Go-op Plans New Services From Summer 2020
The title of this article is the same as that of this article on Modern Railways.
This is the first sentence.
Community-owned rail operator Go-op Co-operative Ltd is seeking views on proposed new open access rail services in Somerset and Wiltshire. Services, which it hopes could start in summer 2020, would be operated by two refurbished Class 769 units working ‘a complex series of trips between Oxfordshire and Somerset’
I wrote about this before in An Ambitious Proposal For A New Train Service?
In the intervening three years, their plans have developed with more detail and a change to Class 769 trains.
I suggested the latter trains in my original post about Go-op, would be an idea.
Given the proposed route structure, they would be able to run at 100 mph on the electrified sections.
Who’d Want To Live In Peterborough, Colchester, Milton Keynes Or Swindon?
This BBC article describes best and worst places to get around without a car. The four places in the heading are the four worst places.
I do know that as regards getting to the football ground, Colchester and Milton Keynes are pretty difficult, although Peterborough and Milton Keynes aren’t too bad.
This is the top ten worst and my thoughts.
Peterborough – I’ve been to the city several times by train and just walk into the town centre to see the magnificent cathedral or have a meal with a friend. I have never seen a bus there at all or any signs to a central bus station. But there are lots of taxis.
Colchester – It’s years since I’ve been there and it has a station, that is away from the town centre, the hospital and football ground, the only places I would ever be likely to go. As I don’t drive or take unnecessary taxis, I doubt, I’ll ever go to the town again.
Milton Keynes – I have no fond memories of the capital of roundabouts, but I was mugged there by the street furniture. I shall not be sad, if I never go to the town again.
Swindon – When I went to Swindon, the road in front of the station was being dig up, but I don’t have any fond memories of my walk to the football ground.
Wigan – I suppose it’s got a public transport system, that suits the character of the town. It hasn’t even signposted a decent walking route from the rail station to the football ground.
Bradford – I remember Bradford, as one of the worst places I went to, when I visited all 92 football grounds.
Derby – I go to Derby regularly to see Ipswich play at Pride Park, which is close to the station. There is nothing at the station, that might draw me into the city to perhaps have a meal. Is Derby’s passenger-unfriendly public transport system summed up, by the fact that there are no late trains back to London, after an evening football match? It treats those without cars and especially visitors as losers, who should be ignored.
Dudley – No comment. But I don’t think I’d ever want to go!
Northampton – A strong contender for the capital of roundabouts, where I would definitely think twice about going.
Gateshead – See Dudley
If I look at the best places, London is top, with Manchester second and Liverpool third. My big argument with most of them in the top ten except London, is that the information and maps aren’t good enough for someone, who doesn’t know the city well.
One big difference between the top and bottom tens, is that Derby is amongst the worst and Nottingham is in with the best. Surely, as the cities are so close together, the comparison between them should be examined in detail.
The full details of the Better Transport 2014 Car Dependency Scorecard, should be read by everyone.
They Do Things Big In Swindon
I’ve only ever been to Swindon once and thought it was rather a quiet inoffensive town. But last night someone or perhaps more, slashed the tyres on 150 cars in the town. The incidents are reported here on the BBC.
In some ways it just reinforces my view, that cars are an unnecessary evil, especially, when you have lots of buses and friendly taxi-drivers.
A Pit-Stop at Micheldever
In Victorian times, rail journeys were often done in stages, as there was a need to change engines. For instance, the Great Western used to change engines at Swindon and everybody, including the King and Queen got off for refreshments in the station. Here’s a piece from the entry in Wikipedia for Swindon Station.
Swindon railway station opened in 1842 with construction of the Great Western Railway’s engineering works continuing. Until 1895 every train stopped here for at least 10 minutes to change locomotives. Swindon station hosted the first recorded railway refreshment rooms, divided according to class. Swindonians for a time were eminently proud that even the current King and Queen of the time had partaken of refreshments there.
I think I read in something like Rolt’s excellent biography of Brunel, that the tea was produced in an enormous urn and was virtually undrinkable. I also think that there was a contract which said that trains must all stop at Swindon.
On Saturday, I was intending to break my journey to the football at Portsmouth at a station called Micheldever, where I was going to have lunch with a friend and his family. After lunch, I intended to use the same ticket travel to Fratton.
It all worked well! The inpector on the leg to Micheldever from Waterloo, just looked at my ticket and made no mark on it. When I returned, there was no problems either, as I got on the train to complete the journey. I do worry that with these new barrier systems coming in, that this pit-stop ability may be lost. I did once a couple of years ago, want to break a journey at Reading and it took me a lot of persuation to achieve it. I also have the problem at Cambridge, when I want to use the Marks and Spencer’s in the station to get my supper, when I’m perhaps changing for Dullingham.
On Saturday, it certainly made for a better trip, as an exquisite Chinese meal home-cooked by my friend’s wife, was very much preferable to the food available in the region of Fratton Park. This was the first Chinese food, I’ve eaten since I had the stroke in Hong Kong.
I wonder how many people actually know of this split journey rule, which greatly improved my journey to Portsmouth. After all, many stations, Micheldever included, are very close to good pubs or restaurants, so are ideally placed to break a journey. For instance on the 25th of September, I’m going to see Ipswich play Scunthorpe and then I’m going on to York. Would it be easier to book an off-peak single to York from say Dullingham and break the trip at Doncaster, from where I’d get the train to Scunthorpe?
The Anonymous Widower 