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Great Western Coffee Shop
17.7.2025 (Thursday) 08:20 - All running AOK
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
Re: Search facility, document and post archives on the Coffee Shop forum
In "News, Help and Assistance" [363263/25544/29]
Posted by grahame at 07:27, 17th July 2025
 
Just hit a couple of milestones - the 1300th archived and indexed document, and the 200th "whitelisted" so that it's public accessible as well.  A co-incidence that the two milestones were hit with the same document an MTUG / Melksham Transport update for Melksham Town Council reps to MTUG

The "Deep Search" box and hourglass on our front pages help you find what you want in this resource, and include many documents which are no longer otherwise online

Re: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion
In "Across the West" [363262/18719/26]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 07:03, 17th July 2025
 
An additional premium on top of the premium already offered for working days has been agreed from Monday 27th July for a year for drivers.

Where can I apply?



Turn left at the magic money tree.

Hdden cost of flying - airport drop off fees
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [363261/30458/5]
Posted by grahame at 06:22, 17th July 2025
 
From The BBC

More than half of Britain's busiest airports have raised "kiss-and-fly" fees for cars dropping off passengers close to terminals, according to research from the RAC.

The motoring group found 11 out of 20 UK airports had put up prices since last July, with Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton joining Stansted in charging the top rate of £7 to park for a matter of minutes.

In contrast, at nine of the 10 busiest airports in the European Union there are no drop-off fees.

Airports UK, which represents the industry, said all hubs offer free drop-off options further from the terminals, such as "park and ride" facilities where people can leave their car and take a bus to the airport.

London Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Liverpool all raised their prices by £1 to £6 for between 10 and 20 minutes.

The RAC also found that Cardiff airport had introduced a fee for the first time, asking £3 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, London Luton and Manchester airports are the most expensive on a cost-per-minute basis, the research showed, with drivers paying £5 to stop for five minutes.

Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, said: "Drivers are a captive audience and that's why we think airports are so keen on these sorts of fees. But honestly, £7 for a stop that could be no more than 10 minutes does seem a little steep.

"And the fact that these costs keep going up year after year I think is going to be a huge source of frustration for anyone dropping off a friend or loved one this summer."

For Bristol Airport, set out of town on the Weston road, I advise passengers from Melksham to take the 271/2/3 Bath Bus and change onto the A4 at Bath (Dorchester Street).  To save airport fees, get the bus as far as the Airport Tavern and walk in - as yet you can still arrive at this airport on foot and without a fee for doing so, and there is no charge for doing your "kiss and ride" in Melksham Market Place!

Westbury - use like Malton, not done at Pilning. Robustness issues.
In "Portsmouth to Cardiff" [363260/30457/20]
Posted by grahame at 06:17, 17th July 2025
 

"A new platform at Westbury" (my highlighting)

I assume this actually means reinstating the old Platform 1. An article in Rail magazine in 2015 quoted a cost of £10.5 million to do this at that time. How much nowadays ?  I suppose we could claim that we are getting our own Wiltshire version of HS2.............at least as far as costings go !

At Malton in Yorkshire, there is single platform at one side of a double track (is it still like that?) with trains headed for Scarborough calling on their normal track but trains headed for York crossing over before and after the platform.

It struck me the other evening that this modus operandi is in use at Westbury at times too; the other evening on the 19:29 from Portsmouth and Souhsea to Trowbridge we came to a halt between Dilton Marsh and Westbury, waited for a train headed for Portsmouth to complete station duties at platform 1, and then crossed over to Platform 1 ourselves once it had passed us.       There we two trains waiting in platform 2 - a Salisbury train AND a Swindon train, and I don't know what was in platform 3 at the time.    Both Cardiff and Portsmouth trains often run from Platform 1 at Westbury - this use of a single platform in both directions on what is a double track line is common here.  But at what cost in terms of robustness and limiting service operations and enhancement?

