Our vision is for a better-connected West of England.
• Better buses: reliable, affordable services with one ticket and one timetable
• More trains: new stations and more frequent services with low-emission trains
• Mass transit: a high-capacity system that links our key economic centres
• Active travel: better walking and cycling routes, with e-bikes/escooters there for short trips
• Improved streets: smoother roads and pavements, more electric vehicle chargers, Park & Rides and travel hubs

ANother forum is saying 5mph.... those timings certainly look painful!

I assume the '33' is some code in the timing load – looks like RTT can't match it against its list of timing load tokens, so it's misreading as a speed, perhaps. Similar to when the IET timings first appeared - IIRC the code for Class 800 DMU didn't make sense to RTT (or to whatever source it uses) so it parsed it as diesel loco with 800t trailing load.

Pathed as Diesel locomotive, trailing load 600 tonnes
Planned for 60mph max

Pathed as Class 150/153/155/156 DMU
Planned for 33mph max

Pathed as Diesel locomotive
Planned for 33mph max

Train Info
Operated By GWR
Timed For 75mph
Power Type DMU
Timing Load Sprinter

More frequent train services from Bristol Temple Meads to continue after government agreement

More frequent trains on a number of lines from Bristol Temple Meads station will continue following an agreement with the government. The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) said that since introducing half-hourly services on certain lines, there had been more than three million more train journeys on those routes.

The routes that will continue to offer more frequent services are:

Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury (part of the Heart of Wessex Line), also stopping at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, and Westbury;

Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester, via Yate, also stopping at Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway – and will also serve every hour the new Charfield station currently under construction;

Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach (the Severn Beach Line), also stopping at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Portway Park and Ride, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road (hourly), and Severn Beach (hourly).

Weca said its "longer-term ambition" is to have four trains per hour serving stations across the network, after the region secured £752m investment for transport infrastructure improvements from the government last year.

The announcement comes as Weca prepares to unveil a new 'Transport Vision for the West of England' this week, setting out more details about the authority’s goals for the future.

Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said: "Half-hourly services between Westbury, Gloucester via Yate, Severn Beach, and Bristol Temple Meads are important for local commuters, giving people more options to travel on our growing regional rail network.

"Our new agreement to protect these regular services is welcome news for passengers across the West Country. As we build five new train stations, and look to increase the frequency of services across the board, this is another vote of confidence in the West of England."

Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate, said she was "thrilled" with the news that train services in Yate would run on a half-hour frequency permanently.

"This is something I have campaigned hard for alongside local councillors and I raised the issue five times in Parliament," she said.

"It also means that the new Charfield station will be able to run hourly trains. The half-hour service will support jobs in Yate and also help students to access colleges in the area.”

GWR Wales and West of England commercial development manager Hannah Shackleford added: "These aren't just trains – they're vital economic lifelines connecting communities and businesses across the region. The decision validates our belief that reliable rail services are essential for local and national growth."

Two new railway stations have opened in the region in recent years: Portway Park and Ride, and Ashley Down.

Five more are being delivered as part of a wider £400m regional investment: Charfield, Henbury, North Filton, Pill, and Portishead.

Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: "I’m delighted the Government has been able to reach an agreement with the West of England Combined Authority to deliver more frequent train services to better connect passengers to jobs and their local communities.

"We're reforming our railways by bringing operators back into public ownership, and creating Great British Railways, which will be accountable to passengers and drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs. By boosting connectivity, we're driving economic growth, jobs and homes, and making public transport an accessible, reliable option for commuters across the UK."

Half-hourly rail services on some lines in the West are set to continue permanently, after agreement with the Department for Transport.

Since the regional authority, in partnership with Great Western Railway, introduced more frequent services on lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury; Bristol Temple Meads and Gloucester, via Yate; and between Bristol Temple Meads and Severn Beach, there have been over 3 million more train journeys on those routes. This represents an 28% increase in people benefitting from the services, including Jayden from Yate (video on click to open in a new window Facebook | click to open in a new window Instagram | click to open in a new window Bluesky | click to open in a new window LinkedIn | click to open in a new window X (Twitter) ).

The half-hourly trains have boosted rail connections along the following routes and stations:

Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury (part of the Heart of Wessex Line), also stopping at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, and Westbury
Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester, via Yate, also stopping at Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway – and will also serve every hour the new Charfield station currently under construction
Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach (the Severn Beach Line), also stopping at Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Portway Park & Ride, Avonmouth, St Andrews Road (hourly), and Severn Beach (hourly)
The Mayor of the West of England, Helen Godwin, has repeatedly spoken of the need to further increase the frequency of train services across the West. A longer-term ambition is there for four trains per hour to serve stations across the network,  click to open in a new window after the region secured a record £752 million investment for transport infrastructure improvements to enable those increases over the coming years.

ANother forum is saying 5mph.... those timings certainly look painful!

My understanding is that one can do this in your own vehicle on any other open day at Imber other than the Imber Bus day

Sampled this service today and it is a nice little runner. The line speed is very slow, but what little acceleration was allowed with those constraints, was good. It would be nice to see how it would perform at a higher speed.

Legendary 1960s London Routemaster Buses Go Under The Hammer!

Wilsons Auctions is set to deliver a rare and historic opportunity as five authentic 1960s AEC ...

Couple Furious After Touring Cornwall’s Top Destinations Only to Find No Ginsters Pasty Shops

Charles and Miranda Fairfax-Hughes, a couple from up-country, have said their Cornish holiday was “fundamentally disappointing” after travelling to every major tourist hotspot in the Duchy and failing to find a single Ginsters pasty shop.

The couple said their dream was to visit Cornwall, walk into a Ginsters “just like Greggs”, and sit on the beach enjoying what they described as “a proper, real Cornish pasty”.

Instead, they claim they were confronted by dozens of “small, unfamiliar pasty brands” selling freshly baked food made on site.

“We appreciate these little independent places trying their best to imitate Ginsters,” said Charles, “but they’re so small they can’t even afford a machine to press the pasty into shape. It honestly looked like they’d folded it with their hands.”

[continues]

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be starting late from Swindon.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

8X75. - Maximum speed 33 m.p.h.   23:20 at Liskeard to 04:15 at Laira.  On skids?  Man walking in front with red flag?

Defeated! The Conservatives have failed in their attempt to amend the Railways Bill, which will establish Great British Railways, to:
* Remove the right to strike
* Reduce training
* Limit annual leave
* Forcibly introduce driver-only operated trains

ASLEF lobbied strongly against these amendments, which would not have served staff or passengers.
It’s on to the next step for the Bill that will bring together track and train and help establish a railway designed for people, not profit.

Driverless vehicle takes islanders for a spin in Orkney


The public has been given the chance to have a ride in a self-driving vehicle in Kirkwall

A driverless vehicle has been taking to the road in Orkney - and could eventually be used to take passengers between the historic monuments of its Unesco World Heritage Site.

The project - led by consultants Urban Foresight and supported by autonomous shuttle firm Aurrigo and regional transport body Hitrans - is ultimately aiming to provide a shuttle service between Kirkwall Airport and Kirkwall Harbour.

However, the interim step of connecting the likes of the Ring Of Brodgar, Maes Howe and the Standing Stones Of Stenness is also being looked at.

As part of the project, members of the public have been given the chance to have a ride in the Auto-pod vehicle and give their feedback.

(BBC article continues)