Recent Public Posts - [guest]
| Re: UK destinations you wished you'd visited sooner. In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [380625/32590/31] Posted by JayMac at 21:34, 8th October 2026 |      |
Northern Ireland.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380622/231/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:54, 8th October 2026 | |
Yes, that was my impression, too.
Unless some wag suggested it as being 'Pain In Ass'
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380620/231/28] Posted by johnneyw at 20:38, 8th October 2026 | |
PIA came as a bit of a surprise to me.
Possibly derived from the river on which it stands? PI(ll) A(von)?
| Re: Direct London trains from Shropshire 'could start in 2026' In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380619/31388/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:19, 8th October 2026 | |
An update, from the BBC:
Bid to run new trains on West Coast Mainline refused
The West Coast Main Line is already under significant pressure, Stephanie Tobyn, from the Office of Rail and Road said - Image © Avanti West Coast
Plans for new train services between London and Wrexham, Rochdale and Blackpool have been rejected by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The proposal to add more trains on the West Coast Main Line would "likely increase delays and cancelled trains for passengers", the regulator said.
It rejected Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway's application for four daily Wrexham to London Euston return services, as well as Lumo's proposal for up to four return services between Rochdale and Euston on weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays. Avanti West Coast's plans for additional services between Blackpool and Euston were also denied by the ORR.
The regulator said: "Gaps in the current timetable need to provide important space for trains to recover when disruption occurs, minimising delays to passengers. ORR concluded that adding more services into these windows in the timetable for recovery would reduce that resilience, increasing the risk of disruption spreading to other services and affecting more passengers."
Stephanie Tobyn, from the ORR, said: "New services, destinations and greater choice can bring real benefits for passengers and communities. But the West Coast Main Line is already under significant pressure, with performance reflecting limited resilience on a heavily used part of the rail network. Our detailed analysis has shown that adding more trains to the current timetable would reduce the ability to recover when disruption occurs, increasing the risk of delays spreading and making reliability of the network worse for all passengers."
The ORR said its assessment and decision came after similar applications were rejected in 2025.
The West Coast Main Line is already under significant pressure, Stephanie Tobyn, from the Office of Rail and Road said - Image © Avanti West Coast
Plans for new train services between London and Wrexham, Rochdale and Blackpool have been rejected by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The proposal to add more trains on the West Coast Main Line would "likely increase delays and cancelled trains for passengers", the regulator said.
It rejected Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway's application for four daily Wrexham to London Euston return services, as well as Lumo's proposal for up to four return services between Rochdale and Euston on weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays. Avanti West Coast's plans for additional services between Blackpool and Euston were also denied by the ORR.
The regulator said: "Gaps in the current timetable need to provide important space for trains to recover when disruption occurs, minimising delays to passengers. ORR concluded that adding more services into these windows in the timetable for recovery would reduce that resilience, increasing the risk of disruption spreading to other services and affecting more passengers."
Stephanie Tobyn, from the ORR, said: "New services, destinations and greater choice can bring real benefits for passengers and communities. But the West Coast Main Line is already under significant pressure, with performance reflecting limited resilience on a heavily used part of the rail network. Our detailed analysis has shown that adding more trains to the current timetable would reduce the ability to recover when disruption occurs, increasing the risk of delays spreading and making reliability of the network worse for all passengers."
The ORR said its assessment and decision came after similar applications were rejected in 2025.
That's a very definite "No.", then.
| Re: Catering on the WoE line? In "South Western services" [380618/32596/42] Posted by Ralph Ayres at 19:06, 8th October 2026 | |
Let's hope it results in the return of catering, which would have been particularly useful with the current slower and so longer journeys. Even if I juggle a drink onto the train along with my luggage I'm likely to want another one after a while.
I'd say part of the reason for catering failing previously (albeit my main experience was on the Portsmouth line) was the tendency of the catering person to hide at the end of the train, not bothering to come along until halfway through the journey, leaving me thinking that next time I'd pick something up at Waterloo having worked up a thirst after the Underground leg of the journey.
