:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
09:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
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09:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
10:41 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
11:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
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11:23 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
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11:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
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Short Run
05:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Penzance
06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester
06:54 Taunton to London Paddington
08:34 Exeter Central to Okehampton
08:38 London Paddington to Westbury
09:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
05:23 London Paddington to Swansea
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:00 London Paddington to Penzance
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
06:50 Westbury to Weymouth
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 09:13 Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
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16  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: "Government doesn't really care" says Simon Calder on: January 23, 2024, 09:48:28
I believe that our government would like the rail industry disputes resolved but ONLY on their terms. Which probably means that ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) are not going to get what they are asking for unless they move to a continuous run of nationwide strike action.
17  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Call for rail fare simplification on: January 18, 2024, 12:33:45
If the LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) 'simplification' is a TOC (Train Operating Company)-specific initiative a pox on all their houses; if it is a tester for a system wide fares update then it shows some promise but I think it could be better.

I could be wrong but I would guess that the TOC's are quite keen to know before the event how many pax are travelling on each of their 'long-distance' services. Hence the retention of Advance tickets.

Having most (all?) walk-up tickets replaced by Anytime fares seems the right way to go as long as the pricing is done sensibly.

I just don't get the reasoning behind the 70 minute Flex fare - which according to Simon Calder allows travel on the services immediately before and after the booked train - as a simplification it is not. Aside from anything else it complicates ticket validity checking by Train Managers (unless the ticket itself will actually display which 3 services it can be used on).
18  All across the Great Western territory / Looking forward - after Coronavirus to 2045 / Re: What do we and the rail industry need for 2024 and beyond? on: January 02, 2024, 09:08:07
If you really do need a 7 day railway then as well as staffing it you are going to have to work out when/how you are going to do engineering works which will mean more use of diversionary routes which emans those routes (e.g. the line through a certain west Wiltshire town) will need improving. 

I completely understand that at times the railway has to be closed for engineering purposes. But I think the industry could do much better with respect to both the number and capacity of diversionary routes - redoubling of the sections between Bradford & Thingley Junctions and Yeovil Junction & Castle Cary are obvious examples; reopening of Okehampton<>Bere Alston would not only benefit local communities but provide an alternative when the South Devon route has to be closed (and not just by the engineers!). A greater willingness to use Single Line Working - rather than the much loved RRB (Rail Replacement Bus) (Rail Replacement Buses) - would also help to provide a usable, if somewhat reduced, service when maintenance gets in the way. Furthermore when the use of RRB is unavoidable make sure the service providers know what they are supposed to be doing - it wasn't that long ago that on an RRB journey between TAU» (Taunton - next trains) & BPW» (Bristol Parkway - next trains) I was using the driver got hopelessly lost in the Filton area of Bristol.   
19  All across the Great Western territory / Looking forward - after Coronavirus to 2045 / Re: What do we and the rail industry need for 2024 and beyond? on: January 01, 2024, 10:11:11
The UK (United Kingdom) desperately needs a '7 days a week' railway if we are ever going to get close to a truly reliable train service. As a minimum all passenger service operators must implement ASAP, if they haven't already, employment contracts for all 'new' drivers and other on-train staff which specifies mandatory weekend working (?alternate Saturdays & Sundays) on a rota basis. At the same time subject specific negotiations between the TOC (Train Operating Company)'s and relevant trade unions and/or staff associations concerning the implementation of similar working conditions for all appropriate existing staff should be initiated. Additionally as part of this process the TOC's and DfT» (Department for Transport - about) should agree that compulsory overtime - an oxymoron if ever there was one - and 'real' overtime & rest day working should be eliminated ASAP with TOC's being permitted to employ sufficient staff numbers to make this happen.
The UK passenger railway network is a customer service system and it should be organised to fulfill that obligation.
  
20  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Fingerprint and facial scans needed for travel into mainland Europe next year? on: December 30, 2023, 09:42:25
.....Taking back control of our borders .................... what a joke

Indeed. I have decided that at the next GE my support will only potentially be lent to a party that has declared a manifesto commitment to UK (United Kingdom) border exit checks.
21  All across the Great Western territory / Looking forward - after Coronavirus to 2045 / Re: Project Churchward - Future regional fleet for the west on: December 21, 2023, 12:12:52
.....Heard other electric islands were being looked at.....

How's about this for a completely bonkers idea? Electrification of the (entirely self-contained) Devon Metro route between Exmouth & Paignton on which the principal 150/2 rolling stock is approaching it's fortieth birthday.
22  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Diary Of A Reasonably Frequent Rail User on: December 19, 2023, 13:07:48
.....couldn't you have flown Easyjet to Nice from Bristol?

Toulon v Exeter Chiefs was the 'lunchtime' match on Saturday. SleazyJet's Saturday flight would not have got us there in time and at this time of year they do not fly the route on Fridays.
23  All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Diary Of A Reasonably Frequent Rail User on: December 18, 2023, 15:38:27
07-10/12/2023: A Rugby Weekend Away In Toulon
The best laid plans.....

I had intended to make this return journey entirely by rail but, even several months in advance, was unable to find any Paris > Toulon & return train fares at what I considered a reasonable price. Unfortunately therefore the main part of the journey, from the UK (United Kingdom) to the South of France, was done using BA» (British Airways - about) flights between Heathrow and Nice. 

