That’s why there’s no ability to do that at present, and tap on/off is generally only available in metropolitan areas.

On the flip side, I suppose the system could have just ‘kept quiet’ about availability on the 18:04, just to be on the safe side, if the 17:12’s (and other trains after it) have reached their quota…and not offer the good price at all?  There would be no way of knowing that it had!

 
Yesterday brought the official announcement that GWR (Great Western Railway) is to be nationalised on 13th December. There was no surprise in this - it has been expected or even anticipated around that date.  It means that the First Group will no longer be our train operator in Melksham - rather our trains will be operated by DfT Operator Limited - a public sector operating company. The "Great Western Railway" name will remain as it's a trading name that's actually been owned by the government and licensed to First.  Our operating staff and their managers will be "TUPE"d (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) across to DFTO and we will initially see little change.  It's unclear to me as to who will transfer at Director level, who will remain with First group, and whether some will chose to move on, start a new career or retire.

I have made some very good friends over the years in First Group (on the bus side too) though not always been in total agreement with their or their company's decisions.  We have understood one another and co-operated in the promotion and improvement of the offering to passengers, explaining the apparently-perverse to the public where necessary, and pointing out to First elements which it's in the common interest to update.  Of late, there has been a regrettable but natural drift for the team at a management level to tow the government line even where it's not fully considerate of the customer's needs, and a tendency for things to get lost in the treacle of bureaucracy or perhaps be put onto a back burner so they can be an early-win success story for DFTO to help show the benefits of nationalisation.

Crystal Ball time - what might we see under DFTO - or in future years "Great British Railways" - the newly integrated single public sector organisation combining tracks and passenger train operation (not, you will note, freight train operation nor ownership of the trains, which will remain largely in the private sector)?

There will be no big windfall income to the government.  Profits to First Group on operations are only a couple of percent, and indeed there's a case for saying that this has been worth paying for their local skilled directors. There may be a saving on admin - things like delay attribution and planning with each train operator having its own team looking after its interests.  Some of that will remain - there will still be a need to analyse issues, and to make payments back and forth when a freight or open access train interferes with, or is interfered by, a nationalised one, or where the nationalised operator has an accident or event that damages one of the trains owned privately by a RoSCo (Rolling Stock Company).

We expect the branding to stay; it was deliberate that the GWR name was only licensed to First, and indeed we may see more branding.  HMG wants to move to "localisation" and we may see more rather than less of a postcode lottery on rail services; it's already notable that South Wales and the Bristol area have seen lots of new stations and improvements and lines, as has Devon, but in Wiltshire and Dorset the last brand new station opened was in 1937, with Melksham a sorta-new station in 1985 having been closed in overenthusiastic zeal 19 years earlier.  Service is still far thinner than it should be.

The rail fare system has grown over the years to the extent it's considered over-complex and not fit for future purpose; the problem has been how to sort that out without creating too many losers who will complain far into the future. An element of the same can be said for certain service patterns.  In both cases, some of the problems relate to multiple operators - it's been worthwhile searching fare databases for good deals set by different companies, for example, or to travel on one train operator rather than another.  There is scope for change, but from the evidence I see "simplification" can often mean the elimination of cheaper and more practical customer options for the "operational convenience" and better overall stats as seen by the Department for Transport. 

There is scope for improvement ... but risk of dumbing down to a basic standard.  How does a nationalised railway operator justify on-train restaurant car catering for example, when the kitchen space could be used for more seats?  And there is scope - governments seem to love it - for making things more complex.  Will bicycles and dogs continue to travel for free?  Or only be allowed on certain trains?  The free reservation system sorta-works but it generates nothing to pay for its operation, and results in lots of unoccupied seats.  Stations with low passenger numbers may be at risk - there are multiple closures proposed on the Bletchley to Bedford line at present and with - in the case of Bow Brickhill - no adequate replacement that I can see.  The jury is out - a golden opportunity, but also an opportunity to reduce to a very basic provision. Not always a problem if modern technology does provide a friendly alternative.

