Looking to the future - Portsmouth to Cardiff

[whole diary]

[CyclingSid]

Went through Fareham today (about 12:00), Basingstoke to Portsmouth train. Southampton to Fareham line shut due to flooding. A rather lonely deserted GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) set in the stub platform. A Portsmouth to Cardiff train (or reverse) stranded due to flooding? Although most Southampton - Fareham traffic had been re-routed via Eastleigh.

[Mark A]

Friends caught the 10:30ish from Bradford on Avon to Bath this morning. 3 carriages, very full and very standing.

Later, the 16:35 back, which was 5 carriages - which loaded rather unevenly at Bath as the passengers from it had waited in the right place for a far shorter train, and the platform was fairly busy with people waiting for the 16:43 to Paddington, so when the train came in, most boarded through just a few of the doors, and once aboard for some reason people filled the vestibules full and standing when they had the opportunity and space to move down into the carriage and sit. Being fairly exernally grubby, it was difficult to see from the platform that there were plenty of seats though.

For some reason, the previous train at platform 2 (the London bound platform) was actually heading for Filton Abbey Wood, but tucked out of the way to give the road to an IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) that called at platform 1, but then slightly delayed the Portsmouth train's arrival, and the passengers then delayed its departure a couple of minutes, time that it soon made up.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G36902/2023-04-20/detailed#allox_id=1

Mark

[WelshBluebird]

as the passengers from it had waited in the right place for a far shorter train

Ignoring the obvious impact of short forms (services end up being busier and you are less likely to get a seat), this bit is one of my main pet peeves when travelling at the moment. At some platforms it seems basically impossible to know where to wait because there is zero consistency in train lengths due to regular short formations. Those of us in the know can use Real Time Trains, but even with that I've had issues where formation changes (additions or removals) aren't reflected on there.