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [363259/29726/18]
Posted by grahame at 05:59, 17th July 2025
 
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.


22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

That 21:16 is the train that I would expect to be the quietest of the day. However - Lisa and I returned on it on Monday evening (14.7.2025) from Trowbridge into Melksham.  With Lisa's mobility issues and my 40lb pack, I was more concerned at getting us on and off the train than counting passengers, but 8 people got off at Melksham.  On the normal ratios I would expect that a couple of people got on as well, and that for every 1 who got on/off at Melksham there were 2 through passengers - so that's an educated guess of 30 passenger in total - [30,10].

I was very concerned as we travelled up from Portsmouth that the train manager checking our tickets when I said we would be changing at Westbury advised us to carry on to Bath Spa and change there because the service "is poor from Westbury but every half hour from Bath".    But we were actually on the train from Portsmouth that has a good (5 minute) connection at Westbury up to Chippenham and Swindon, and with staff advice to avoid the TransWilts train even on a weekday when it's supposedly running, it's a wonder that numbers are not floundering far more than they are.


Had we taken train manager advice, we would have had to change trains in Bath Spa, arriving there at 21:34, taking two awkward lifts with a mobility scooter to catch the 22:12 London train and arriving into Chippenham at 22:25 ... whereas with the change at Westbury or Trowbridge, the arrival was at 21:40 - three quarters of an hour earlier.  (I have checked how they ran on Real Time Trains).   The service from Bath Spa to Chippenham is every half hour during the day but every hour in the evening, so even if we were both able bodied to make a quick connect at Bath we would have been stuck there for quite a while in the evening when all we wanted to do was to get home.

I was puzzled by the advice to go to Bath ... realised why it was practical when I remember that we had Chippenham to Portsmouth period returns as we went out from Bath and were coming back to Melksham and these were tickets valid to/from either actually used stations.  Still poor advice indeed ...

Once I recalled the ticket was a Chippenham one, I did explain to our train manager - who was a trainee with a supervisor watching and then helping - that we were headed for Melksham - "in which case change at Westbury". And a further question from me "why Westbury which will involve a change with 2 lifts and a subway with a mobility device when it's same platform at Trowbridge?".   The train manager and supervisor agreed that Trowbridge made sense - "we advised Westbury because there are staff there who can help if the Swindon train is not running but you clearly know what you are doing ..."

Worked like a treat - saw others dashing through to the stairs at Westbury and the Swindon train waiting on the other island platform, but we just dropped back at Trowbridge - easy!

Re: 2025 - Service update and amendment log, Swindon <-> Westbury
In "TransWilts line" [363258/29726/18]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 05:15, 17th July 2025
 
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58
21:16 Westbury to Swindon due 21:58 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12
22:31 Swindon to Westbury due 23:12 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025
In "London to the Cotswolds" [363257/29711/14]
Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 03:43, 17th July 2025
 
Wednesday July 17

The trespass incident at Evesham caused a lot of disruption:

1P05 15:18 Hereford to Paddington (18:29) : departed +16, delayed between Pershore and Evesham (+33), held Charlbury (+58), arrived +55.
1P38 16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington (19:29) : held Norton (+38), saved 16 at Moreton, arrived +25.
1P39 17:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (19:52) : started from Shrub Hill (+27), held Norton (+33), saved 10 at Moreton, arrived +31.
1P40 18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (20:29) : started from Shrub Hill (+13), held Norton (+27), arrived Reading +18 and cancelled thereafter.
2E16 18:51 Evesham to Oxford : cancelled throughout.
1P42 19:02 Great Malvern to London Paddington (21:26) : started from Shrub Hill, held Oxford (+24), arrived +29.