South Western Railway was nationalised a year ago ... and on 20th May, Andrew Ardley of SWR will be talking to the West Wiltshire Rail User Group in Trowbridge.  Easily reachable at the Bethesda Church Hall - 100 yards from Trowbridge Station, and timed for people arriving from and returning to other stations including Melksham and Chippenham.  SWR still have a few services to Warminster and Westbury, though they have "rationalised" away their services at Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon leaving those stations without any through trains from London.  It will be very interesting to hear what Andrew - a good friend over may years - has to tell us, including an update on what they are doing on their core line in the south of the county.

In amongst the "don't know" elements is the passenger voice and I worry if and how that will get due weight into the future.  We have good friends at Transport Focus which, however, has lacked authority.  Marketing words suggest a positive future for them, but from what I have seen the toothlessness may still remain.  We will see; as an advocate of public transport I really hope for a mainstream strong and informed passenger voice / advocate.

No conclusions here - an explanation, a look ahead into a rather foggy crystal ball, and an encouragement to come along on 20th May.  Join me on the 18:10 train from Melksham; return on the 21:22 from Trowbridge.

 
I'm off ... my long continuous pass from last year's Black Friday sale activated for an initial journey from Schiedam Central to Vlissingen, and as I go I'll be writing - where appropriate sharing here.  In recent (err - 20!) years I have been an advocate for rail travel and in my retirement I have had the pleasure of donating more of my time to seeing how other do it, and to making suggestions for improvements / changes which (very) occasionally have resulted in small changes that have made a big difference.  And also - very happy to answer questions that share my love of travel and of sustainable public transport development in my home area.

In past years, I have posted for Interrail Users my initial views of towns along the way, and given a flavour so that others can decide whether or not they wish to stop there, and more rail-oriented stuff on the Coffee Shop.  "In about an hour" I have said in previous years, but yesterday I allowed myself three hours in Vlissingen, having arrived into the Netherlands on the ferry from Harwich and only headed for Antwerp on the first day.

Fears of long queues at passport control arriving into the EU have been overstated - or perhaps I was just lucky. Three minutes ... and transfer to the Rotterdam Metro to Schiedam.  Swiped in and out on a credit card; gone are the days of long distance / international trains from the ferry ports.  At least on the Harwich route there isn't the dreaded bus-onto-ship scenario.

I have seen Vlissingen on the map, and trains headed there before - but never been.  A wonderful breath of fresh air and a lovely town to look around.  Be aware that if you're carrying your luggage - even if light - it's a fair step from the station, and I would not want to do it in inclement weather.  An hour would not have been enough - and indeed I had allowed three.  As seems far too frequent, memories of wartimes across Europe in the past.  Of course we should and do remember; let's hope that these horrors don't return to our shores - but I will admit to sometimes despair.  Anyway - then onwards to Antwerp.

Dutch trains comfortable, reasonable fast and clean.  The Belgian train that sticks its nose into The Netherlands and is "International" is basic, all stations, and externally about the filthiest I had ever seen.  It's supposed to call at Antwerp Centraal but didn't - it took the freight bypass and dropped us all off at an overcrowded Antwerp Berchem where, it seems, almost everyone got off and transferred through the narrow subway to a train headed back into Central which is where they all really wanted to go.

 

It could be ... but with so much "intelligence" built into system algorithms these days on top of a fare system which is complex and opaque, it's very hard indeed to know - just having to guess based on the evidence provided and be aware to take a special look each time the journey is made.

Arriving in Hoek van Holland and taking the Rotterdam Metro into Schiedam Central, I noted that a sign in English that all I had to do was swipe in with a credit card/ debit card and swipe out again at the other end - no physical ticket needed.  Now I'm naturally enquiring and careful by took a quick decision that, yes, I would do that and such is becoming much more prevalent.   

But would I have swiped in at Melksham and out again at Harwich International without knowing the amount charged up front?  Hell no - I don't trust the system to give me the best (or even a decent, or appropriate) deal,  and in any case where it's "per train" how is it going to know which train you were on, or how are you to know which is today's best value train?

 

Looking at the same journey next week, on the GWR website and elsewhere, it seems to default to connecting you onto the 17:12 from Swindon and giving you the wait at Stratford instead.

That suggests very much to me that it was quota related on the day you travelled and that the quota for advance tickets on the 17:12 had been reached, but there was availability on the 18:04, which, as it meets minimum connection times, was suggested instead.

 
Again, not any particular anniversary, just a topic I stumbled across on YouTube: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8sUo2m3V40 (37 minutes).

