It’s getting close to the time ( many will say way past it) that a Senior NR Manager, possibly their non Swindon based Director for Devon and Cornwall, was grilled by MPs / the Media  on  the far too many occasions train services on all lines in the South West continue to be subject to far too regular cancellation and disruption; mainly due NR infrastructure failings.

Trains last ran on the Looe Bch on Tuesday 2 Dec but only til 1045, due a combination of planned line closure due NR Tree cutting Contractors activities ( miraculously allowed by ‘over powerful’ Natural England bearing in mind hibernating Doormice ) and high spring tides / rain/ flooding.
“Train services will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 04/01/26”; we now learn due lack of availability of diving contractors..why are none ‘on call’ ?

 

Yes ORR have created a system where inconveniencing passengers ticks more boxes than waiting for every diver to finish their holidays.

No wonder other countries think UK has lost the plot

 
Sunday December 28

1W03 12:49 London Paddington to Hereford : departed +11, Oxford +18, Shrub Hill +28, ...

Departed +35, Reading +54, Oxford +54, ...


EDIT (16:05) - Updated

 
I drove a Falcon service on Boxing Day evening. 64 passengers across the round trip, suggesting there is some demand, as that evening round trip is normally one of the quieter round trips.

 

Key broken in the lock?

 
Yes: 'Typex' was something rather different.

 
"Tippex"

 

Elf 'n Safety, mate.....can't risk anything these days. Bad Press & mammoth fines from ORR.

 

This problem first appeared yesterday, with the 12:24 from Plymouth terminating at Bere Alston, although RTT refers to the reason as "points failure".

Is this line worked by a single line staff/token, with the attached key being used to unlock the ground frame? - not a lot to go wrong.

 

Even with Glanrhyd in mind (and with no familiarity with the structures in question) does anyone else consider this approach to be either (a) flawed or (b) an indication that NR does not know the condition of these structures or (c) they do know that below water they are in poor condition and do not offer the resilience they need to have to be effective? Also, rates of scour to foundations isn't necessarily related simply to water depth.

Journeycheck aside, would it be good if Network Rail put out a deep dive explaining the issue, the approach, and the horizon for a long term fix that will improve resilience.

Mark

 

Tales of the demise of some items of everyday life have been premature.  Predictions regarding the end of vinyl records have been replaced by talk of their rediscovery by a whole new generation, apparently attracted to the tactile and visual appeal that so obviously is absent with downloads.
High street travel agents, once spoken of as a thing of yesteryear, have been making a return as people become increasingly distrustful of on online scam sites and also simply find coordinating all the various aspects of a holiday online too tiresome.
I could go on but there do seem to be limits to what the digital world can properly do to serve some aspects of life.

 
Just an anniversary reminder here of that railway disaster.

 
Coming back on this thread - looks like I failed to summarise the results of the poll.    But what it does show is that there wiil be a great deal of travel in '26

Personally, three month pass bought ... early May will see me meeting distant relatives in Amsterdam, taking in the final days of the tulip gardens, and the spending 10 days or so with them on a bit of a zigzag up to Denmark, from where they fly home to their distant home in California.  How I get to Amsterdam and how I get home from Copenhagen yet to be planned and will be left to the last minute. It is said that it's a female trend to do lots of things at the same time / meet lots of objectives in the same trip from home, whereas a male tends to set a single objective and go for it, and on this I am definitely female.

... at the end of May, after a visit home to wash my clothes and recover a bit, Lisa and I will be heded out together for a trip down to one side of the Adriatic, a ferry across, and then up the other side, stopping multiple nights in different places, enjoying the cuisine, and seeing the place / region we are in.

... following on before, or after, plans are a bit more woolly. This year just gone, my plan to visit Kars was re-jigged by the extreme heat and I went instead to Svolvaer.  Probability is that I will try for Turkey again in '26; possiblity is that it will end up very different.

