The locking trays look empty so I think that S&T might have recovered these increasing rare and valuable interlocking nibs, etc.

 
This year the "train chaos in the summer" competition has new rules: it's for single trains stuck with no electricity in for hours in the heat of the sun or overnight. And with the opening of the network to competition, non-SNCF trains can compete. Note that these reports are hard to tell apart, so this list might not be complete, just for the last week!

On Monday (25/5/26) two TGVs (one a Ouigo) to Marseille and Nice were caught by an OLE break during the afternoon, when the temperature on board shot up to "dangerous" in an hour. Passengers were allowed out to sit on the shady side after an hour - of course whether that's possible depends on the track orientation.  Both arrived about 8 hours late; several other trains were also delayed but not by headline-earning amounts.

A passenger on that Ouigo opened an emergency exit after an hour to get some air. She was issued with a €200 fine which SNCF, challenged about that, first supported and then "suspended" during internal inquiries.

On Thursday (28/5/26) SNCF announced a number of cancellations in advance of Intercités services. The explanation was that the aircon in these old Corail trains (scheduled for replacement next year) has a high failure rate. They are undergoing a planned spring maintenance campaign to help them through the summer, but of course this year the (very) hot weather has caught them with only part of the fleet done. It has also meant that aircon failure now has to be taken much more seriously than in the past.

Last evening (29/5/26) two Trenitalia services in the evening from Lyon to Paris were diverted off the LGV and then the OLE failed and they (841 passengers) were stuck for ... 10 hours, for a total delay of 14 hours. Support was provided by the gendarmes in situ, with no evacuation or rescue train. Not being able to call on SNCF resources might be relevant to that, of course.

I wonder whether in the future clued-up passengers will make sure the service they are booking will use a TGV-M - you know, the latest ones with batteries big enough to keep the aircon running or even limp to a station.

 
And there it was - gone. And all rather brutal, of course - but that's demolition.

This is the best picture I could get of the interlocking in situ, which suggests it was still doing something. But it was not to last much longer before it was dumped in a heap awaiting its booked Uber skip. And then it's all gone, near enough. You can see what scaffolding was put in - there's a protective cover around some cabinets that are staying. The others around the front of the box have all gone.

Someone was sweeping the concrete base of the shed, so I guess that's being kept. For what? I suppose it will make an extra patio - for ceremonial purposes? But we are not even 20 hours into the promised 48 hours of work, so what will they do with the rest of the time? Dunno - now, having sent the last tipper home unused, they are taking up the top layer of baulks - with some scrap still to shift. Oh well, we'll see ...

 
A north bound service failed in April 2026 on the Dutch HSL shortly after leaving Rotterdam on a long distance service. NS and Prorail arranged the use of a rescue train by cancelling another using the rolling stock released to effect passenger rescue by bridge from the failed unit across to the rescue vehicle. The rescue is documented by one of the superb NS Driver YT videographers who was driving the rescuing vehicle.

Remember that the Dutch running side is the opposite to the UK north of Rotterdam. The HSL being closed to traffic to effect the rescue operation, the rescuing vehicle travelling on the 'wrong side' tracks.

Video -

https://youtu.be/2oL_JqnA8aw?si=wK46ysC9txUYvIej

 
Has anyone got a list of the 2% of services cancelled, or could this figure largely be down to natural fluctuation for things like engineering works (which can decrease, and in some cases increase, the daily service plan)?  For example, that can be the only thing that led to Caledonian Sleeper's 0.3% increase surely?

I ask, because the next figure in the stats John D linked to, covers the whole year (April 2025 to March 2026), and shows a very marginal increase for GWR of 0.2% over April 2024 to March 2025?

 

Indeed, and those exposed, and soon to be scrapped levers, especially sad for this amateur signalman.

 
Yeah the 175s avoid the cooked sewage problem, but there is a stale urine smell on some units, probably linked to their storage.

 
Always something disturbing about signal box demolition photos, but thanks for these.

Images of the before times, showing the interior, here:

Mark

https://www.branchline.uk/fixture-report.php?id=1490

[Edit] ... but is that the same box? Just counting the levers...

 
From my email ...

 
The crew turned up long before the trains stopped last night and started being noisy. The demolition of the structure didn't start until this morning, so I wonder what was going on last night. Clearly they were putting down timber baulks over the tracks for the big mincing machines to clatter about on, hence the fleet of Collard's spoil tippers rather than a train. I'm sure I heard the characteristic sound of scaffolding - an impact driver coupled to a very long orchestral chime - of which there is no sign.

I didn't quite match the view from last time, since thew sun stopped me seeing the viewfinder, but it's close. The relay shed has indeed been flattened. But did no-one want the lever frame, or does NR just make it too difficult to arrange to recover it? Of course recovering the interlocking frame (assuming it has one) would be the real challenge.

 
Your first link: on the Green party leader's policy towards drug use, it can be instructive to reflect on Portugal's approach - decriminalising drugs, done right, and treating the issue as health-related, can kick the legs out from under the criminals who supply them. (Though I note that alcohol is legal and at 9.30 this morning there were a group of people in the local park rather the worse for wear from drink, and necking the stuff from wine bottles...)

