Hello

[whole diary]

[Daniel]

Hello Everyone.

My name is Daniel, im 15, (16 next month), and from Enfield, North London.
You may think I shouldn't be on this forum, but I am a train enthusiast and therefore quite often venture South-West - a place with some amazing views, and.. 'variable' train services.

Anyway. I'm still in mandatory school education, although in my last year, and some time next week I should hopefully head whether or not I've got a job with a company in London called traffic link - the job role being "Public Transport Editor", the role of which is to prepare live travel reports for radio stations, National Rail etc.! Boy, that'll be fun!


Speak soon.
Regards,
Daniel.

[grahame]

Hi, Daniel .. you're very welcome indeed.  I was reading your experience on Dorchester -> Exeter via the lane around Frome and Warminster ("Heart of Wessex") board and meant to ask .... was Castle Cary actually the logical routing by public transport for that journey - it seems a bit of a dogleg to me, and I might have looked at buses west from Dorchester, or a change / transfer at Yeovil to SWT^▸ (South West Trains).   

Very interstingley, one of the suggestions of where things may go in the future that Lee has put together provided a service from Exeter to Yeovil Juntion, Yeovil Pen Mill, Westbury and onwards - Swindon, Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes ....

I posted a comparative piece about travelling by train on the East Coast of the USA a few weeks ago - that wasn't a picnic either - and would be delighted if you happen to provide comparisons and contrasts for us here.  Indeed is it's vaguely transporty or South Westy, it'll find a place.

[Daniel]

Hi grahame,

As I was on holiday, I was able to pre-book tickets. As such, I was able to travel First Class with First Great Western cheaper than in Standard on South West Trains, as they have no AP tickets avaliable on that route - (route would have been Axminster-Exeter or Dawlish, as I was acctually on holiday in Bridport).

I must say that a link between Yeovil Junction and Pen Mill would be excellent. I have a family railcard, and still legally being a child I try and persuade my family to use it as much as possible. I had suggested that my mum and sister went shopping in Yeovil, but at the time there were servere problems on the WoE line, I believe it was a failed train on a single track section, and the fact that Pen Mill is away from the shops put them off.

Also, I think it'd make quite a good connection. For a start, it'd save the lengthy journey to Castle Cary and back, and, as it would presumabley be run by FGW^▸ (First Great Western), it would offer more services to stations between Exeter and Yeovil. I remember when trying to get home to Axminster from Exeter, (cancellations on the HoW^▸ (Heart of Wessex line (Weymouth - Yeovil - Frome - Westbury) or Heart of Wales line (Swansea - Llanelli - Llandrindod - Craven Arms - Shrewsbury), depending on context)), I waited around 30 minutes at Exeter for a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) train, which then terminated at Honiton, leaving me with over a 1 hour wait to travel one stop. Even then, when the train arrived, (the train being booked 6 car, the Live Dep. Boards even showing this), it was a 3 car train that had not been cleaned since London, (now on a service from[/i] Plymouth, with both toilets locked out of use, and it was full and standing.

Regarding comparisons, I do often run into problems around the rail network. My local train operator, 'one' Railway, aren't the best either, as I am sure you know. During my half term next month, I'm going to Scotland, travelling with 6 different operators, (that's including those I will be using in London). I'm sure I'll have lots to post about. 


Speak Soon.
Regards,
Daniel.