Congestion causing problems in Salisbury area


https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/live-network-updates

 

Me too, but they don't enlarge, I would guess that is the point being made

 

Fascinating insight Dave, thank you.   This was my third visit - on my first I did the main tourist thing to The Brocken from Wernigerode - no stop overnight in the town, rather part of a day as I passed through.  My second I passed though from Quedlinburg to Nordhausen, taking a railbus to Alexisbad, a steam train to Eisfelder Talmühle and another railbus to Nordhausen.  And on the third trip - this one - I "almost completed" the network by taking the train from Wernigerode to Eisfelder Talmühle, and on the following day revisited The Brocken with Lisa.   We also had a chance to look around the town centre and found much, much more there than a mere interchange.

The """Restaurant 1835"/Hotel Altora dining room, Wernigerode.  Drinks and desserts delivered by train!"" was chosen as a must-do-once experience and we are glad we did it, but like Stonehenge it's a one off bucket list thing and not something we would repeat.  The room was lovely, although a couple of aspects suggested that the architect who put it together hadn't actually stayed there.  The staff, sadly, confirmed a previous Trip Advisor reviewer's feedback that priority was given to German guests and British visitors were offered only a lower and slower standard of table and service.

From Eisfelder Talmühle ... parallel trains departed towards Alexisbad and Wernigerode at 13:47, but the Alexisbad service this year is a railbus ... which drew up and waited so that it could leave in parallel. The line onward from there  towards Nordhausen is rail replacement buses as present as far as Ifield, where you transfer to the tram that shares the same line.

Probably easier on a map ... taken from the table in the trains



The section from Drei Annen Hohne to Eisfelder Talmühle is very much the lesser for me to suggest to others - yes, the forests are gone and at this time of year it's a sea of purple willow herbs and skeletons of trees

 

All the reports I have seen state that there will not be an Antwerp stop in the opposite direction and changing trains at Brussels, to complete immigration checks, will be required.

 
I've noticed since the heatwave tour trains to Kingswear haven't picked up a steam locomotive at Taunton.

Is this because of the fire risk to the trackside. There was a fire near Goodrington on Saturday.

Oddly enough I remember years ago London Underground had a tour train with a preserved LT tank engine and it set fire to a lot of hedges between Upminster and Barking.

Whoops! I've just read the thread below and didn't realise Network Rail has banned them from the mainline. Never been a steam engine or diesel buff.

 
1st August is now the fancied date for Okehampton Interchange to open.

 
'Time Out' article.

"Two beautiful towns could get direct trains to London
Campaigners in Wiltshire want to reinstate direct trains from London to Trowbridge and Bradford-on-Avon"

Mark

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/beautiful-wiltshire-towns-direct-trains-london-072626

 

I have indeed Grahame,  many times over the years.

My first visit was July 1991 when the Harz system, including freight, was still run by DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn) as part of the local public transport network.
The Brocken had not yet re-opened following re-unification and there was still a Russian outpost at the summit.
Steam still reigned supreme and regular parallel departures from Eisfelder Talmühle and Alexisbad were a sight to behold and clearly a source of pride amongst the loco crews!
Gernerode to Quendlingburg was still standard gauge and had a passenger service.  The connection with the Nordhausen tram network probably hadn't even reached the drawing board stage
A major part of the Harz network ran in "green tunnels" through dense coniferous forest well before the beetle struck leading to the present almost post-apocalyptic landscape - but much better distant views!

Dave

 

I am old enough to remember when pigeons were viewed as so cute there was a kids' TV programme about them…

 
Oddly the Paignton masterplan of 2015 envisaged an open crossing with no cars, only pedestrians. The trains would be going as in this case slow enough to stop. A Voyager is shown in the image. The tall statement building is on the site of Poundland and SportsDirect.

Paignton Town Square 2015 adopted masterplan by Robert, on Flickr

 
Not until tomorrow morning if they want to see tonight's acts. Campsite must be vacated by midday.

