The infamous 1915 from Paddington (police called to handle situation on 18th Sept)

[Flamingo]

Utilising the Purple Pixies and other staff to check tickets getting on to the train might be a start...

 

[fairysdad]

Rather than paper destination displays in the windows how about electronic ones to get around this problem?

What problem? The paper ones don't advertise the train as stopping at Reading on a Friday.

Assuming that that was a reference to my post, an A3 post in the window is bigger than the signs in the window, and I was more imagining it on the door rather than in the coach itself. (Which, I now realise, given what HST doors are like, is probably a non-starter...)

 

[Deerfold]

"busy"

But you could apply that to just about any early evening service out of Paddington.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Ok: "busier than usual".

 

[Class 170101]

What problem? The paper ones don't advertise the train as stopping at Reading on a Friday.

Don't show the Reading stop on the digital display until the train has exited Reading Station. However a digital display can be more easily altered than a paper one.

 

[221129]

Don't show the Reading stop on the digital display until the train has exited Reading Station. However a digital display can be more easily altered than a paper one.

What digital display? Your post there makes no sense. The 1915 is pick up only at Reading on Fridays Only. Mon-Thurs it does stop to set down and pick up.

The Paper Labels show it as a stop Mon-Thurs but NOT on Fridays.

 

[bb21]

Don't show the Reading stop on the digital display until the train has exited Reading Station. However a digital display can be more easily altered than a paper one.

What display? The train is not shown on the departure boards at Puddington as calling at Reading on Fridays.

 

[sor]

As a Reading commuter who has travelled from Paddington on a friday night, a number of trains do not stop at Reading and finding a fast service is tricky! Why the overcrowding - I suspect much of it due to those from London escaping to the Country for the weekend or those who have stayed in London all week and are returning home.

Certainly west-of-Plymouth the 1915 (1933-ish from Reading) is the last train of the evening unless you want to spend forever trundling down in the sleeper after midnight (by which time the 1915 would have got to Cornwall anyway) - and I was one of those who was up for the week and went home at weekends so getting the 1915 was pretty important for me

There's a lot of Newbury people on that train too, at least going by the (normally the same guard) who would constantly bring it up with every announcement he made about overcrowding

 

[animationmilo]

Certainly west-of-Plymouth the 1915 (1933-ish from Reading) is the last train of the evening unless you want to spend forever trundling down in the sleeper after midnight (by which time the 1915 would have got to Cornwall anyway) - and I was one of those who was up for the week and went home at weekends so getting the 1915 was pretty important for me

There's a lot of Newbury people on that train too, at least going by the (normally the same guard) who would constantly bring it up with every announcement he made about overcrowding

You mean the 19:03 London to Penzance

 

[sor]

You mean the 19:03 London to Penzance

Yes I was. I'm not sure where I got 1915 from..

(I never missed the train so at the time I must have remembered )

 

[island]

Don't show the Reading stop on the digital display until the train has exited Reading Station. However a digital display can be more easily altered than a paper one.

What digital display would that be? They don't have any on HSTs.

 

[RJ]

Out of interest, the 17:42 from Paddington to Cheltenham doesn't stop at Reading, with a first stop at Didcot. Anyone have any experience of bemused passengers who wanted to get off at Reading?

 

[Flamingo]

Out of interest, the 17:42 from Paddington to Cheltenham doesn't stop at Reading, with a first stop at Didcot. Anyone have any experience of bemused passengers who wanted to get off at Reading?

I believe it's a nice train to work, I've never heard any horror stories about it.

 

[didcotdean]

Don't have any personal experiences of that particular train, but back when I was a regular traveller the Bristolian was first stop Didcot in the evening. About twice a week I would witness someone get out of his/her seat on the approach to Reading and look bemused as we went through without stopping. If I was near these I would tell them the time of the next train back from Didcot.

 

[LexyBoy]

Out of interest, the 17:42 from Paddington to Cheltenham doesn't stop at Reading, with a first stop at Didcot. Anyone have any experience of bemused passengers who wanted to get off at Reading?

Well it's annoyed my mum who used to get it from Reading once a week before the timetable change. It does seem an odd choice to have not stopping at Reading to me - does anyone know the rationale? I'd think it would make more sense having one of the Bristol or Cardiff services skip Reading as these are busier and more frequent.

Likewise, some of the Cheltenham trains now skip Didcot, meaning two changes for anyone travelling e.g. Cheltenham to Oxford, and busier trains Didcot-Reading-London.

 

[D1009]

I imagine it's to speed up journey times to the Stroud valley now it's double track throughout, don't some rather influential people live up there?

 

[jimm]

Well it's annoyed my mum who used to get it from Reading once a week before the timetable change. It does seem an odd choice to have not stopping at Reading to me - does anyone know the rationale? I'd think it would make more sense having one of the Bristol or Cardiff services skip Reading as these are busier and more frequent.

Likewise, some of the Cheltenham trains now skip Didcot, meaning two changes for anyone travelling e.g. Cheltenham to Oxford, and busier trains Didcot-Reading-London.

The rationale is very simple, like a number of other 'odd' stops and stopping patterns for peak FGW HSTs in both directions. It is to try to spread out loadings to and from the various stations across various trains to make the best use of the capacity, so there's one in the morning on a train starting at Didcot or Oxford that calls at Maidenhead instead of Reading and the 17.50 to Worcester has a Maidenhead call in the other direction to get them home again, with these calls keeping the Maidenhead passengers off semi-fasts where the seats are needed for stations closer to London.