Recent content by Tw99

I don't suppose two station stops an hour at Reading West, which is already on a slow section of track, reduces other path availability by much, even if there was actually demand for more paths.

It's pretty clear the government isn't the slightest bit interested in moving their position to help resolve the dispute before an election, given all the other stuff they've promised and haven't delivered yet. If Labour get in as expected, it's just another headache for them to deal with, so...

Youtube recently suggested a video showing Southern EMUs, in the 1990s. I was surprised by a couple of the shots, which showed a Headcode 92 EMU (BIG type ?) crossing with an HST on a slightly elevated line. Then later on, a 3 car DEMU (Hampshire type?) crossing with an HST in a different...

I've searched, but didn't find a thread about this incident, which seems surprising, so apologies in advance if I've missed it. As reported by the BBC in the link, a passenger train hit an obstruction on the track at 5:50am and the front bogie at least was derailed. The article also says that...

Using contactless from London to Reading to return in the peak period has some advantages, so having a way to touch out from contactless without going to the gateline before continuing one's journey would be very useful. Since this is helpful to passengers but less good for GWR revenue, my...

By recent days performance, that probably qualifies as a "good service"... I've got a couple of cross London journeys coming up in the next couple of weeks where I could take the train, but all these recent GWR issues are making me think I'll just drive.

Totally agree. Every time there's one of these incidents, the passengers get criticised if they decide to take matters into their own hands after being stranded for hours. If the railway wants to avoid this happening, it simply needs to reliably get people off the stranded trains within a...

Have the new contactless caps for the extended area been published, as they're also relevant to the overall discussion on price and journey timings ?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/01/train-driver-salary-67k-easy-life-how-compares/

Didn't you get any manuals with it :) ? Seriously, I hope someone can help.

Could be to do with the Thames Water access road also mentioned ?

You can't use Oyster out to Reading, it only works as far as West Drayton. Probably your best bet today is to use a contactless bank card. https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/smart-tickets/contactless-payments Depending on your age and how often you'll be travelling, it might be worth looking at...

I think it's interesting that Lynch's message to the members is quite conciliatory and mentions they are still talking and considering each sides position, rather than the anti RDG/TOC/Shareholder/DfT/Govt rants that have come out at previous disappointments.

Thanks, your view from the inside is always appreciated.

I think the money is probably getting spent anyway. For example, I've been put off from going into London for day trips this year due to the cost, restrictions on trains that can be used, and to some extent industrial action. So I've just gone somewhere else instead. So it was only the...