Today a friend was coming to Tilehurst from the Bedford area, a journey that she's made a dozen times. For some or no reason or other, she opted for an
FGW▸ stopper from Paddington and became confused about when it was due at Tilehurst, thinking she would be there for 1357.
I duly arrived to meet her, but she didn't get off the train. Turned out that her train was the one due at 1427, so I hung around. (I couldn't eke out reading
Metro beyond eight minutes.) Around 1421, the station info display announced that the 1427 was cancelled (terminated at Reading), though the news wasn't imparted to the passengers until it was arriving in Reading.
Luckily the 1426 to Reading was running 16 minutes late, so I had time to move my car from the station forecourt to a side road (where parking isn't allowed until 1500, but ...) and meet my friend in town for a meal.
Our train back to Tilehurst was cancelled, so I paid for a taxi
There were several cancellations on the evening trains from Tilehurst to Reading, but the 1854 diesel was running some 14 minutes late. Whilst we waited, several express trains and a freight came along the up relief.
Being the school holidays, there were a dozen or so youngsters on my train into Reading - they may had to hang around for a service back home.