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380617/5138/51] Posted by eightonedee at 18:51, 8th October 2026 | |
Most Silhillians would agree, however, as would many Brummies who aspire to being able to afford to live there.
| Catering on the WoE line? In "South Western services" [380616/32596/42] Posted by bradshaw at 18:42, 8th October 2026 | |
SWR are running a survey to gauge possible demand levels.
Note Woking changes
This is from the new SERUG letter
You may have heard that South Western Railway are running a survey to gauge the demand to support the development of a business case for the future introduction of a trolley service.
SERUG have long campaigned for the re-instatement of catering on the West of England line - so here's a chance to influence SWR's thinking by completing the survey below.
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91179760/SWRcateringsurvey
Bruce and I are well aware that we've been rather quiet over the past couple of months but there's little "new" news to impart at present. We still have no date for the termination of the SMD timetable and SWR's Modernisation Plan remains at the development stage with no firm date for publication. As soon as we have news on that we'll be in touch.
GBR's Rolling Stock Strategy has been published. It's very light on specific detail, but for our line, it looks like Battery/Electric will be the likely solution. The link is below:
Great British Railways: rolling stock and infrastructure strategy
One piece of news to impart which has not been widely communicated by SWR...the majority of West of England trains are NOT now stopping at Woking. A change at Basingstoke is required. That is not good news for those with luggage intending to use the bus link to Heathrow. Whether this is a permanent decision or simply temporary (to improve winter timekeeping) is not yet clear.
SERUG have long campaigned for the re-instatement of catering on the West of England line - so here's a chance to influence SWR's thinking by completing the survey below.
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91179760/SWRcateringsurvey
Bruce and I are well aware that we've been rather quiet over the past couple of months but there's little "new" news to impart at present. We still have no date for the termination of the SMD timetable and SWR's Modernisation Plan remains at the development stage with no firm date for publication. As soon as we have news on that we'll be in touch.
GBR's Rolling Stock Strategy has been published. It's very light on specific detail, but for our line, it looks like Battery/Electric will be the likely solution. The link is below:
Great British Railways: rolling stock and infrastructure strategy
One piece of news to impart which has not been widely communicated by SWR...the majority of West of England trains are NOT now stopping at Woking. A change at Basingstoke is required. That is not good news for those with luggage intending to use the bus link to Heathrow. Whether this is a permanent decision or simply temporary (to improve winter timekeeping) is not yet clear.
| Re: 50th anniversary of the introduction of HST's on the route In "London to Swindon and Bristol" [380615/32580/10] Posted by Electric train at 17:28, 8th October 2026 Already liked by PrestburyRoad | |
Whilst the HSTs were a big leap forward, and funding restrictions meant there was never enough of them nationally, it is also other anniversaries
45 years ago, France introduced the TGV, initially restricted to 260km/h (162mph), later increased to 270km/h (168mph), with later generations rated at 300km/h (186mph) and latest at 320km/h (199mph)
The HST was good at over 2 miles a minute, but nowadays seems slow with trains doing 3.3 miles a minute
45 years ago, France introduced the TGV, initially restricted to 260km/h (162mph), later increased to 270km/h (168mph), with later generations rated at 300km/h (186mph) and latest at 320km/h (199mph)
The HST was good at over 2 miles a minute, but nowadays seems slow with trains doing 3.3 miles a minute
The difference being the HST ran at 125 mph on existing mixed traffic track (with very little changes to the infrastructure) whereas the TGV for 186 mph required new dedicated track
| Re: South Western Railways Waterloo - Bristol services axed In "South Western services" [380614/25368/42] Posted by Mark A at 17:20, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Phil | |
For a service that was axed 5 years ago, the Waterloo trains are still present
Two very recent examples: 'London Theatre Magazine' in an article on day visits to theatres outside London. In the paragraph on Bath:
"How to get there from London: Direct train from London Paddington or Waterloo to Bath Spa, takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes."