The Guardian article, more wide ranging - but it's always good with any article to be wary of the headline and often the subheading, as these don't necessarily reflect the content - indeed they often do not, and content authors are often wearily resigned to the fact that they have not input to headlines/subheadings.

That aside, tropes that are intended to weaken the qualities that hold a society together, identify people as members of outgroups, and make them the targets of hate, these should be seen for what they are.

Mark

 

"Far right factions/AI slop" like the BBC and The Guardian?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20e20rzje2o

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/28/labour-green-party-muslim-voters-gorton-denton

 
Er, that's a series of tropes pushed on the likes of Facebook and 'X' users by various far-right factions, often with the aid of what is sometimes generously referred to AI slop, and very often by organisations with shadowy and opaque funding and I suggest that it has no place on this forum.

Mark

 

We used to have the Green Party, who when led by the admirable Caroline Lucas, sought to do exactly that.

Said party now under its new leadership however seems more concerned with convincing us that women can have male genitals, legalising hard drugs, opening up our borders to all and sundry and cuddling up to Islamists and as such lack the time to worry about the aversion of environmental catastrophe.

All a question of priorities I guess?

 
The European Entry System continues to provide delays - but patchy ones.  My 3 transits so far have been easy (all via Harwich - Hoek) but reports from https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xw2kjlrlxo suggest problems on some flights ...


... and there are pictures of long queues of cars at Dover

I notices in the article


Which tells me that 1 in 2300 are being turned away.

 

I am going to be - very - careful in what I write here.

1. I believe it is utterly wrong and destructive of passenger's confidence to advertise (timetable) a service and then fail to provide it in all but exceptional circumstances.  To have a failure rate over "x"% on any line or service, where "x" is a very small number indeed, indicates a failure of management and the system to plan for and provide what they are paid to provide.  Whether that management element and the decision makers are part of the public or private sector and what constraints they are under does not matter.

2. I also believe that the railways provide a service, and that withdrawal of a service that's advertised, especially one that's been established for a very long time and for which there is no adequate alternative is also utterly wrong - especially where (and we have examples from last December) where the change has been sneaked in. 

However

3. The rail network and services should not be and cannot be set in stone for decades and need to fit current needs, and at times that may result in a moderate inconvenience / reduction in service to certain places.  Not a withdrawal of the only practical way for people to lead their lives / travel though.  And I'm going to risk defining that as a train at least every hour where the service has been hourly or better.

Can a 2% service reduction be achieved?   I don't know.

Risky suggestion coming up ...

Of an evening ... have the Cardiff -> Portsmouth service call at all stations (as far as Southampton anyway) in place of the local trains along the same line.  Taking care not to add in a gap at the interface before the first slower train.   Where a train goes on to serve another line (I'm thinking of Weymouth, and Romsey via Chandler's Ford) start that other line's service at the junction - Westbury or Southampton Central - and ensure for through passengers it connects.

That is very much a personal view / a question / suggestion to address.    I see the Railfuture strapline calling for a "Bigger and better railway". I totally agree with the "better" and that may well mean "bigger" in some places / elements - bravo for Portishead, Tavistock, and the Bath and Wiltshire metro. But "better" must be the primary objective, and should "bigger" apply it's as a result of providing better and not as an objective in its own right to my mind.  I see no reason (sorry!) why Dilton Marsh, Dean and Mottisfont cannot be served of an evening by the longer distance train, which only has a few passengers on board late at night, resulting in (in that area) a better (priced)  but thinner ("smaller") service

 

 

 
Has anyone had any information regarding loadings since the new timetable was introduced? It's very early days, there have been some "teething troubles" and changes will take time to embed but I'm curious about early signs.

 
AI's view...

 

So whilst you can't polish a turd, you can store them on board the train.

 
175s use a similar effluent system to Voyagers; the waste is stored in an upright tank behind the toilet rather than slung below and some stink as bad.

 


As I was 78 mins late I only claimed for a 60-119 mins delay, 50% of a return ticket, but they've refunded the full £10.25

 

Robbing Peter to pay Paul (...........or perhaps Mark in this context)

 

What a brilliant day's adventuring, thanks for the tale of it.

Tour groups... in that situation perhaps people are going to tend to need leadership and a bit of training as to how to behave as a group - and that's before funny dynamics start to play out within the group itself.

Mark

 

Not really any great problem - but a very interesting new working ....

 
Thursday 28th May - day trip from St Poelten on the Mariazellbahn to Mariazell - not included in the pass and no discount but worthwhile.   The Mariazellbahn is a 760mm (narrow gauge) line starting from a side platform at St Polten - half an hour by train from Vienna (though we are staying in St Poelten). It starts off through relatively low lands, winding never the less around fields and over level crossings and then the scenery changes and it runs up an alpine valley past pleasant Austrian homes up to Laubenbachmuhle. From there it becomes a mountain line, curving back and forth on itself to gain height and then - high above the valley - it passes through the 2km Gosing tunnel at 892 metres above sea level. From there it sits high on the ridge, falling just a little to the terminus at Mariazell - or, rather, just over half a mile short of Mariazell.



