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Great Western Coffee Shop
Recent Public Posts - [guest]
Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026
In "Across the West" [376631/31163/26]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 13:19, 1st July 2026
 
..........can't blame the weather today!

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.

Disruption is expected until 13:15 01/07.


Disruption now pushed out to 1515..............if it starts disrupting people's plans to watch England play at 1700, the railway's reputation, already subterranean, is likely to sink even lower.

Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376630/32188/50]
Posted by PrestburyRoad at 13:05, 1st July 2026
 
I like the German rules, especially the compulsory insurance.

Swindon bus company's X76 Marlborough to Bath: calling patterns
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [376629/32190/5]
Posted by Mark A at 13:03, 1st July 2026
 
Seeing the X76 in the city centre today, the slogan on the rear end 'Remember when you loved buses?' sitting uncomfortably above the dot matrix display's 'OUT OF SERVICE' reminded me of its weird stopping patterns (someone on this forum kindly explained the reason for that). It wasn't out of service and actually had one passenger aboard, but it's difficult for the ordinary passenger to tell that this bus is peculiar - for the stops that it misses, the timetables at the stops list it, as do the electronic passenger information screens. The bustimes web site, though, does know about its funny ways.

At the moment, given that the city's bus services are cut in half, even its single in-and-back trip would be useful to people using the bus in Bath and needing to get to or from the RUH, restrictions like this put me in mind of the UK canal systems' "Worcester Bar" (where the waters of the Birmingham canals and Worcester and Birmingham route were separated by a physical bar, forcing all cargoes to be transhipped before, eventually, commonsense prevailed.)

Mark


https://bustimes.org/services/x76-marlborough-ruh-bath-2



Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR)
In "Across the West" [376628/28982/26]
Posted by eightonedee at 13:00, 1st July 2026
 
Will GBR▸ (Great British Railways) keep the management on in December?

One of the lessons of being a member of this forum for many years is that DfT (and presumably, behind them, the Treasury) are the real decision makers, down to quite a low level of detail. It will be interesting to see how much latitude GBR will have to get on with managing things themselves. I expect that the high level of investment it requires will restrict its ability to do so.

Re: Bath bus 6/7 goes electric
In "Buses and other ways to travel" [376627/32185/5]
Posted by Mark A at 12:40, 1st July 2026
 
Spoke too soon, back to diesels on the route today.

Mark

Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376626/32188/50]
Posted by Mark A at 12:35, 1st July 2026
 
Germany's a useful comparison: e-scooters are legal, minimum age 14, compulsory insurance, type-approved machines to exclude ones with unsuitable electronics/mechanics, similar maximum speed to a pedal assist e-bike, two independent brakes, pavements prohibited. Why the UK's gone with open ended 'Trials' of hire e-scooters (with the occasional change of supplier, something that tends to remove more experienced riders from the system) and also overlooked private use served by a vigorous and diverse retail supply chain pushing a variety of less desirable machines I don't know.

Mark

P.S. Same goes for bike lights - you can buy a better sort of bike light just by checking before you purchase whether it would be legal to use it in Germany.

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376625/32189/30]
Posted by Witham Bobby at 11:40, 1st July 2026
 


Sorry - no. 1 is not the Netherlands.



Luxembourg, then.  Tricked by the flag

Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376624/32188/50]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 11:38, 1st July 2026
 
I think this, and other similar incidents helps to put it into perspective

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgmdlypw97jo

Re: Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2026
In "Across the West" [376623/31163/26]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 11:27, 1st July 2026
 
..........can't blame the weather today!

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to a points failure between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed.

Disruption is expected until 13:15 01/07.

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376622/32189/30]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 11:23, 1st July 2026
 
3.  Switzerland.  It's a well known tourist attraction - the name of which I can't remember. 

Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376621/32188/50]
Posted by ChrisB at 11:04, 1st July 2026
 
No - it states

But only rented e-scooters can legally be ridden on roads, cycle paths and in parks in the UK. Privately-owned e-scooters can only be used on private land with the landowner's permission.

which is correct. They are only completely banned in public places, but can be used privately with permission anywhere that is private land.

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376620/32189/30]
Posted by stuving at 10:48, 1st July 2026
 
All the small detail in 6 looks very French, as only France can (Antibes).

Re: Andy Burnham elected to parliament, with a strong transport reputation
In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [376619/32149/40]
Posted by ChrisB at 09:58, 1st July 2026
 
He'll have problems making urgent statements in the House then.

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376618/32189/30]
Posted by grahame at 09:57, 1st July 2026
 
Two correct so far

5. Germany (Aachen) - ChrisB
8. Belgium (Leuven) - eightonedee

Sorry - no. 1 is not the Netherlands.


Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376617/32189/30]
Posted by ChrisB at 09:48, 1st July 2026
 
5. Germany

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376616/32189/30]
Posted by Witham Bobby at 09:45, 1st July 2026
 
My bid is for 1. to be Den Haag, Netherlands

Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR)
In "Across the West" [376615/28982/26]
Posted by REVUpminster at 09:18, 1st July 2026
 
Today Newquay 2 hour gap but looks like 175003 coming off training to take up the diagram. 175114, 175115, 175009, and a 150 working the HST diagrams. Paignton had a one gap and a later short form probably to fill the missing train.

Re: Class 175s to Great Western Railway (GWR)
In "Across the West" [376614/28982/26]
Posted by REVUpminster at 09:11, 1st July 2026
 
Will GBR keep the management on in December?

Why wouldn’t they?

I have sympathy for ‘the management’ as they have inherited an already unreliable fleet which needed much TLC to offer up OK levels of reliability with TfW and which was left to fester for a year or two in sidings.

A far worse decision from ‘the management’ would have been to chuck them out in service at a rate of knots, and watch them screw up the main line by failing on a daily basis.

Or another poor decision would have been to take the Class 175s over a much more reliable unit…but the 175s were all that was on offer.

And if GWR had persevered with the 769s the turbos would have come west.

And they were told not to persevere with the 769s by the DfT to cut costs.

And had they persevered, they would probably have been less reliable than the 175s!

https://www.railbusinessuk.com/traction-rolling-stock/2022/12/23/gwr-fleet-to-shrink-further-as-it-abandons-class-769-introduction/
And stopped Alliance Rail using them this year.

Re: The Red Arrows - RAF display team, popular with members on the Coffee Shop forum (merged posts)
In "The West - but NOT trains in the West" [376613/6939/31]
Posted by Mark A at 08:58, 1st July 2026
 
'Smoke' is famous now, I read.

Mark

Re: Two East Midlands Railway trains collide near Bedford, 19th June 2026
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [376612/32151/51]
Posted by ChrisB at 08:45, 1st July 2026
 
Correct - but at the same time it is valid to be ask if the RAIB is uncovering all the facts.  I have absolutely no reason/evidence to suggest they are not doing a really good and complete job, but never the less it is valid to check up on the skilled and trained specialists.  Just because someone's appointed to a role as the expert / authority does not make them perfect - as we have seen from various scandals in other fields over the years.

That's fine, if that's the scrutiny/question. BUT this isn't - as has already been noted, they are on a wild goose chase about an extra signal that would NOT have made the slightest difference IN THIS case, as it would only have been effected on that fast first train, while the second slow train would not have passed it at all.

Re: Two East Midlands Railway trains collide near Bedford, 19th June 2026
In "The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom" [376611/32151/51]
Posted by IndustryInsider at 08:32, 1st July 2026
Already liked by Mark A
 
I'm confident that in the light of the Neville Hill collision and now this, the RAIB will subject the behaviour of the class 8xx couplings to scrutiny. They're now working with a sample of two collisions, the first at ~14mph and the second, far more severe, ~50mph and in both, one of the train's carriages has derailed and been laterally displaced sufficient to foul an adjacent running line.

I’m sure many things will be put under scrutiny. 

Worth remembering that a similar speed rear end collision in the 1950s caused the second biggest rail disaster in British history:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrow_and_Wealdstone_rail_crash

Appreciating that all incidents are different, and that there were far more passengers on the trains at Harrow, it just shows how far we have come in terms of crash worthiness design.  Had similar rolling stock to that at Harrow been involved they would have telescoped and/or folded like a pack of cards.

Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376610/32188/50]
Posted by Bob_Blakey at 08:04, 1st July 2026
 
The quoted BBC article is incorrect in that it fails to state the use of e-scooters in the UK is completely banned except for the specified trial areas:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-scooter-trials-guidance-for-users#trial-areas


Re: E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376609/32188/50]
Posted by JohnM at 08:00, 1st July 2026
 
In other countries, what happens if an e-scooter hits your car? No one is injured, but does the driver have to claim on their insurance - how does it work?

In fact what happens in this country if you're hit by a legal rented e-scooter - you claim on the rental company?

Re: Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376608/32189/30]
Posted by eightonedee at 07:48, 1st July 2026
 
8 looks like Belgium

Eight countries in the last couple of weeks.
In "The Lighter Side" [376607/32189/30]
Posted by grahame at 07:35, 1st July 2026
 
Can you identify the countries (some easy, some not, all different)

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.

