Boardmasters - surfer event, August 2017 - travel problems

[whole diary]

[LiskeardRich]

Martyjon, great ideas but not feasible due to the line capacity. Regarding diverting Penzance services, these are also carrying far too many passengers for a unit.
The most obvious is extending Plymouth terminator but that would require at least 3 additional hst sets to be magic up.

[grahame]

Realistically, maximum capacity is one train every 80 minutes from Newquay, which would have added one or two extras onto what ran. A couple of the runners were times as 15x units, so overall the "extra 2000 seats" advertised could perhaps have risen perhaps to "extra 3000 seats".   

I note from the realtime trains timings that the "rules of the road" for Newquay, hinted at being a turn around of just over half an hour there for long distance trains were adhered to.  Typically such rules are sensible in order to avoid early delays carrying on all day and "reflecting" between directions.   You really don't want passengers to be stuck on a train at Goonbarrow for too long.

Stock?  For Cheltenham and for Glastonbury, the Paddington to Cardiff 2nd service in the hour is sometimes canned ...

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) did "quite a bit" ... didn't just leave the normal service in place.  I don't know how much more would have been worth doing to get that extra 1,000 seats, nor how easy it was / would have been to know at what particular time they were needed (bearing in mind issues like weather changing people's travel plans).

[martyjon]

When I posted last night on this topic I only originally intended to suggest that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) could have hired in a top and tailed rake of coaches for use on the Newquay diagram on Monday but got carried away as my nightcap, the level beer in the bottle went down and the displaced beer gradually entered my system.

I was surprised to see that a number of members commented on that post so if they read this post please feel free to comment on my suggestion as above.

As stated in my post the last time I visited Newquay was also the first time. It was in the late 60's and was the destination of a Mystery Tour from Bristol on a summer Sunday behind a class 47.

As regards the branch being capable of supporting a top 'n tail movement, what is an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set to Newquay but a top 'n tailed working although engine weights may differ engineering trains on the branch are, as a matter of course, top 'n tailed and there have been enthusiast specials on the line in recent years, steam one end diesel the other.

Just finished tonight's beer nightcap so I'll finish now before I get carried away again.

[RailCornwall]

Uts been reported this morning that amidst this passenger chaos an alleged rape of a 15yr old girl happened on a train leaving the festival. 

[chrisr_75]

Uts been reported this morning that amidst this passenger chaos an alleged rape of a 15yr old girl happened on a train leaving the festival. 

Now revised to a 17 year old. Fortunately for the young lady in question, not raped but touched inappropriately, still nasty enough though and probably quite scary.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-41001782

[Kernowman]

I think that the service concerned was the 20.45 (Sat) Newquay to Plymouth unit.

[TRAINMAN57]

I think that the service concerned was the 20.45 (Sat) Newquay to Plymouth unit.

   If it was a unit then video evidence should be available?

[RichardB]

Just to say on Boardmasters, that I saw a piece in the local paper talking about the thankfully few Police issues to do with the festival that there were 10,000 extra people there this year.

[WelshBluebird]

How do you limit ticket sales made on the day, bearing in mind they will be being made at stations, TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) and on trains up and down the country?

For the Champions League final in Cardiff earlier in the year GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) made all Cardiff bound passengers require a reservation. Sure it was a pain, but they did it. And no reason why they couldn't have done that here too (hell it would have probably been easier than Cardiff due to the nature of it being a branch line).

I am not sure if that would actually help or not, but it certainly isn't impossible as you seem to suggest.

[John R]

That's a fair point,but I think it is recognised that the logistical preparation (and nod out cost) for the Champions League final was beyond exceptional. The publicity was widespread too so other passengers were warned to avoid services on that day.