 

Stop being added to London - Amsterdam trains.

Not sure they'll stop on the return though? (Are they going to add a full border post there?)

 
A year ago, it ought to be said. Not recent.

 
This time, man's best friend causing the train to paws...



I'll leave others to comment on the merits, or otherwise, of trespassing instead of waiting for railway staff, and crawling under a train...

 
Same happened with those pair of services last week, only it was crew shortage then. 

 
Replacement unit came from Reading to pick up service with the 11:02 to Marlow.  The Henley service resumed with the 10:45 from Twyford.

 

Was only one round trip donkey cancelled listed as problems with the doors

 

The Siemens e320 / class 374 have 902 seats compared to the old e300 / class 373 which had 758.  Also part of the restriction on the number of services is the capacity of the Chunnel also SE-trains operate more services on HS1 than in 2007

 

Lance Corporal Jones would probably have bought a few from you too!

 

Another good reason why not ...


Which leaves a gap of about 4 hours each way ... and I think festival go-ers will be headed home?

 

Business balance, perhaps ... fill all the trains you are running, retire some of the older ones, and sell as a product where the demand outstrips the supply and you can charge a premium price?   Just asking ...

 

 

Eurostar might be filling their trains, but they are running lot less than in the past.

Eg the summer 2000 timetable had 10 weekday departures for Brussels, and no less than 24 to Paris on Fridays.
5 only operated Fridays : 10:53, 13:37, 15:53, 1648, 1923
3 operated Mon & Fri : 07:53, 09:53, 12:23
Tue-Thur was just 16 trains to Paris

17 of the 34 services called at Ashford, and 4 called at Calais-Frethun

https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/comments/g064jl/eurostar_southbound_timetable_from_summer_2000/

The current offering based on next Friday (31st July) is a mere 17 trains, a lot less than the 24 trains that operated 26 summers ago

 
How times have changed.

I am old enough to remember when the Min of Ag (then MAFF, now DEFRA) used to pay you for shooting pigeons. I believe the rate was 6d (=2 1/5 p).

 

Agreed - from a business viewpoint, if you can fill all of your trains alll the way in England, why offer an intermediate station with the empty seats it leaves for part of the journey, for the delay to other passengers, for the hassle of having a second set of border controls, and for those extra minutes on the train time that will impinge on reliability at best and may cause you to have to put another train in the cycle due to longer running and shortened turn around time.   Of course, if someone else wanted run an Ashford to somewhere-on-the continent shuttle and connect with trains in many directions from Ashford ...

 
Not a good morning in the Thames Valley.   The unit on the Marlow branch has also broken down.  Both have gone back to Reading.

 
4 Halle (Saale) Hbf

 
Cancellations to services between Twyford and Henley-On-Thames

Due to a fault on this train between Twyford and Henley-On-Thames all lines are closed.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/07.

 

Please, no more "praying", we've been asked to stick to the subject and avoid religion! 

.........that said, if anyone finds themselves near John Lewis in Oxford St around 0630 on Mondays/Wednesdays and in need of amusement, you may just spot me desperately sidestepping, waving my hand around and running (well, trotting)  trying to avoid being crapped on by our feathered friends who congregate in enormous numbers at that time of day and target me whilst I nip through to Cavendish Square!

 

This good news, it is the result of the complete merger of Thalys and Eurostar into the single Eurostar branding.

I use used Eurostar London - Paris 2 weeks ago, I will say the boarder passport check at St Pancras was the simplest I have seen since we exited the EU.  The French border passport check was via an E-gate and no passport stamp.  The return at Gare de Nord did involve a French boarder Police physical check of my passport the UK entry via E-gate.

I cannot see Eurostar returning to stops at Ashford and Ebbsfleet any time soon as most trains are fully booked London - Paris / Brussels and form recollection of the times I stood on the domestic platforms at Ashford when Eurostar arrived only a handful of passengers  were waiting to embark on trains to  Paris / Brussels likewise disembarking