Re: Andy Burnham elected to parliament, with a strong transport reputation
In "Looking forward - the next 2, 5, 10 and 20 years" [376606/32149/40]
Posted by John D at 07:32, 1st July 2026
 
From the BBC:

Andy Burnham plans to work some days in Manchester as PM

Andy Burnham plans to spend some of his working week in Manchester if he becomes prime minister, the BBC has been told.

It is not clear whether he will spend a set number of days there, or whether there will be a more informal arrangement. But he plans to split his time between Downing Street and the North West, it is understood.

In his first speech since launching his Labour leadership bid, Burnham announced on Monday he would create a new "No 10 North" unit in Manchester if he replaces outgoing PM Sir Keir Starmer.

(BBC article continues)


Fair enough: Andy Burnham 'working from home' would limit his reliance on train services between Manchester and London - just for example.


I think he lives near Golborne, don't know exact part, but his local stations would be Bryn or Newton-le-Willows

Golborne gets a new station in 18 months time (currently under construction). It formerly had two stations, South on LNWR and North on Great Central (ex Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway)


Re: Cornish mainline and branch line delays - ongoing discussion
In "Shorter journeys in Plymouth and Cornwall" [376605/28556/25]
Posted by TaplowGreen at 05:26, 1st July 2026
 
...............and again (x2)

09:03 London Paddington to Newquay due 14:27

09:03 London Paddington to Newquay due 14:27 will be terminated at Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel, Par and Newquay.

This is due to a fault on this train.

14:52 Newquay to London Paddington due 20:23

14:52 Newquay to London Paddington due 20:23 will be started from Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Newquay, Par, Liskeard and Saltash.

This is due to a fault on this train.

E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban - BBC - 1.7.2026
In "Active travel: Cyclists and walkers, including how the railways deal with them" [376604/32188/50]
Posted by grahame at 05:10, 1st July 2026
Already liked by Mark A
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3g20yxvm4o

E-scooters being advertised for commuting despite UK road ban

Retailers including Amazon, Argos and Currys have been found to advertise e‑scooters for use on public roads and paths, despite this being against UK law.

An investigation from the Press Association (PA) found major brands and independent sellers were promoting their use on the roads.

But only rented e-scooters can legally be ridden on roads, cycle paths and in parks in the UK. Privately-owned e-scooters can only be used on private land with the landowner's permission.

The major outlets changed their advertising after being contacted by PA. They also pointed to guidance on their websites which said customers had to follow local laws.

Personal view - the UK ban is beyond crazy ... travelling so much in other countries, private e-scooters are the norm and the are a common way of getting around ... for everyone.

Re: Minor lines in the far north
In "Railway History and related topics" [376603/27346/55]
Posted by grahame at 05:03, 1st July 2026
 
And at the opposite end of the scale - line OPENED 1st July 1903

That's the same day that the Badminton cutoff was opened - Wikipedia link and that survives to this day and is a very expensive piece of infrastructure to keep open and run reliably.  With some disquiet, I looked at Labour's plans to provide a railway that is more reliable and costs the public purse less. Closing expensive to maintain cutoffs would meet both of those manifesto objectives.  Electrify Chippenham to Temple Meads and Parkway to Temple Meads, 20 minute frequency London to Bristol with one train onward to Swansea ... just asking.

Somewhat ironic "on this day" ....

This is a reminder email regarding the upcoming engineering work between Bristol Parkway and Swindon where we'll be undertaking track renewal work, structural repairs and some further drainage work.

Between Monday 6 July and Sunday 2 August, services from London Paddington to South Wales will use an alternative route, extending journey times by around 25 minutes.

The frequency of services between London and South Wales will be reduced to hourly due to the longer journey times diverting trains via Chippenham instead. Additional services will also be provided between London Paddington and Swindon by extending some trains between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway.

For more information please visit the GWR website.

We would appreciate any support in cascading this information locally and please do get in touch if you have any questions
.

As it cuts the only electric train route from London to South Wales ... reduces what they can run on it too.  Should have electrified the whole alternative route too ;-)


Re: London Transport Museum announces "transformation"
In "Transport for London" [376602/32186/46]
Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 23:01, 30th June 2026
 
Thank you for your post here, stuving. 

Instinctively, I had a look around on the Coffee Shop forum, as I was sure there has been some previous discussion about the excellent London Transport Museum.  Indeed, there has been. 

However, on this occasion, I resisted the temptation to do some of my 'moving and merging' of topics: if any of our readers would like to read more about the London Transport Museum here, please do a forum 'deep search'.

CfN. 

 
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