(1 hour and 20 minutes to Bath from Waterloo is a dream - Eurostar days did see 2 hours 10 minutes, the trains running non-stop between Westbury and Warminster and then between Warminster and... was it Andover or Basingstoke?)
Then, from Network Rail, in of all places, in one of their planning application docs for the platform extensions at Bath Spa, as a description of services at Bath Spa we find:
"All Bath's rail services run through Bath Spa station. The station has regular half-hourly inter-
city services to London Paddington via Swindon, Reading and Chippenham and to Bristol
Temple Meads. The station is served hourly by the Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour and
Gloucester and Bristol to Westbury and Weymouth regional trains. A limited service to London
Waterloo via Salisbury and Basingstoke operated by South Western Railway, which operates
three direct services per day Monday-Saturday and two on Sunday. An early morning
Basingstoke to Bristol Temple Meads service calls at Bath Spa. A late-evening Bristol Temple
Meads to Salisbury service is the last train of the day to Warminster railway station and
Salisbury."
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380613/5138/51] Posted by TaplowGreen at 16:51, 8th October 2026 | |
Just to note, that's from the Daily Mail. 
The survey was nothing to do with the Daily Mail, they've just printed the outcome from Uswitch
It is 13 years old however, so who knows if Solihull remains such an idyllic location these days!
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380612/231/28] Posted by Mark A at 15:41, 8th October 2026 | |
The Pill in question.
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380611/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 14:15, 8th October 2026 | |
Just to note, that's from the Daily Mail.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380609/231/28] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 13:42, 8th October 2026 | |
With thanks to my learned friend for the information, I have updated and added those to our Coffee Shop 'abbreviations & acronyms' page.
CfN.
| Re: Portishead Line reopening for passengers - ongoing discussion In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [380607/231/28] Posted by Red Squirrel at 13:10, 8th October 2026 | |
Our spies have spotted (courtesy of RTT) that the CRS codes for Pill and Portishead will be PIA and POH.
PIA came as a bit of a surprise to me, but PIL is of course Pilning! I suppose PLL would be too similar to PIL; bit like the reason Temple Meads is BRI not BTM which is too similar to BTH…
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380600/5138/51] Posted by IndustryInsider at 11:12, 8th October 2026 Already liked by TaplowGreen | |
HS2, for more than twice the price, at some indeterminate time in the future, will be able to get you from West London to..............Solihull.
Well it has been voted the best place to live in the UK...
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-2506917/Best-place-live-UK-Er-Solihull.html
| Re: Lostwithiel - footbridge, services and sidings (merged topic) In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [380599/2681/25] Posted by Andy at 11:07, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Mark A | |
Will the proposed footbridge mean that the former Fowey bay platform can never be re-used?
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380598/5138/51] Posted by TaplowGreen at 10:38, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby | |
Just noticed from this video on You Tube that the Heathrow expansion will cost £49bn. And people were complaining that HS2 is going to cost £100bn. HS2 seems like better value for money than Heathrow expansion.
Both costing far too much and ridiculously delayed.
However............
Heathrow is a national and international flagship and can get you from West London to almost anywhere in the World.
HS2, for more than twice the price, at some indeterminate time in the future, will be able to get you from West London to..............Solihull.
Happy to talk value
| Re: HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) - Government proposals, alternative routes, discussion In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [380596/5138/51] Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 10:06, 8th October 2026 Already liked by Witham Bobby, johnneyw | |
I remain puzzled as how any such figures are produced.
For example, how was such a precise 'figure' of £49,000,000,000 calculated?
Perhaps,
Planning permission applications, £8,000,000;
Civil engineering and construction costs, £10,000,000,000
Consultants fees, £38,992,000,000
Total = £49 billion.
Ah, now I see.
