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TravelWatch SouthWest (TWSW} acts as an advocate and networking group for passengers to lobby for the improvement of public transport in the South West of England We works closely with local authorities, business organisations, partnerships and other stakeholder groups.

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TravelWatch SouthWest Community Interest Company (TWSW CIC) promotes the interests of public transport users in the South West of England. Our "South West" comprises the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, and Somerset and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay and Wiltshire.

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With the dissolution of the former Rail Passengers Committee for Western England in July 2005, TWSW is the only independent representative body for all public transport users throughout the South West of England.

 
The problem is not just passport checking but the need to scan all luggage. I use Eurostar 4 or 6 times a year and the security check always takes far longer than passport control. I wonder if these checks are really necessary. The Gotthard base tunnel is longer that the Channel tunnel and checks are not considered necessary for that.

 

Not sure - there is "can't" and there is "CAN'T".

Trowbridge is a classic example - you can't turn a train arriving from the north there but yet it HAS been done when line to the south was blocked by an "incident".

 

A few years back there was a Sunday train from Westbury which was timetabled to terminate at Melksham and then return.  However in the end it was extended to Chippenham as it was reported you couldn't turn a train at Melksham as it "confused" the axle counters.   Perhaps that is no longer the case.

 
Alterations to services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham

Due to engineering works not being finished on time at Swindon all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until 10:30 23/02.

Train services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham may be delayed by up to 45 minutes or revised.
Customer Advice
As a result of engineering work not being finished on time there will be severe delays / disruption to services on this route this morning. Please accept our aplogies for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

 

Nothing on journey check about what passengers should do - purely "feature" not "benefit" which I was taught was not the way to do it in my sales training.

There is an x34 bus at 08:48 from Melksham to Chippenham (railway station if required) that goes past the top of station approach in Melksham - doesn't actually stop there normally, but it [sh/c]ould.

There is an x34 bus at 09:25 from Chippenham railway station to Melksham and Trowbridge (on Sunday, of course, it does not go to the stop near Trowbridge station, and even by the time it reaches Melksham and passes close to the station, the train will have left.

Lots of things illustrated by these goings on ...

 
Presumably him referring to Blackwell made you Crosse.   

 

Indeed - history is littered with changes that have made things work far quicker in less space.  I suspect that more people use Exmouth station (random choice) with one platform than they did with - well, how many was it before? - and with run round loops, water towers, stations staff and much more ...

Perhaps with compact scanning of international passengers, Ashford International could re-open for that, a curve (sorry - straight line) put in allowing direct running from Godstone to Reigate, and we could see international trains from Zurich and Berlin to Ashford, changing there for the London expresses (to not only St Pancras but also Charing Cross and Victoria), for Fishguard via Reading for passengers to Ireland, and to Bournemouth via Hastings, Brighton and Southampton

 

 

 

Both the EU and the UK are moving towards the electronic type visa, so instead of queuing to have your Passport stamped provided you are registered for the visa your Passport and face is scanned at the departure points and the barrier opens and on you travel.

The e-visa has to be the future

 

 

Thanks, johnneyw, but it's actually in Bickleigh.  Coincidentally, I have been there - some time ago. 

Your typo, however, caused me no undue concern - compared with the outrage I felt when Michael Portillo (with all of his researchers as a backup team) still referred to my local station as Nailsea & Blackwell, when he visited us.

Chris from Backwell (our local station is actually just within the parish of Backwell).

 
Romsey signalbox

Shillingstone Station


Gartell Light Railway (does this count as heritage?)

 
Wot no DIDCOT!

 
Thanks, ChrisB.

"Brecon Moutain" could also do with being corrected.

However, when I looked at most of the formatting in that post, such that many of those links don't work, even I decided to take a step back from that one.

Sorry, grahame.

 

Supremely easy (and it happens all the time).   Just as it's very easy to go into a supermarket and pick up a rather more expensive tin of chopped tomatoes or bottle of cola.  And the choice is not always obvious.

 
My travel plans are to fit around a fixed appointment. My point is how easy it is for someone to end up paying more that they need to due to the complex nature of the fares system.

 

Speeling mishtake - Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust - https://www.northantsironstonerailway.co.uk/

 
Thanks for posting this topic originally, Timmer. 

I've just stumbled across it again (while looking for something else, as usual!) and it reminds me that I previously found their location of that 'flooding' to be rather puzzling.

Nailsea & Backwell station is built on top of a quite high embankment, and the mainline tracks on either side are similarly raised significantly above the surrounding ground for some considerable distance. If you wanted to flood Nailsea & Backwell itself, you'd have to put most of North Somerset under water.

I therefore reckon that the flooding was actually towards Bristol, at Flax Bourton (which has previous for it, being down in a cutting) or possibly beyond Chelvey (towards Yatton).  They maybe just located the flood as being 'Nailsea & Backwell' because that was nearest station to the actual location (although Flax Bourton used to have a station).

 
There is, however, a pub called The Full Moon on Stokes Croft in Bristol. 

From Best of Bristol:

 
Although I've not been there, there is the Devon Railway Centre at Blickleigh.

 
Vale of Berkeley Railway?  Okay it's not quite doing passenger rides yet but things are moving on.

 

I was more concerned with incoming trains as HM Government has wanted to perform immigration procedures on the continent to remove the possibility of arriving passengers who are denied entry claiming asylum.

 

Add Torrington (Tarka Valley Rly - Heritage)
Add Bideford (Rly Heritage Centre)
Add Christow (Rly Centre of Excellence)