1W29 14:53 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (17:04) : held Evesham (+40), arrived Shrub Hill +40 and cancelled thereafter.
1W30 15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (17:47) : held Evesham (+34), arrived Shrub Hill +35 and cancelled thereafter.
1W31 15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern (18:26) : held Honeybourne (+20) and Evesham (+34), arrived Shrub Hill +32 and cancelled thereafter.
2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham (18:23) : cancelled after Oxford.
1W33 16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern (19:25) : started from Reading.
1W36 18:57 London Paddington to Great Malvern (21:18) : departed +56, arrived Shrub Hill +63 and cancelled thereafter.
1W05 19:53 London Paddington to Hereford (22:57) : cancelled after Oxford.
1W41 20:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern (23:13) : started from Reading.

And of those, the truncation of 1W05 has a knock-on effect this morning:

Thursday July 17

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:24 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:17/07/2025 02:54

Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [363256/489/12]
Posted by 1st fan at 23:17, 16th July 2025
 
Would the sleeper fit (including the inwards loco)?
Platform 3 at Reading is 125m, how long is the sleeper nowadays?

Much longer than that!
Thought so  .

Re: Plane crashes at Southend Airport - BBC News 13/07/2025
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [363255/30450/51]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:47, 16th July 2025
 
An update, from the BBC:

Airport reopens after four killed in plane crash

Flights have been allowed to resume at London Southend Airport three days after a plane crash that killed four people.

The Essex airport was shut after nurse Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz, the aircraft's pilot and co-pilot and a fourth person died there on Sunday.

Four EasyJet flights were allowed to land on Wednesday, with normal operations expected to resume on Thursday.

"Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those who tragically lost their lives on Sunday," an airport spokesperson said.

Witnesses described seeing a "fireball" when the Beech B200 Super King Air crashed and exploded shortly before 16:00 BST.

The plane was operated by Zeusch Aviation, which specialises in medical evacuations and is based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands.

It had flown from the Greek capital Athens to Pula in Croatia before flying to Southend ahead of another journey to Lelystad.

(article continues)


Re: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion
In "Across the West" [363254/18719/26]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:21, 16th July 2025
 
An additional premium on top of the premium already offered for working days has been agreed from Monday 27th July for a year for drivers.

Where can I apply?


Witchcraft can't help with these ;-)
In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [363253/30456/31]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:11, 16th July 2025
 
From the BBC:

Emma Watson banned from driving for speeding



Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months, after she was caught speeding.

Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove a blue Audi at 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford on the evening of 31 July last year.

Watson already had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred, the court heard.

The 35-year-old, now a student, was made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
...



Separately, another Harry Potter actress, Zoe Wanamaker, was fined for speeding on the same day and in the same court as Watson.

Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch in the wizarding series, was caught speeding on 7 August 2024, on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire.

The 76-year-old was driving at 46mph in a 40mph limit, the court heard.

She was also fined £1,044 and banned for six months.

Wanamaker's lawyer Duncan Jones said that she was not asking for "special treatment" and accepted the fine.

Like Watson, Wanamaker had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred.

District Judge Arvind Sharma, sentencing, endorsed three more points on both stars' licences, meaning both are disqualified for six months.



Re: Halifax - Keighley cycle route through tunnel?
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [363252/19192/50]
Posted by ellendune at 17:11, 16th July 2025
 
A decision https://bsky.app/profile/transportaction.bsky.social/post/3ltzatr2g6k2q

Sorry I haven't donated to The Guardian so don't have any more detail.

The DfT have decided to 'fill the [Queensbury] tunnel with concrete' as there is no prospect of raising money locally to reopen it.  

Re: North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025
In "London to the Cotswolds" [363251/29711/14]
Posted by Worcester_Passenger at 17:01, 16th July 2025
 
Tuesday July 15

... was a very good day

Wednesday July 16

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 16:27

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 will be started from Reading.
It will no longer call at London Paddington but will call additionally at Combe, Finstock, Ascott-Under-Wychwood and Shipton.
This is due to congestion.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 16:28

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 16:27

Later (17:40):

Due to trespassers on the railway at Evesham trains have to run at reduced speed on all lines. Disruption is expected until 19:00 16/07.
Train services between London Paddington and Hereford via Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill may be delayed.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 17:41


15:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 18:29 will no longer call at Didcot Parkway and Reading.
It has been delayed at Hereford and is now 15 minutes late.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 17:18
Train delayed between Pershore and Evesham. Now +36 at Ascott.

17:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 19:52 was started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.
Last Updated:16/07/2025 17:31

1W30 15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street : held Honeybourne (+11) and Evesham.


Re: Bath and Wiltshire Metro
In "TransWilts line" [363250/30454/18]
Posted by grahame at 15:43, 16th July 2025
 
I would appreciate some clarification of what the MP means by "two trains per hour through Melksham station"

a) We already get two trains an hour through Melksham station, sometimes more. The vast majority of them are however freight trains, the remainder mostly being IETs on diversion.

b) Did the MP's script writer actually mean him to say two trains an hour STOPPING at Melksham station? Because that would be very welcome indeed.

c) Of these theoretical two passenger trains an hour that we have now established not only pass through Melksham but may actually stop, do they stop to pick up AND put down passengers?

Disclaimer: I don't trust ANY MPs, so I'm not attempting to score political points here

See  https://www.passenger.chat/t30027.html and  https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/04-NathanSealey_Amey.pdf - next to last slide

* Frome to Chippenham (local):
2tph Frome-Westbury-Trowbridge-Melksham-Chippenham

Which is two trains calling at Melksham to both pick up and to drop off passengers in each direction - a service every 30 minutes.  It's what's needed for a true metro 'turn up and go' service.


Re: Bath and Wiltshire Metro
In "TransWilts line" [363249/30454/18]
Posted by Phil at 15:19, 16th July 2025
 
I would appreciate some clarification of what the MP means by "two trains per hour through Melksham station"

a) We already get two trains an hour through Melksham station, sometimes more. The vast majority of them are however freight trains, the remainder mostly being IETs on diversion.

b) Did the MP's script writer actually mean him to say two trains an hour STOPPING at Melksham station? Because that would be very welcome indeed.

c) Of these theoretical two passenger trains an hour that we have now established not only pass through Melksham but may actually stop, do they stop to pick up AND put down passengers?

Disclaimer: I don't trust ANY MPs, so I'm not attempting to score political points here

Re: Shortage of train crews on Great Western Railway - ongoing discussion
In "Across the West" [363248/18719/26]
Posted by IndustryInsider at 14:03, 16th July 2025
Already liked by Timmer
 
An additional premium on top of the premium already offered for working days has been agreed from Monday 27th July for a year for drivers.

Re: Halifax - Keighley cycle route through tunnel?
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [363247/19192/50]
Posted by CyclingSid at 13:23, 16th July 2025
 
A decision https://bsky.app/profile/transportaction.bsky.social/post/3ltzatr2g6k2q

Sorry I haven't donated to The Guardian so don't have any more detail.

Cancellations 28 July - 29 August
In "South Western services" [363246/30455/42]
Posted by Fourbee at 11:55, 16th July 2025
 
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/timetables

There are cancellations/removals already in the journey planners (not minor IMO):

Summer 2025 timetables

There will be minor alterations to our May 2025 timetable, on the following routes, from Monday 28 July until Friday 29 August:

    Alton
    Chessington South
    Guildford via Cobham & Stoke D’Abernon
    Guildford via Woking
    Hampton Court
    London Waterloo via Richmond
    Reading
    Shepperton
    Weybridge via Chertsey
    Windsor & Eton Riverside
    Woking (stopping services)

Please plan ahead using our journey planner.


Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [363245/489/12]
Posted by IndustryInsider at 10:47, 16th July 2025
Already liked by 1st fan
 
Would the sleeper fit (including the inwards loco)?
Platform 3 at Reading is 125m, how long is the sleeper nowadays?

