(Post hauled out of the quiz by the scruff of the neck and put here)
On number 3, a quiz thread probably isn't the place to make this point. We should bear in mind that post-covid the first weekday through train Bristol to Manchester is at 14:00 - while several of the morning connections aren't good at all.
The first of the day involves an hour's wait at Birmingham, but still, a peak single fare of £105* standard or £231 first - or a choice of 2 changes at Birmingham and Crewe for a marginally earlier arrival time that's still after 10am (and the same fare). The next is routed via the Welsh borders. This represents a huge failure of the rail system to serve what should be a core flow. It's embarrassing.
Mark
*Edited as the National Rail site glitches and sometimes feeds the visitor the first class fare as standard.
Thank for reposting that very serious issue here - so many times a major matter is raised initially in a light hearted manner.
Looking back a handful of years, I was a relatively frequent traveller from Melksham to Manchester and I tried (and usually succeeded) to use public transport for the journey - simply out of a desire to not have to drive all the way and then have a car to look after in an area where there was no need for one and it would be more of a burden than a blessing. But - oh dear - the journey had its good bits and bad bits.
At times, travel via Newport was the financial choice (but what an awful change
IMHO▸ there, and crowded trains on The Marches line). Bristol (or Cheltenham Spa) to Manchester tended to work well. On the way back, connections at Bristol to get me home were "icky" - I can remember several times running through the subway at Temple Meads off a late running train from Manchester to see the tail lights of the "via Westbury" service passing the end of the platform, and having to chose between a long wait for the late bus in Bath, taking a taxi, or calling in a lift.
Changing at New Street - sorry - I find distasteful. Crowded platforms in the dungeon under the brave new centre. Not knowing what platform the train's going to be on - changes including late ones, having to go through multiple barriers, etc; frankly glad I don't have to make that journey any longer.
Failure to provide affordable though services from the South West to the North West at times of day that people need to travel is - well - words are failing me for once. If I didn't know otherwise, it could be very much part of a government policy to kill rail use on the corridor ...
