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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Looe Branch Line - timetables, cancellations, engineering work, closures and incidents
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on: Today at 19:02:11
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GWR▸ had years to address this issue when it was in their control before the DfT» tightened their grip. Instead of doing so they left it on the "too difficult" pile.
It's never been within GWR's control. That was the whole point of privatisation! It's been suggested on another forum that Liskeard-Looe is often the first branch to be sacrificed on a Sunday when there is crew shortage as it's the easiest one to bustitute. It’s definitely not the easiest to bustitute. Coombe Junction, st keyne wishing well, and Causeland are completely inaccessible to a bus. Especially the ones that GWR have on standby for Cornwall mainline and branches today (a 15m triaxle coach) Falmouth has the sea shanty festival with huge queues seen today, they had 1 coach on standby which would have been as good as useless, how do you decide which 53 passengers to move, and upset the rest. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Introductions and chat / Re: Melksham (Wiltshire) and Nailsea (North Somerset) - a comparison
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on: June 12, 2025, 07:56:03
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Do you have difficulties getting a taxi in the evenings or peak times?
Here in Liskeard every taxi driver seems to have a school or college contract so it’s impossible to get one between 0730-0915 and 1445-1600. And then none of them work past 1800 as they’ve worked from early morning for their school contract.
Nearly all are owner drivers, one man band types, which also means calling round 15 different numbers for a cab on occasion.
Our bus service makes no sense in terms of frequency. . 5-6 of the local routes are tendered and run hourly for 1-2 passengers. The busy route to Plymouth, 2 hourly with no subsidy and is known for being full and standing. There is Definitly an opportunity for the council to save some money on subsidy by reducing the tender frequencies.
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Train hits tractor and trailer on level crossing, Leominster, 22 May 2025
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on: June 07, 2025, 09:29:44
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And you can't disagree with what that farmer is saying When I worked in a box, we had a panel with a button for each crossing, anytime someone called from a crossing the button illuminated so we knew exactly what crossing they were be calling from. I don't know if that's still the case though. Workload is a big issue. One signaller can only manage a certain amount of these crossings. If you've got 20 crossings in your area and a queue of calls waiting to be answered mistakes are going to be made. Signallers are only human, we are all prone to making mistakes, there needs to be a fail safe method of working. Can't they just install automatic gates on all crossings, as seems to be the suggestion? Or at least lights |
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Train hits tractor and trailer on level crossing, Leominster, 22 May 2025
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on: May 24, 2025, 16:45:19
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Hopefully this farmer is convicted.
Bit presumptive that. Investigations need to carried out, parties involved to be questioned, witness statements to be gathered. Rather too early to blaming any one individual. 99.5% of crossing incidents are caused by the users. As per the rest of the comment I made. There's no such thing as a dangerous crossing, its the dangerous idiots that use them. PS There was a collision on that crossing in 2023, what's the betting it was the same idiot user? And failed to learn any lessons? Once a few farmers are convicted for crossing misuse and insurance premiums go up maybe railway staff and passengers will be a lot safer. You need to be very careful with your defamation of the tractor driver, as it appears he gained authority in this instance, the tractor driver is not the arrested person. |
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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom / Re: Train hits tractor and trailer on level crossing, Leominster, 22 May 2025
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on: May 23, 2025, 20:14:21
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Later reports state that the driver of the tractor was arrested on suspicion "of endangering lives on the railway"
One person taken to hospital by air ambulance, and another by land ambulance, many others treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The train remained on the track and does not look badly damaged. Probably driveable under its own power, at very low speed to a depot for repairs.
The tractor looks still useable. the trailer is substantially destroyed
Nowhere does any report say the tractor driver is the arrested individual. In fact the reported age rules the tractor driver out. Signaller maybe? Tractor driver called and was given clearance is being reported on a Facebook page I seen earlier today. |
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Journey by Journey / Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall / Re: Service reduction - Coombe Junction
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on: May 01, 2025, 16:16:34
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On GwR journey planner there’s now a 1457 weekdays Coombe to Liskeard after the timetable change. It used to be just after 1530.
Screenshots from before and after the timetable change for Liskeard bound services
Thanks ... it would appear that the National Rail timetable, and GWR▸ 's .pdf timetables too, have service cuts, and that Real Time Trains and Journey Planners are telling us of service levels as at present, though with significant timing changes which I suspect might mess up anyone headed to or from work or school. Looking closely at the NR» and GWR timetables, they do seem to have a couple of extra minutes running time in the services that RTT» and Journey Planner offer, so I suspect it's a typo.     The journey planners suggest the 0902 and 1424 from Looe will be calling at Coombe junction. The printed timetables don’t appear to do so. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Fare's Fair / Re: Cash payments for transport services
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on: April 30, 2025, 21:08:48
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As a now ex bus driver, most of us hated cash!
Have to pay in the exact amount every night when your shift ends.
A large queue at the paying in machine many times.
On some very popular summer routes, a driver could easily pay in upwards of £500, frequently £750 plus.
Drivers didn't get paid overtime for paying in such amounts.
A few of us claimed!
They do where I am now, we can claim to the time printed on our paying in receipt. I only bother if it’s over a certain number of minutes late. It isn’t worth messing around for 1-2 minutes, especially as another day I could have a quick escape and get home a few minutes early. I run a tally in my head and know I roughly break even over a month if I didn’t claim until I hit my figure of lateness. We can go days without seeing any cash on the main service I drive, then have a shift with loads of cash. Funny old world. Unpredictable. |
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: Bus Cornwall - and the environment for a cross Cornwall train service
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on: April 25, 2025, 10:57:21
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Sounds like you caught the longest bus route possible between the two. And the longest journey on the longest route  I’ve noticed in Bristol that buses say Bristol Direct. Maybe this is what is needed here for the faster routes, but would the majority still just board the first bus to Truro not knowing the next one would be Truro Direct?
There is certainly something to be said for giving a pretty hefty clue to people waiting at the bus stop when this snail comes along. "Villages service to Truro"  I’m led to believe the destination of the 85 does say Truro via… and then about 150 places scrolling along the bottom half. However this is meaningless to someone who doesn’t know the area |
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All across the Great Western territory / Buses and other ways to travel / Re: Bus Cornwall - and the environment for a cross Cornwall train service
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on: April 24, 2025, 15:47:59
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Sounds like you caught the longest bus route possible between the two.
I think the 91 or 93 are the fast buses taking well under an hour.
85 goes via a selection of small villages along the coast such as Holywell bay and Crantock,
87 goes via perranporth and St Agnes and is an anomaly as being operated by First Commercially rather than a subsidised route such as the other 3 options.
I’ve noticed in Bristol that buses say Bristol Direct. Maybe this is what is needed here for the faster routes, but would the majority still just board the first bus to Truro not knowing the next one would be Truro Direct?
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