first rubbish western

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Where you do need to travel from to get to Leeds?

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Where you do need to travel from to get to Leeds?

Well wherever it is you are, the prices on Arriva Cross Country might well be good/excellent value and not these ridiculously overpriced "Saver" or "Open" tickets. I've just done a search for fares from Bristol-Wolverhampton travelling on Friday 15th August returning Monday 18th August for the V Festival. And was very surprised to find that tickets are just £6.50 single, total just £13 return. Now that is a darn good price! I was expecting it to be about £9-£11 single, so to get quoted for £6.50 single each way was a surprise.

Fares don't seem available to check yet however for Arriva Cross Country journeys for the dates of the Leeds festival. But I reakon they won't be inflated prices. Evidence shows that the new operators are actually making cheap advance tickets available for dates during major events, unlike the previous operators i.e. GNER.

[enotayokel]

It was Leeds to Exeter about 12pm (had to get into Leeds from Bradford on the Monday. In the end I booked via Selby!

[Pompeyfan]

back to FGW... any idea if the ATW 150s are going to get any temporary branding, and if the 150/1 will get a full refurb?

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It was Leeds to Exeter about 12pm (had to get into Leeds from Bradford on the Monday. In the end I booked via Selby!

Just checked the fares from Exeter-Leeds on Friday 22nd August, returning on MOnday 25th August. Tickets on the direct services just £13.50 single. Not bad atall. Can't really complain about those prices.

Evidence then that these new operators then are an improvement on the previous operators in respect of making available the cheap advance tickets for travel during major festivals/events.

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09:35 Frome to Bristol Temple Meads due 10:45
21 September 2008
This train will run short formed with 5 carriages.This is due to an earlier train fault.


That is a surprising amount of carriages for a Frome-Bristol Sunday service. Running short with 5 carriages? How many carriages are normally used on this service? Bettter to have plenty of seating capiciity though, rather than a jam-packed train.

Why is it though that the (now few) times I get on Cardiff-Portsmouth services to travel between Bristol and Salisbury on a Sunday evening, that only 2/3 carriages are used and the trains are jam-packed? When Frome-Bristol Sunday services are formed of 6(or more carriages)?

I looked on the FGW live updates on Friday morning, and saw that a Paignton-London Paddington service was running short with only TWO carriages! I can't quite imagine a Class 150 or 158 arriving into Paddington.

[enotayokel]

Wouldn't have been the 7:37 or similar perchance, its usually because of a broken HST. Pax for Reading and London are transfered to another HST (2 are due through in quick succession) which runs via Westbury - The Pacer/150 will then run to Bristol in the Path of the HST with passengers for stations to Bristol (again connecting to HST's at Bristol for onward travel - saying that - the last time that happened the 142 made it to Swindon)

Either way it is preferable to Cancelling the service outright

[XPTE]

Ah yes, that does make sense. Running as far as Bristol or Swindon, and then changing for a replacement HST. Many people will be unable to board the train between Paignton and Bristol/Swindon, but at least better than cancelling the whole service alltogether.

Meanwhile, it looks like are some Class 165/166's are being used as replacements for HST's on London Paddington-Swindon services today.

11:27 London Paddington to Swindon due 12:38
This train will run short formed with 3 carriages.This is due to train crew having been unavailable earlier.

I do like those Thames Turbos. Be nice if they were used on some services in the Bristol area. They were actually used in the late 90's and early 00's on the Bristol Temple Meads-Oxford services. A shame they were axed.

[enotayokel]

Well I'd just done a detailed logic of why that 7:38 can be replaced by a pacer without overcrowding but my browser ate it.

Basicly - the 7:38 from Paignton is a slow 'all stations' service via Bristol. However between Newton Abbot and Taunton it is followed 10 mins later by another HST from Penzance that then goes up the B&H. Therefore most of the passengers for Reading and London will be directed to the 2nd HST (some Journey planners even advise changing at Exeter as the Penzance train has an earlier arrival in London) - with the Pacer/150 taking the passengers for stations to Bristol and collecting from the Minor stations between Weston and Bristol for an HST connection at BTM

I must commend the dispatcher came up with that - its not ideal, but better then a canceled service

[XPTE]

Something worth commenting about is the South Wales and Bristol to London Paddingon services yesterday.