The line was electrified very early on when steam locomotives struggled, and these days the daily services are operated by modern spacious articulated 3 carriage trains which give lie to the narrow gauge. Well - where I say "spacious" we could have done with 6 carriages not 3, as we were joined in both directions by organised tours who had booked most of the seats.  Smooth ride, though careful as you walk around with all those corners. Good visibility.  The timetable shows panorama cars on some high season services, and occasional steam trains too. But not yesterday - trains leave St Polten every hour (and more in the commuter peak), with some carrying on to the mountain section to Mariazell.  Looking at it as something of an aficionado of timetables, it's cleverly organised to cope - just - with the passenger flows offered. 

Trains run "clock face" - from St Poelten at :37 and from Mariazell at :06 (with gaps) on a single track line.  On the hour and half hour (:00 and :30) there are passing loops and the train pass each other with minimal delay. Other loops allow for the peak and high season extras to pass too.  Signalling is inconspicuous and efficient - no stopping here to exchange tokens, or sitting in the middle of nowhere to wait for a train coming the other way on awkwardly located loops.

There are many stations along the way - and many of them are request stops. Clear screens on the train tell you to press the button if you want the train to stop, and the screen registers your request with the big word STOP in red.  In the platforms of the "halts" there are button to press if you want the train to call (one button for each direction) and this means the train does not need to slow down in case someone is waiting and sticks their hand out as happens in England.





It's all the more remarkable how obvious the information is when we don't speak the local language very much, and yet we can work things out.  A high proportion of people here don't understand / speak English either and we are certainly on something of a local adventure.

There was a small step up at St Polten into the train (and a wheelchair ramp the train manager could deploy if necessary. At Mariazell for the return, incredibly, it was level access and the train has an extending flap that removes the gap between the train and platform.  I was across the yard looking at the old Salzburg museum train when our return train arrived, and Lisa boarded unassisted - it's good, but pity it's one step down at St Poelten.  And you can get caught out there looking for the lift to the concourse.



The party leader of the tour group wasn't at all pleased with me joining the return train in the same carriage as Lisa had boarded when I finished learning about the Salzburg local carriages of Victorian vintage - pointing out (incorrectly) that it was all reserved and I should choose another carriage. However, the priority seat the Lisa had transferred to was not reserved (for his group or anyone else) and I joined her, and we were joined by other local travellers getting off and on along the way.  A common language in smiles and gestures, and Lisa has a little German.  As seems to be the norm, a smile of friendship and a moving things around to make it comfortable for everyone does wonders with the locals, while the tour groups (and, yes, they were German speaking) take a holier-than-thou stance and are the least friendly of fellow travellers - that is a wider observation.  A big "thank you" though to the one gent who was passing Gluewine around on the way up and when I offered a smile and signed a thumbs up gave me a little too.  There's a psychology in the groups - extends to them thoughtlessly blocking platforms and not letting others through; I suspect being on holiday gives some of them permission to switch off their brains and I'm sure they're nice at home.  Having said which, I'm sure that a consistent - day in, day out flow of groups has helped keep the line alive, open, and with a decent service.





We loved the information screen which gave all connecting local buses on the approach to each station, advertised what was going on in the area on future days, and attractions, and in quieter times gave us the driver's view looking ahead on a webcam.  All very well done.

The station building at Mariazell is lovely - multiple platforms, run round loop, clean, flowers, and a heated waiting room which is full of ideas and thoughts for our upcoming "Information at the Station" project.  Some elements are over the top - we're probably not in need of ski storage lockers, and not going to have a display case of goods which you can order online via QR codes for - I would presume - home delivery.  Seating, a big interactive information board, other screens telling you about upcoming bus and train departures, and plenty of power points clearly positioned to help people looking to charge devices with stashing and desk space around.  And literature racks, carefully collated into separate public transport and other local attraction sections.  Open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. which coincides with the full running time of the train on the upper section of the line from the arrival of the 06:37 from St Polten to the departure of the 19:06 back.









And here I am - deep into writing - what of Mariazell itself?  The town is the best part of a mile from the station; some trains do have bus connections but rather that research those we set off along a lovely path, part of which doubled as a local road to some houses.  Lisa had trouble with a policeman along there - grounded Henry on a sleeping one, but a bit of a push from me helped clear that; nearly toppled over on the return trying to go around the end.  To keep travel light, we hadn't taken our charger with us and - seeing the route falling from the station to the town, with the town and basilica looming up ahead of us we stopped short.  A lesson for following days - I'm sure that with the charger we would have made it to a cafe in the town and been able to get back - but whilst we travel brave, we don't take foolish risks like being left marooned with flat batteries.  No problem *to us* -  I understand there are interesting relics and things to see in Mariazell, but more interesting to others.  We utterly enjoyed the walk, just a very few others on it and remote enough for another gent to step just off the path and pee in the bushes.  Meadows, cows, mountains - real "Sound of music" countryside - even the tunnel, you may note, was called Gosing or is that go-sing.










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

P.S.  Our shortened stay in Mariazell due to lack of battery had another silver lining - an earlier return to the hotel and a chance to eat the local food