Arriva's Grand Central arm are apparently applying to run five trains daily each way between Newcastle and Brighton, via Banbury, Oxford, Reading and Gatwick:

https://news.arriva.co.uk/news/arriva-group-submits-open-access-rail-application-to-connect-newcastle-and-brighton-via-london-gatwick

Given that CrossCountry don't show any signs of bringing their own Newcastle–Reading service back up to full strength, good luck to them. Suspect it will be deemed too abstractive though.

(via the Oxford Clarion - https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/post/3lnmxy7cfqk2x )

More expensive, less comfortable than the alternatives. In the 90s there was a premium for going via London; CrossCountry was the cheap option. These days it seems to be the other way round. Given that a Voyager airline seat doesn't offer enough space to open a laptop fully, there no longer seems to be any advantage in travelling via CrossCountry.

Unless CrossCountry is gifted with a massive new train order (and the drivers/guards to staff them) I think, sadly, there's a strong argument for them concentrating on the core network and trimming a few of the extremities. A joined-up GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) could also look at local operators relieving pressure on some of the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) pinch-points - for example, a few more GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Oxford–Banbury services would address the rush-hour crush on the Voyagers right now.

I rather liked this - a day trip to Saint Malo from Portsmouth, with bike:

https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/comments/1jkxzq9/microtour_brittany/

"Cycled to Cancale without hitting a main road, got some oysters, cycled back, ate a family sized babybel on the beach, washed down with a bottle of local cider."

(French cider is not very strong and the country lanes are very quiet. I don't think there was a serious drink-cycling issue here!)

I think this is the key. A 5-car IET has 290 standard class seats whereas a 3-car 175 has 189. For many of the services 175s will be used on, 189 is more than enough, and an IET is overkill. So I suspect we'll see a train-for-train swap in many cases rather than a carriage-for-carriage swap.

All of that means there should be enough to send the HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) to the scrapyard (or Mexico); cascade the 158s out of Devon & Cornwall for more capacity around Bristol and on Cardiff–Portsmouth; introduce a bit more slack into the Sprinter and Turbo fleets to cover for parts issues; and return IETs to the duties they were built for. I'd like to hope there'll be four IETs left after all that to run an hourly Oxford–Bristol, but time will tell.

I never knew any of the Camp Hill Flight had individual names!

And the world’s deepest lock is Ust-Kamenogorsk (Oskemen) in Kazakhstan. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ustkamenogorsk-lock

(An article pointing this out for the first time was one of the first pieces I ran on taking up the reins at Waterways World back in 200mumble…)

And if 10,000 houses are built around Parkway as projected, even more services might be needed!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-67214450

Indeed - there were people standing in the vestibules on the 11.10ish departure from Charlbury yesterday. And if/when the proposed new towns at Worcestershire Parkway, Salt Cross, and (I think) near Pershore/Wyre Piddle go ahead, that will bring even more demand.

The ever assiduous Oxford Clarion has picked up a new report from England's Economic Heartland and both Oxfordshire and Worcestershire County Councils.

It calls for redoubling between Wolvercot Junction and Hanborough, and between Evesham and Pershore. This would enable a 2tph service:

• 1tph Paddington, Reading, Oxford, Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton, Evesham, Worcs Parkway, Worcester SH, Droitwich, Kidderminster, Stourbridge
• 1tph Paddington, Reading, Oxford, Hanborough, Charlbury, Kingham, Moreton, Honeybourne, Evesham, Pershore, Worcs Parkway, Worcester SH, Worcester FS, Malvern Link, Great Malvern
• A further 2tph Didcot-Oxford-Hanborough
• Four daily extensions to/from Hereford

For this part of the line, that's a huge improvement on the North Cotswold Line Taskforce's previous proposal, which would have dropped the Charlbury and Kingham stops from the Kidderminster/Stourbridge service.

The report argues that an improved service will support housing growth particularly in the Worcester area and at Salt Cross (near Hanborough). Some interesting stats and graphs in the report - it's worth reading.

I'm still not convinced that Kidderminster and Stourbridge merit an hourly service, given that London journeys will be quicker via HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) and that Chiltern's foray into Kidderminster/Stourbridge—Marylebone mostly carried fresh air. But if it's no longer at the expense of the stations that people actually use, knock yourself out I guess.

I've caught it from Charlbury to Oxford on occasion, and there's usually a handful of people on board, but only that.

The down working in the morning (Oxford–Shrub Hill, first stop Moreton) is presumably a useful service for early morning Evesham–Worcester travellers though. I guess if you stabled the unit at Worcester overnight you might also have crewing issues to contend with for the morning trains.

Oddly that train (today at least) appears to sit at Oxford for a few hours and then go off for a spin around Foxhall/Didcot West Junction. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y24089/2025-02-14/detailed#allox_id=0

It feels that the main issue right now is the late afternoon/evening peak. The morning and daytime services seem to be largely ok (at this end of the line, anyway).

I'm delighted, perhaps even a little Numb, to see that Dummy transport ministers have finally approved this scheme for Portishead. The line has been through some Sour Times but this reopening - well, It Could Be Sweet. It will be a real alternative to nearby Roads.

Let's just hope it gets some proper rolling stock and not a 153 Glory Box.

BRP is just the Engineer's Line Reference for BRidPort, I think.

Maiden Newton–Bridport should really be a dead cert for a foot/cycleway, but you know how long these things take...

I would like GWR to try to give notice further in advance of known problems.

The 1845 Paddington–Worcester Foregate Street and 1945 Paddington–Worcester Foregate Street were both cancelled tonight (as I write, Mrs F is at Oxford awaiting a taxi or bus to Charlbury).

That pretty much guarantees we will not have a full Cotswold Line service in the morning. At least one, probably two, of the morning up trains will be cancelled. But GWR's "Check Your Journey" function is currently showing all three of the early IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) as running.

It would be really helpful if GWR could say which is going to be cancelled. Otherwise I'm waking up at 5.30am on the likelihood that the 0612 from Charlbury will be the only one to run. :|