I don't expect you'll see much difference in my rate of contribution here and I will try to avoid the boastful "look where I am" stuff, flavouring it instead with "why don't we do this" or "so glad we don't do that".  2026 is planned to be the first year since 2019 that I won't need to be physically home for certain dates and meetings, nor restricted because of covid, and I look forward to it.  I probably won't be away any more than I have been, but I have a flexibility that's glorious, and have had a planned clearance of things I have found unpleasant from being the sole independent on a town council where others/parties want to come out on top and do so by pushing others towards the bottom in some not-very-nice, hurtful, devious ways.

 
Alterations to services between Bere Alston and Gunnislake

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Bere Alston and Gunnislake the line is closed.
Train services running to and from these stations have been revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
Due to issues with the signal system, we are currently unable to run trains between Bere Alston and Gunnislake, therefore all trains between Plymouth and Gunnislake will run between Plymouth and Bere Alston only.

 
Saturday December 28 - Final scores

1P14 07:12 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington : arrived +19.
1P66 08:28 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington : arrived +20.
1P22 10:50 Great Malvern to London Paddington : held Charlbury (+23), arrived +42.
1P26 13:05 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington : held Norton (+16), arrived +20.
1P28 13:20 Hereford to London Paddington : started from Great Malvern.
1P32 15:14 Hereford to London Paddington : started from Great Malvern, held Shrub Hill (+18), arrived +19.
1P34 17:00 Great Malvern to London Paddington : started from Worcester Shrub Hill
1P42 20:03 Foregate St to London Paddington : started from Shrub Hill (+15).
1P44 20:20 Hereford to London Paddington : started from Great Malvern, cancelled after Shrub Hill (RTT : "due to an issue with the train crew (TH)")

1W17 0849 London Paddington to Great Malvern : departed +16, Oxford +22, arrived +17.
1W01 0949 London Paddington to Hereford : Oxford +20, held Shrub Hill (+45), arrived Great Malvern +50 and cancelled thereafter.
1W21 1049 London Paddington to Great Malvern : departed +30, arrived +35.
1W02 1149 London Paddington to Hereford : departed +12, Oxford +18, arrived Great Malvern +24 and cancelled thereafter.
1W27 1349 London Paddington to Great Malvern : departed +38, Oxford +59, arrived Worcester Shrub Hill +41 and cancelled thereafter.
1W29 1449 London Paddington to Great Malvern : Oxford +18, arrived +25.
1W03 1649 London Paddington to Hereford : departed +11, delayed Didcot avoiding line (+60), arrived Great Malvern +80 and cancelled thereafter.
1W35 1749 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street : held Wolvercote (+20), arrived +26.
1W37 1849 London Paddington to Great Malvern : cancelled throughout

 

Coming up on my feed today from the BBC


I certainly recall using Typex ... and a number of other "products gone" too like, err, typewriters, slide rules, calculators ... film cameras, etc.   What is to follow them?    "Sorry - we don't take cash" - and that in a pub in Trowbridge; bit of a transitional one - our favourite Chinese Takeaway remains "Sorry - we only take cash".

 

Alterations to services between Liskeard and Looe
Due to flooding between Liskeard and Looe the line is closed.
Train services running to and from these stations have been suspended. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 05/01/26.
Customer Advice
KINDLY NOTE - The Liskeard to Looe branch line has no scheduled service on a Sunday at this time of year. The details shown below are what we anticipate will be in place from Monday 29th December until the line reopens.

 

Journeycheck explains

 
from the BBC


I can't help wondering if, whilst the process was not designed to increase revenue, the effect of it and the way it is being used has provided an opportunity to do so.   

Extreme examples are quoted both ways


and

 
From the BBC:

 
I actually wrote to my MP (which at the time was Michelle Donelan) nearly 3 years ago about short forms and overcrowding on Cardiff-Portsmouth.   After a few weeks got a letter forwarded from Hugh Merriman (then rail minister)

Won't quote whole letter, but relevant part is

But as pointed out this was during the covid high subsidy years, now passenger numbers are roughly back to normal (and could argue higher on some sections) should (in logical world) return to full service.   Except of course GWR have been forced to dispose of trains by DfT (some 387s, the HSTs, etc).  And the 175s will barely release anything, just a few 158s which might, (or might not) allow all 8 daily diagrams to be 4 or 5 coaches.  Won't be all 5car as GWR does not have 8x5=40 class 158 vehicles (and really with their age need 2 or 3 units spare including one outstationed at Fratton to cover failures), so need more like 45-48 vehicles

It seems Wales has realised there is a problem, and lack of rolling stock for growth, and has recently gone out to tender for upto 3 extra years (April 2026-March 2029) of maintenance of its 158s, rather suggests they are keeping them for time being.