Much longer than that!

Re: Bath and Wiltshire Metro
In "TransWilts line" [363244/30454/18]
Posted by Clan Line at 10:38, 16th July 2025
Already liked by Timmer, grahame
 

"A new platform at Westbury" (my highlighting)

I assume this actually means reinstating the old Platform 1. An article in Rail magazine in 2015 quoted a cost of £10.5 million to do this at that time. How much nowadays ?  I suppose we could claim that we are getting our own Wiltshire version of HS2.............at least as far as costings go !

Re: Bath and Wiltshire Metro
In "TransWilts line" [363243/30454/18]
Posted by matth1j at 10:04, 16th July 2025
 
* Two trains per hour through Melksham Station
Just to clarify - that's in total (ie. hourly services to Chippenham/Trowbridge), rather than in one specific direction (half-hourly)?


Re: Campaign for Tavistock reopening
In "Campaigns for new and improved services" [363242/804/28]
Posted by Andy at 08:34, 16th July 2025
Already liked by alexross42, Witham Bobby, Chris from Nailsea, Andy E, TonyK, Red Squirrel, johnneyw, Timmer, trainbuff, Pb_devon
 
Several news articles are reporting that campaigners are stepping up their bid to unlock funding for Tavistock by playing the defence and housing cards, tying the project to the expansion of Devonport dockyard as part of the planned incease in defence spending , plus the plans for new housing and the issue of overcongested roads They are also arguing for a new station at Plympton and proposing a Tavistock-Ivybridge via Devonport and Plymouth metro-style service.
With the mid-Devon metro, Exeter has set a very good example of how existing railways can be successfully reconfigured around a regional hub. Bristol is doing the same. Cornwall, too, on a more modest scale. Fingers crossed that Plymouth can follow suit.

Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2025
In "Across the West" [363238/29650/26]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 05:25, 16th July 2025
 
Cancellations to services between Reading and Newbury

Due to a fault with the signalling system the line is blocked. Disruption is expected until 08:30 16/07.
Train services between Reading and Newbury may be cancelled or delayed.

Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the signalling system, trains are currently suspended between Reading and Newbury.

Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [363237/489/12]
Posted by 1st fan at 23:07, 15th July 2025
 
Would the sleeper fit (including the inwards loco)?
Platform 3 at Reading is 125m, how long is the sleeper nowadays?

Bath and Wiltshire Metro
In "TransWilts line" [363236/30454/18]
Posted by grahame at 21:49, 15th July 2025
Already liked by Red Squirrel, Chris from Nailsea, rogerw, Timmer
 
From our MP (Brian Mathew), posted 15th July 2025 on Facebook

Exciting project for local rail!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chairing the very first stakeholder meeting for the Bath & Wiltshire Metro at Melksham Assembly Hall. Joined by representatives from Network Rail, Wiltshire & B&NES councils, local town councils, and the Western Gateway Transport Board, we mapped out an ambitious vision for our region’s rail future:
* Two trains per hour through Melksham Station
* New stations at Corsham and Devizes Gateway
* Better links between housing, public transport, and active travel routes — making it easier to leave the car at home!

The good news? Plans are already moving forward. Western Gateway and Network Rail are working on key infrastructure upgrades, including:
* A new platform at Westbury
* Increased rail capacity through Melksham
This is about much more than trains. It’s about cutting congestion, opening up opportunities, and tackling the climate emergency.

* I’ll keep campaigning hard to make sure our communities get the modern, reliable transport links we need — now and for the future.

Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [363235/489/12]
Posted by ChrisB at 20:56, 15th July 2025
 
Would the sleeper fit (including the inwards loco)?

Re: Night Riviera Sleeper train - between Paddington and Penzance
In "London to the West" [363234/489/12]
Posted by grahame at 20:54, 15th July 2025
 
How long is platform 3 in terms of coach-lengths?

6.35

 
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