Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 14:35 29 Mar 2024
* Delays at Dover as millions begin Easter getaway
- Attempted murder charge after man stabbed on train
* A view from inside ship that hit Baltimore bridge
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
29th Mar (1913)
Foundation of National Union or Railwaymen (*)

Train RunningCancelled
13:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
14:57 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
15:22 Newbury to Bedwyn
15:28 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
15:50 Bedwyn to Newbury
15:54 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
16:15 Newbury to Bedwyn
16:23 Westbury to Swindon
16:55 Bedwyn to Newbury
17:36 Swindon to Westbury
18:37 Westbury to Swindon
20:13 Swindon to Westbury
21:16 Westbury to Swindon
22:30 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
12:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
13:55 Paignton to London Paddington
14:36 London Paddington to Paignton
15:28 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
15:42 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
16:35 London Paddington to Plymouth
16:50 Plymouth to London Paddington
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
17:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:20 Penzance to London Paddington
11:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:15 Penzance to London Paddington
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
13:50 London Paddington to Great Malvern
14:03 London Paddington to Penzance
14:15 Penzance to London Paddington
15:03 London Paddington to Penzance
15:15 Plymouth to London Paddington
16:03 London Paddington to Penzance
16:15 Penzance to London Paddington
19:04 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 29, 2024, 14:54:43 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[127] 2024 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury...
[80] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[59] Who needs a travel agent these days?
[44] Travel for free on the m2 metrobus - Bristol - 4,5,6 April 202...
[34] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[32] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 9
  Print  
Author Topic: GWR bans surfboards from IET services  (Read 36277 times)
johnneyw
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2257


From station to station, back to Bristol city....


View Profile
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2019, 10:56:55 »

There is also the definition of what constitutes a "surf board". Would I be sent away if I boarded the IET (Intercity Express Train) with my now, slightly ancient Boogie Board? Shorter but wider than a surf board, even cunningly disguised in it's carrying bag, would it be seen as hazard/obstruction?
Then there is other question of surf board size which range from about five feet to aircraft carrier. Is there one rule for all?
In the mid 80s it was not too difficult to take surfboards with us on a flight (although in the hold, not the cabin).
« Last Edit: April 30, 2019, 12:35:52 by johnneyw » Logged
Richard Fairhurst
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1204


View Profile Email
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2019, 11:59:20 »

Yet another case of putting customers (who pay their wages) first last.

If the surfboard were a fare-paying passenger, that would be a fair point. Maybe if GWR (Great Western Railway) were to sell tickets for surfboards, double basses, bicycles, outsize prams, and dogs it would have more interest in providing a service to such customers.

And if they had been selling such tickets it would have shown whether there was a business case to provide luggage space in the IETs (Intercity Express Train) to provide the space to carry them.

Be careful what you wish for... there are plenty of GWR lines where farebox revenue doesn't cover costs. If business cases were the be-all and end-all then we'd have a Serpell Report-shaped network.
Logged
jamestheredengine
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 301


View Profile
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2019, 12:27:05 »

Yet another case of putting customers (who pay their wages) first last.

If the surfboard were a fare-paying passenger, that would be a fair point. Maybe if GWR (Great Western Railway) were to sell tickets for surfboards, double basses, bicycles, outsize prams, and dogs it would have more interest in providing a service to such customers.

I am not sure whether this intended as irony given that GWR DO charge for surfboards and double basses [£5 IIRC (if I recall/remember/read correctly)]! I have no idea whether/how it is policed.
At two thirds of the cheapest Child Advance ticket from Paddington, that's a bit of a drop in the ocean (groan), even if they did succeed in charging it. (I had no idea that dog tickets etc were even a thing any more.)
Logged

broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #18 on: April 30, 2019, 12:39:59 »

Going to be interesting to see how they plan to police that when people show up with their surfboards who were used to travelling with them on an HST (High Speed Train). An issue even Broadgage’s crystal ball failed to see this. There may be trouble ahead.


My crystal ball DID» (Didcot Parkway - next trains) foresee this, several years ago. An advocate of IETs (Intercity Express Train) replied that the reduced luggage space would not be a problem as HSTs were to be retained for services to Cornwall.
It   was later decided that a uniformly downgraded fleet would be simpler.
This is called progress.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 547


View Profile
« Reply #19 on: April 30, 2019, 14:32:52 »

….
Let's hope the Famous Five don't have any surfing planned.

Like the picture of the Famous Five surfing which I received in an email from GWR (Great Western Railway) yesterday.
Logged
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3457

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #20 on: April 30, 2019, 14:35:07 »

Surfboards are also  not permitted on First Buses
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #21 on: April 30, 2019, 15:51:02 »

….
Let's hope the Famous Five don't have any surfing planned.

Like the picture of the Famous Five surfing which I received in an email from GWR (Great Western Railway) yesterday.