Due to engineering works between Chippenham and Swindon, services to/from Bristol Temple Meads were running via the Trowbridge & Newbury route. Also due to engineering works between Westerleigh Junction and Swindon, services from South Wales(most services terminated/started at Swansea) were also running via the T & N route. The services to/from South Wales were actually merged with the Bristol Temple Meads services. i.e. all services from Swansea-London Paddington would call at Bristol Temple Meads enroute.

I boarded the 2041 service from Bath Spa-London Paddington last night. Which was the 2030 service from Bristol Temple Meads, and the 1829 service was Swansea. I was aware of this, and hence planned to upgrade to 1st Class so I could get a single seat to myself for extra comfort. As I knew 2nd Class(sorry Standard Class) would be quite busy. However, upon getting on the train, all 1st Class seats were taken. And Standard Class was near enough full up, with many people standing in the vestuble areas. I had to settle for an aisle seat. Never very comfortable, as you can't see out the window properly and you have umpteen people walking up and down the aisles throughout the journey. And one has to keep moving in a bit to let them through, otherwise you'll get all these people brushing against your legs and arms as they walk through. Certainly not as comfortable as getting a window seat and two seats to yourself. Very busy train, I didn't think it would be as busy as that.

I do think it would have made more sense if the Swansea trains were not merged with the Bristol Temple Meads services. Upon the Swansea-London Paddington trains arriving at Bristol Parkway for instance, they should then run non-stop via the diverted route to Reading and London Paddington only. Whilst the Bristol Temple Meads services would run independantly, also calling at the usual stop of Bath Spa. This would have solved the overcrowding on these merged services. And make for a more comfortable journey for passengers on these services. I don't know why the timetable planners didn't come up with this idea themselves. With it being a Sunday too with less services about, it really couldn't have been that difficult to do.

[Pompeyfan]

Something worth commenting about is the South Wales and Bristol to London Paddingon services yesterday.

Due to engineering works between Chippenham and Swindon, services to/from Bristol Temple Meads were running via the Trowbridge & Newbury route. Also due to engineering works between Westerleigh Junction and Swindon, services from South Wales(most services terminated/started at Swansea) were also running via the T & N route. The services to/from South Wales were actually merged with the Bristol Temple Meads services. i.e. all services from Swansea-London Paddington would call at Bristol Temple Meads enroute.

I boarded the 2041 service from Bath Spa-London Paddington last night. Which was the 2030 service from Bristol Temple Meads, and the 1829 service was Swansea. I was aware of this, and hence planned to upgrade to 1st Class so I could get a single seat to myself for extra comfort. As I knew 2nd Class(sorry Standard Class) would be quite busy. However, upon getting on the train, all 1st Class seats were taken. And Standard Class was near enough full up, with many people standing in the vestuble areas. I had to settle for an aisle seat. Never very comfortable, as you can't see out the window properly and you have umpteen people walking up and down the aisles throughout the journey. And one has to keep moving in a bit to let them through, otherwise you'll get all these people brushing against your legs and arms as they walk through. Certainly not as comfortable as getting a window seat and two seats to yourself. Very busy train, I didn't think it would be as busy as that.

I do think it would have made more sense if the Swansea trains were not merged with the Bristol Temple Meads services. Upon the Swansea-London Paddington trains arriving at Bristol Parkway for instance, they should then run non-stop via the diverted route to Reading and London Paddington only. Whilst the Bristol Temple Meads services would run independantly, also calling at the usual stop of Bath Spa. This would have solved the overcrowding on these merged services. And make for a more comfortable journey for passengers on these services. I don't know why the timetable planners didn't come up with this idea themselves.

thats quite a valid point, but no offence, whats the point in running two trains when you can (from a TOCs POV) merge two trains into one comfertably? extra line rental, extra diesel, extra pathing issues....

anyhow, about FGWs 150/1 and ATW 150/2, are they to get a lick of paint or any branding?