I expect it will run tomorrow to get VIPs home from the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) community event. That's the train that after the community rail conference in 2018 - also held in Swindon - that was so full and standing the train manager had to walk along the outside and shout to people standing in the aisle to squeeze up.   I remember that day and event well.

Hi Grahame

Can you supply a link to the community rail conference.

Thank you.

That needs to be a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) invite I'm afraid as numbers are of necessity limited.   I'm pretty sure reports will appear on the Coffee Shop - indeed if I manage to connect (two connects pretty poor here) I'll tell you about it. I have chosen today as a non-travel day for the purpose.

Edit to add - as backup, I should also receive a recording to watch when better connected ... this hostel seems to have WiFi with a traffic limiter, so the Coffee Shop with its "thin" design works well but other things don't!

One of my contacts at the Community Rail conference yesterday reports

?? - I suspect you are reading or I am quoting somewhat out of context.

My contacts (and there are several in Wiltshire and Somerset who were there) did find the day very useful and gave no indication of the whole being a waste of their time.  Indeed they said the networking was most useful.

The criticism was more a disappointment at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s failure to adequately address the issues of service reliability. I wasn't there so I have no view - but reliability does need to be urgently addressed on the ground, and in writing "urgently" and "on the ground" you have a conundrum for the conference organisers.   Nothing urgent that's effective on the ground has been done for years, and what good would a longer section at the conference giving explanations (excuses?) and making (over?)optimistic promise actually do?

Well ... he could have addressed the problems of getting staff and a reliable service on the other six days in the week and explained why after all these years they haven't achieved it.   With Hendy and customers in the room, that might actually have brought something to the pinpoint attention of Lord Hendy who is, after all, very much more a public transport person and advocate than we've had in the past.

Indeed ... it [was/could/should have been] a wonderful opportunity to bring the issues to the public attention of the man from the ministry. And perhaps for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to quantify in public the sort of costs versus the sort of gains made in the fare box as people do not abandon the train.    But of course the DfT is the boss and isn't it tempting just to say "yes sir" and "we will help propagate your words" to the boss, and that may help in your job protection or you even having a job when things are re-organised.

Indeed. As I am retired and don't have a career to worry about, it's easy for me to point out the real culprit as I see it, and even to suggest that the culprit might be strongly co-ercing others to do their bidding.  The word "bullying" came to my mind, but that might be going too far.   

MH and  GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are in a very awkward position as indeed are many many others who's funding stream is heavily government / DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) based.