 

 

Travelling from Worcestershire Parkway to Stroud I take the Nottingham-Cardiff to Gloucester and then sprint to the bus station for the 62 bus to Stroud. That way I arrive half an hour before the Cheltenham-Paddington train.

 
Keeping tabs on bots and their sucking of resources has felt like climbing an never ending staircase ...



and you may recall on Christmas Eve the server was stuggling:


A test on Christmas afternoon slashed the loading, but that's been at the expense of turning away a lot torn arguably-good indexing which could hurt our visibility if it's to continue long term. However, I put in an experimental skeleton of code at lunchtime to provide litewait answers to bots (sorry to members who got error messages for a few minute) and I will be putting something more substantive in that skeleton over coming days.   Theory goes that members and guests shouldn't see a difference - except the diference you may see is a slightly faster response.

 
From Rail Advent

 
That 5 carriage intention, was it being repeated as part of the compensation for axing the Bristol - Waterloo services, during Covid in 2021 too?

(Saying 'During covid' with reference to that time but of course we're fortunate in that the virus doesn't seem to be able to come up with a particularly effective mutation for the time being, the peak towards the end of this year fizzled. (Figures to November for England and regions to be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/))

Mark

 
Yes indeed the promise was preCovid

I am answering this - I hope - as a critical considering everything including the elephants in the room

Traffic levels (in terms of passenger ticket purchases) are back to virtually where they were - I have taken Bradford-on-Avon and Warminster as being the best indicators, because the Cardiff - Portsmouth cross country service is only a part of the story elsewhere as it crosses over all the various spokes coming out from the hub of London.

534086 (2018-19) - 532216 (2024-25) BOA
348658 (2018-19) - 355954 (2024-25) WMN

So there is, perhaps, a need for those plans to be back on and promises kept. I fear that the incoming fleet of class 175 trains, as it picks up Castle duties, releases units to supplement services on the St Ives branch for the summer, allows strengthening of trains in the Exeter area, releases IETs by May for the Bristol - Oxford service (which I agree is needed) will leave little or nothing for the Cinderella line from Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central. We may get a couple of 158s back - but there are 8 daily diagrams / trains cycling round.  Slightly better news, perhaps, is that post-covid the awkward peaks that are hard to resource for are not so peaky.

It may be that I should be posting in "Smoke and Mirrors" as we have GWR pointing towards the DfT as the place to take blame for the state of affairs, and we have the DfT suggseting that it's down to GWR.  Convenient for both oraganisations and the truth, perhaps, is that we are in the current state because of both of them.  And when GWR is nationalised, it may mean an end to that convience of buck passing. 

Or perhaps we could think of unpalatable options - perhaps 5 car trains could be provided, overloading reduced, and crews saved by reducing the service to running every 90 or 100 minutes, reducing the number of trains needed in the cycle to 6 or 5?  And perhaps a frequency reduction would also help keep the trains for the people who really need them, helping to keep ovecrowding down. And would a network with fewer services be more robust, helping meet the stated government objective of improving reliability? Just asking.

 

Ah, yes.

Was that pre-Covid? 

Was that before the DfT instructed GWR to make savings on costs?  Which led to them shelving the Class 769 programme meaning 16 Turbos had to stay in the Thames Valley, and a cull of most of the HST Castle Class fleet, which just about limped along until a couple of weeks ago?

Did that prompt a GWR insider to say "With the loss of the Castle sets as well as the expected 165/166 sets we are really squeezing things quite a lot.  Which does concern us, but we will have to work to make the best with what we have."