From the article


An interesting argument and position.  GWR has had an almost complete monopoly on South Wales to Bristol (and London) traffic got many years, and the monopoly was made complete when the daily Cross Country service was withdrawn.   

It has been natural to defend that monopoly, and I recall a side conversation with a senior DfT person who involved who indicated there were no plans - but that's a few years back - to change that.  Not an unexpected co-incidence of the DfT with GWR when you consider the same approach taken with the Bristol - West Wiltshire - Salisbury - London Waterloo service.   In both that case, and in a the case of a Bristol to West Wales service, there was and is a demand for a service that doesn't require people to change - at Cardiff, or at Salisbury.

And - yes - it perhaps affects revenue on the core (GWR) services.   But then a monopoly can provide a service that's less than ideal for the passengers, can't it?   If I want to go from Bristol to Carmarthen I have no choice but to changes at Cardiff at present (and maybe at Swansea too).  And I can understand GWR working still with the DfT, still looking to maximise revenue on a monopolistic service without having to complete with a Welsh service which for some sectors of the market would be very welcome.

Interesting to note from https://firstgreatwestern.info/BRI.html?limit=1500&sortby=0 some ticket sales counts
Bristol to Carmarthen - 8,000
Bristol to Swansea - 42,000
Bristol to Neath - 10,000
Bristol to Llanelli - 3,400
Filton Abbey Wood to Swansea - 1,250
All are there and back figures - so 8,000 is 4,000 eastbound and 4,000 westbound

 
Someone filmed the final rescue, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftmcFzAwkqU watch from 7:58 to see the train actually moving and you don’t want to suffer large amounts of advertising.

 
From the BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c794pdy1jgjo

 
Outward run truncated due to this morning's signalling issues in the Slough area, and the return:

 

No problem.

We had two topics, on different boards, discussing the same sheme, so I have moved and merged them here, to avoid confusion.

 
This topic has been moved to Campaigns for new and improved services and merged with an existing topic there, discussing the same scheme.

https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=32014.msg375676#msg375676

 
They weren't worried at the time but are probably going to have the opportunity to reflect on that stance. Good clear photos, thanks due to whoever recorded them. Hopefully the BTP can handle photos far more fluidly than they did in *checks notes* 2011, but the  witnessed assault I'm recalling resulted in a conviction too as far as I know.

Mark

 
Video from GWR on Newquay's new train service. Striking how the appearance of Newquay's station has transformed, it looked like such a leftover before this work was done.

Mark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPjLzRE68dk

 
A group of teenagers assaulted multiple passengers during a violent attack.

Images released three weeks after the incident. I don't suppose that the alleged perpetrators cared that they were being video'd. and perhaps they aren't worried about the likely slaps on their wrists should they be located and charged.

 
Rail Advent has an article regarding the latest at Brabazon with he accessible lift now installed.  There's pictures on the link below.

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2026/06/installation-progress-made-at-new-bristol-station.html

 

Welllll ... usually but it wasn't this morning.   Quick connection at Jelenice and train manager assured me it would wait ... but it didn't. Basically kills day's plan - going somewhere else now.   Ah - the frustration of a service that only runs every 2 or 3 hours and then this happens!

 

Genuinely couldn't make it up

https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network-rail-improvements-lead-to-end-of-enforcement-action-on-poor-performance

 
Just had this in my email


For those not familiar they have produced a large range of greetings cards on a transport theme using artists' paintings and drawings.  They have been on sale in many heritage railway gift shops across the country.

 
And in a bit of comedy timing, whilst all the disruption continues, the regulator ORR has decided to issue a letter to Network Rail Western saying ORR is satisfied with their performance and improvement.

Even includes :
https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-06/2026-06-01-nr-wales-and-western-compliance.pdf

So apparently ORR thinks the interventions are good enough, even though failures are continuing.  Words fail me.

 
Disruption pushed out till midday now - last couple of weeks have been shambolic on this line - with so many people relying on the Elizabeth Line thanks to the RMT Tube strike today it makes the situation even worse.

 
I haven't travelled much overseas recently (well not at all...) but is the provision of information better when things go wrong?

My last couple of trips West Wales to South East England all had issues but it was the lack of information that frustrated me most.

 

Yet, completely Political decision. Get it right & it will still pull passengers, regardless

 

 

Real Time Trains shows the empty stock for this working, 3G14 0428 from Stoke Gifford, did not run "at the operators request"

 

Possibly the way the rolling stock financing and leasing contracts were setup, and probably originally agreed by DfT, make it complex and or expensive to change the arrangement.   I would like to think GBR / DfT will be reviewing all these arrangement once the TOC are under public ownership

 
locally the phone code for Tetbury is 01666

and is Russian country code 007?

 

The thread asks the question "why are these people travelling by train" and goes on to muse as to whether / why we might be missing such passengers [in the UK].

I have - on last year's trip and on this years' - hit capacity issues; they are not unique to the UK.  The matter of whether such travellers / metrics could more usefully travel by train in the UK is at the heart of the question - the metrics of how the systems could or should support it are a necessary corollary, and that is where provision policy and strategy come into play. 

In my view, the moving of TOCs from private contractors to public operators is something of a side issue - no matter who runs and specifies the thing - and the wider environment around it too, the result depends on providing what people want and will use, and having them know about it and feel and be comfortable using it.

 

And stop introducing NEW capacity pinch points, such as new and often shorter trains. And ignore the arguments about a new 5 car train being so much better than an HST

 
From the BBC

 
Something in a conversation that Roger Ford was having on X/Twitter earlier caught my eye.

The major saving meant to emerge from the move to GBR is supposed to be the 2% or so in fees being paid to the operators for operating their management contracts.

However, unannounced, but contained within the Railways Bill, is the fact that the rolling stock, being hired by the operators from the ROSCOs - isn't going back to the ROSCOs to be directly hired by GBR - oh no - the stock is being sub-leased by the operators to DfT/GBR.....probably charging them that 2% in admin charges to continue to do this!!

So no real savings either.....unbelievable

 
Network Rail are saying on X that today’s problems were caused by cable theft.

 

I tend to think this excuse should be just a few days per year, but seems to have become multiple times per month on a regular basis.   

Which rather suggests they are over-scheduling their stock, if cannot repair stock fast enough for number of trains in timetable

 
An update on car parking https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx21lywxpp4o

Talk is cheap?

Does that mean the allotments are safe?