Tickets
Senior Railcard Advance Single DIG > PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) £22.10 - Northern Trains App eTicket : This ticket was refunded in full on 01/12 after the announcement of strike action by ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) made it obvious that it would not be possible to complete the journey.
Senior Railcard Heathrow Express Single PAD > HXX  - HEx App eTicket : It initially seemed that this ticket would be rendered unusable by the ASLEF strike action but in the event HEx were able to run a half-hourly service and rejected my refund request.  Sad 
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single EXC > FEL  £34.65 - SWR» (South Western Railway - about) App eTicket : My intention had been to use the TfL» (Transport for London - about) 490 bus service from Feltham to Heathrow T4 but this ticket was also fully refunded after the Exeter > Salisbury line closure due to the Crewkerne landslip.
Plan C! National Express Single Exeter > Heathrow Central Bus Station £47.00
Senior Railcard Heathrow Express Single HWV > PAD - HEx App eTicket
Senior Railcard Super Off-Peak Single PAD > DIG £39.50 - Northern Trains App eTicket
 
Outward Journey 07/12/23
National Express Exeter City Centre 1345 (On Time) > Heathrow Central Bus Station 1740 (1800)
Service was delayed at Taunton Deane Services due to the 'late arrival of the driver from the local depot'. Our first driver had brought the coach up from Penzance so presumably was due a break.

(07-08/12/23 Overnight at a Heathrow T4 hotel, TfL Piccadilly Line trains to T5 in the morning, and BA342 LHR 0815 > NCE 1120. Shortly before arriving at NCE one of the flight crew used the PA (Public Address) to announce 'this is the first time I have had to tell you that we will be dropping you off at a place which is colder & wetter than where you have just come from!'. He wasn't joking - in Nice it was 4 degrees C and raining very heavily, not exactly what we were expecting from the Cote D'Azur. Took the tram into the centre of Nice to have a walk around and get some lunch before travelling to Toulon.)

Ouigo Train 7856 Nice-Ville 1502 > Toulon 1643. Upstairs on a double-deck TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse).

Return Journey 10/12/23
Ouigo Train 7851 Toulon 1215 > Antibes 1339. TGV
SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) TER 86055 Antibes 1352 > Nice Saint-Augustin 1410. As posted elsewhere this was a useful way of getting to Nice Airport without having to go into the city centre. We did the 10 minute stroll from Saint-Augustin to the airport but the tram can be used (for free on this journey).
(BA345 NCE 1635 > LHR 1745)
HWV 1857 (On Time) > PAD 1919 (1927)
PAD 1903 (1940) > EXD» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) 2112 (2210) (1C94 PAD > PLY» (Plymouth - next trains)) : 2 x 802/0 (10 Cars)
EXD 2258 (On Time) > DIG 231 (On Time) (2F29 PGN > EXM)

A somewhat disrupted, to say the least, journey home. In the aftermath of the Acton OHLE failure, compounded I presume to some degree by the continuing ASLEF work-to-rule, HEx were only running a half-hourly service my train was delayed once it joined the GWML (Great Western Main Line) at Airport Junction partly due to running on the relief line after Southall. However a serious delay to the incoming service allowed me to catch 1C94 as scheduled albeit with a c.40 minute late departure. Further time was lost en route due to extra stops at Pewsey, Westbury, and Castle Cary so my 2205 Avocet (Branch line from Exeter to Exmouth) Line connection at EXD was missed. On the plus side this should lead to a full refund.

 
24  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Where was I during the 8-10/12 weekend on: December 14, 2023, 13:30:11
2. is Toulon - the first place I thought of, given the fixtures list. But that image is surprisingly difficult to make coincide with the available views of the station, and it's not somewhere I've been to.

3. is Antibes - on the short three-track stretch of the Riviera line. Another place you might prefer to stay in or spend time in rather than Toulon!

Both correct. Antibes is interesting in that the 'middle' platform is not signed for public use but the line is bidirectionally connected, and presumably also signalled in that way. For us Antibes was a useful changing point to get from Toulon to Nice Airport without having to go into central Nice (alight at Nice Saint-Augustin for the free tram or a 10 minute walk).
The centre of Toulon is largely very pleasant but the suburbs seem to be a mass of seriously unattractive moderately high-rise public housing blocks.
25  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Where was I during the 8-10/12 weekend on: December 12, 2023, 10:19:14
1. is Nice - I thought the flyover beyond the station looked familiar, even if the palm trees are hidden.

Correct. Last Friday (08/12) in 4 degrees & heavy rain - welcome to the Cote D'Azur!
26  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: AQ23 - December 12 - which gap is this bridging? on: December 12, 2023, 10:08:24
4. Georgetown Loop Railroad, Colorado - over Loop Drive & Clear Creek just south of Georgetown (?)
27  All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Why "DMR", not "DEC", on tickets? on: December 12, 2023, 09:42:07
Possibly done by the same individual who thought changing the PIS (Passenger Information System) output for LYC from Lympstone Cmdo to Lympstone Comma was a really good idea.  Huh
28  Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Where was I during the 8-10/12 weekend on: December 11, 2023, 15:58:18
Three snaps from my weekend trip.

29  All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption elsewhere - ongoing, since Oct 2014 on: December 11, 2023, 15:45:59
I assume that the running of the 1857 HEx service from Terminal 5 on the Relief Line after Southall, resulting in a 30 minute journey time, and the 40 minute late departure of the 1903 GWR (Great Western Railway) IET (Intercity Express Train) to Plymouth were in some way associated with yesterday's complete chaos. Or was this entirely down to the ASLEF» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) spanner in the works?
30  Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Devon / Re: Rails to Lyme Bay - just a single survivor on: November 29, 2023, 10:10:15
I wonder if there is a large enough potential passenger count to justify rebuilding the section of railway between Colyton & Seaton Junction as an extension of the Seaton Tramway. Aerial mapping seems to show a largely unobstructed trackbed.
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