Part of a Senior Railcard promotion ... but the train shown in the background is 2 cars with end doors - so probably a class 143 on which surfboards would be allowed.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Lee
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7519


GBR - The Emperor's New Rail Network


View Profile WWW
« Reply #22 on: April 30, 2019, 16:19:12 »

….
Let's hope the Famous Five don't have any surfing planned.

Especially after last time...

Logged

Vous devez être impitoyable, parce que ces gens sont des salauds - https://looka.com/s/78722877
LiskeardRich
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 3457

richardwarwicker@hotmail.co.uk
View Profile
« Reply #23 on: April 30, 2019, 17:42:43 »

….
Let's hope the Famous Five don't have any surfing planned.

Like the picture of the Famous Five surfing which I received in an email from GWR (Great Western Railway) yesterday.


Part of a Senior Railcard promotion ... but the train shown in the background is 2 cars with end doors - so probably a class 143 on which surfboards would be allowed.

But not if it’s busy! The policy above states only permitted if the service isn’t busy. Now what constitutes busy?
Logged

All posts are my own personal believes, opinions and understandings!
Umberleigh
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 456


View Profile
« Reply #24 on: May 02, 2019, 19:28:49 »

Perhaps the answer is to take a single car unit, perhaps a 153 might suit, and convert it into a luggage car to be attached to Paddington to Newquay trains for surfboard storage.

Or am I a bit north of the border with this idea?
Logged
broadgage
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 5398



View Profile
« Reply #25 on: May 02, 2019, 20:25:24 »

Perhaps the answer is to take a single car unit, perhaps a 153 might suit, and convert it into a luggage car to be attached to Paddington to Newquay trains for surfboard storage.

Or am I a bit north of the border with this idea?

For attachment to a proper train, the idea has considerable merit. A powered DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) vehicle could be attached to an existing and compatible (or modified to be compatible) type of DMU, AFAIK (as far as I know) something similar is being done in Scotland for carrying cycles rather than surfboards.
Alternatively a unpowered trailer vehicle could be attached to a loco hauled set of coaches, also to carry surf boards, cycles or other bulky items.

Cant see it working with an IET (Intercity Express Train) though ! These units are fantastically complicated and almost certainly wont work in multiple with anything else.
And even if the considerable technical issues could be overcome, the contractual issues would be as bad. Also having to attach a decades old vehicle to a new and shiny train might be seen as an admission of failure in that it suggests that the new DMUs are not suitable for the routes that they work.

Simpler to just ban surf boards. Those with such can go by road.
Logged

A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
Celestial
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 674


View Profile
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2019, 21:06:20 »

Perhaps the answer is to take a single car unit, perhaps a 153 might suit, and convert it into a luggage car to be attached to Paddington to Newquay trains for surfboard storage.

Or am I a bit north of the border with this idea?

For attachment to a proper train, the idea has considerable merit. A powered DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) vehicle could be attached to an existing and compatible (or modified to be compatible) type of DMU, AFAIK (as far as I know) something similar is being done in Scotland for carrying cycles rather than surfboards.
Alternatively a unpowered trailer vehicle could be attached to a loco hauled set of coaches, also to carry surf boards, cycles or other bulky items.

Cant see it working with an IET (Intercity Express Train) though ! These units are fantastically complicated and almost certainly wont work in multiple with anything else.
And even if the considerable technical issues could be overcome, the contractual issues would be as bad. Also having to attach a decades old vehicle to a new and shiny train might be seen as an admission of failure in that it suggests that the new DMUs are not suitable for the routes that they work.

Simpler to just ban surf boards. Those with such can go by road.
You could always turn half of the 153 into a buffet broadgage. No need for seats - you could join the surfers thronged around the bar with their tinnies for the journey.
Logged
Richard Fairhurst
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1204


View Profile Email
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2019, 22:27:07 »

I wonder how many surfboards you could fit in an IET (Intercity Express Train) kitchen...  Grin
Logged
Sleepy
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 145


View Profile
« Reply #28 on: May 03, 2019, 00:01:47 »

Or they'll travel with Cross Country quite happily until arriving at Par & are refused travel on the branch line ?
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40692



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #29 on: May 10, 2019, 20:27:00 »

From Cornwall Live

Quote
Fury over Great Western Railway's new surfboard policy

The new Great Western Railway (GWR (Great Western Railway)) trains to speed up services in and out of Cornwall can not take surfboards.

Surfers wishing ride on one of the company's new Intercity Express Trains in the county famed for it's waves, will have to leave their boards behind.

While GWR previously allowed boards onto its trains, to be stored in the 'guard van', the new trains have been redesigned to accommodate more passengers, cutting storage space.

Surfers said that they felt that the issue was a "design flaw" which has been "overlooked".
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: 1 [2] 3 4 ... 9
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page