 
I found using Omio app the easiest and most clear location for searching European transport for my recent exploration of Europe.
I then went direct to the advertised providers website to book direct. I had no issues finding any of my desired journeys on the Omio app, but found operator websites hard to navigate in the planning stage.

 
No. 

Other than that we will be able to blame the Government, rather than private shareholder's expectations, for the ongoing woeful performance. 

 
(Asking more in hope than expectation) - can anyone tell me how this, and GBR in general, will result in a better experience for customers?

 

Hopefully no-one's been for a pint!

 
That's this....

 
Even more official than BBC is Government announcement


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/great-british-railways#full-publication-update-history

 
It's official - now, on the BBC :

 

Good thought ... but not that. I suspect I know and should make a diary note to check every month as it's the second time it has happened.  Which did at least help me to know what to look for.

 

 
Indeed, this afternoon, after all staff were informed first.

That social media tip-off emanated from a staff member this morning.

 
This reminds me a bit of the bridge at Pontgolgoch, by Caersws: from the south, effective advance and repeat warnings aren't in evidence and the skew bridge span finally hoves into view as a bit of a surprise, and again, vegetation on railway land and on the bridge structure itself softened its visual impact. (Not often hit, it also had a bridge strike recently).

A fraction of the cost incurred in a bridge strike would surely pay for a lot of proactive management of vegetation at selected sites - a mown embankment on a bridge approach is in itself an effective communicator.

Mark

 

And this bit:
is marked on that page as an update made today.

 

From

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/great-british-railways

 

Whatever the failure of advance signage on A36 (trunk road so Highways Authority) than doesn't advise large vehicles.
Or Banes Council (the advance sign you saw, but at bottom of lots of info just before bend and narrow bridge so easily missed.
Or Wiltshire Council (road has boundary at that narrow bridge) where there is no advance signage.

But real problem is Network Rail, they have allowed vegetation to grow unchecked on former Cameron branch trackbed which dangles over the road obscuring the signs on the bridge itself.   Of course as they own the strip of land alongside the road they could erect warning signs on their land saying low bridge facing the road, but have chosen not to.

 
Asked about arrangements for the Manvers Street closure - the First bus chap who roves the concourse at the bus station knowledgeable on Faresaver's arrangements and the other road closure that's prompted that period of turning the buses round after the Hilton Hotel stop at the city end of Walcot Street. However, he said that First had put nothing out about this yet (and sure enough the board at one end of the bus station that carries paper based service change notices was blank).

On the good side, replacement seating throughout the bus station, including the missing stuff.

Awaiting a bus, it can be said that the advertising tombstones *within* the bus station are a bit of a disaster - apart from being generally in the way - as from some of the seats they block the view of the nearest bus bay making it difficult for seated passengers to see if their bus is ready for boarding. Photo below shows the whole of Bay 3, anticipating the departure of the good ole' Stagecoach 620 to Stroud, the view of said bus obstructed by Gregg's advertisers having chucked a chicken roll in the way.

Mark

 

Quoting the full report as it is at the moment on JourneyCheck.   Whilst we can say "wouldn't it br nice if" to some aspects, this is streets ahead of what's happened on so many prior occasions.

 

Looks like that unit is now going to work the 17:35 to Westbury.

 
Yes, this is so.

 

I'm suspecting that all these impacts are happening on the west side of this bridge. Driving that road this morning and thinking 'Bridge strike location coming up', the impression was that the associated signage isn't brilliant. No indication before the turn off the A36, then an advisory on the height restriction 3/4 mile ahead - said notice among others and in a busy part of the road immediately after the turn off the A36... and then nothing apart from a couple of 'Give way' signs before the bend in the road before the at that point invisible bridge itself, it being approached via and concealed by the left hand bend immediately before it. The signage has plenty of opportunity to hide in foliage / be inconspicuous in bright sunlight. None of which is an acceptable reason for driving into the bridge of course, even the road alignment is screaming 'Drive at a speed that allows you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear'.

Mark

 
My understanding is that this ceased many years ago. Well before COVID

 
It's not an anniversary, or anything, other than a post I happened to stumble across on YouTube. However, we have referred to the sad incident previously elsewhere, here on the Coffee Shop forum.

This is a very good coverage of that tragic incident, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byf0V1oEUpM (37 minutes).

CfN.