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I noticed last night that there was a Reading - Basingstoke stopping service operated by SWR? https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:34713/2025-12-02/detailed Is this an error with the data feed or are SWR now operating some stopping services between Reading and Basingstoke?

Note to Mods: if you feel this is better placed in the speculative discussion area, feel free to move it. I notice that SWR are short of diesel units again, and my understanding is that this is due to several units suffering wheel flats due to leaf fall. I see regular sarcastic comments from...

Are we any closer to actual facts (or credible rumours) regarding what’ll happen to the 458/4s post 701 replacement? I’ve seen and heard various opinions (some quite sensible, others (imo) pure wibble). I would imagine the DfT/leasing companies would prefer to find a new home for the 350/2s...

Hi all, I have a couple of questions regarding the Salisbury - Exeter route and its poor punctuality. There are regularly delays on this route, usually ranging from 5 - 15 minutes with seemingly nothing major ongoing. This led me to question whether the 1tph since the Axminster loop was...

Just watched a video of Dawlish and it reminded me of the fact that it used to be scheduled to have two down trains running, one on each line. Is there many other places with bidirectional running where a train is scheduled to run wrong line? I’m excluding major stations intentionally and...

I’m led to believe that the area currently under Havant ASCs control has moved up the list and will be the next resignalling project on Wessex’s patch and will follow on from the Portsmouth Direct project, with Havant also moving to Basingstoke. This being said I can’t find any documentation...

As many will know, there is a general rule that the letter contained within a headcode or train reporting number will indicate the route the train is taking. For trains travelling between grouping regions (Western, Southern, Anglia etc) the letter will usually indicate the destination region...

Network Rail and SWR are reporting via X there has been a significant landslip around Honiton tunnel on the Exeter - Salisbury line. https://x.com/networkrailwssx/status/1825906189047156954?s=46&t=7Exlt27nB2Ru7iZ66Iq0nQ Looking at the pictures in the X thread it looks like the line could be...

About 10 years ago FGW sent a full HST set to Fratton on two separate occasions, one from Plymouth and one from South Wales (Cardiff?) to cater for football passengers. I know the railway has changed significantly in the last 4 years, but how did these come about? Who initially paid for them...

I see that there is a random Portsmouth - Weymouth and return service running today. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:71996/2024-05-11/detailed https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:72010/2024-05-11 Is there any significance to these services? They’ve been arranged as...

Hi all, Just wondering whether anyone could expand on why other operators never adopted the manual selective door operation (MSDO) on the sprinter fleet in the same way that SWT did with their 158/159 units. Surely the benefits could have been huge?

TSSA state its members with SWR control may enter dispute regarding changes to working practices. Be interesting to hear people’s views https://www.tssa.org.uk/news-and-events/tssa-news/tssa-warns-of-industrial-dispute-looming-on-southwestern-railways

I noticed recently there is now a path in for a move from 5Q72 0910 Salisbury T&R.S.M.D to Wembley Inter City Depot. The only thing I can think of is it’s for onward move to Wolverton? Does anyone have any further news? https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:C23409/2023-06-27/detailed

SWR twitter are currently reporting all lines blocked between the two due to a land slip. There’s some pretty deep cuttings in places, and there was a land slip which caused a derailment to a XC service at Wallers Ash 3 years ago. Does anyone have further information...

First are no longer continuing with Limberline. The sale of the former “News Centre” fell through, so First jumped in and instead will build a new super depot on the site there. https://news.firstbus.co.uk/news/first-bus-purchase-new-site-to-create-new-super-bus-depot-in-portsmouth

I know many people would never admit to it that they were guilty but I’m after anecdotes and stories of crew from one TOC or depot being snobby about another. At my old TOC there was definitely this air of superiority that metro drivers were scruffy and never turned up in uniform, and that the...

I friend of mine has drawn my attention to a vacancy with GTR for OBS at Barnham. The headline wage is just shy of £28k. This seems extremely low for this role considering I thought their hourly wage was similar to SWR commercial guards? Is this correct and there has been a severe reduction in...

Is there any routes or services where a class 2 headcode provides a faster journey than a class 1 counter part? Booked timetable only, not due to service disruption and they have to pass through the same stations (although using a non platform fast line is valid). The only one I can think of is...

The 313 withdrawal thread has led me to the following question, but didn’t want to clog up the relevant thread so thought I’d ask it here. Purely from an individuals point of view (removing the competency arguments), what are the main differences in the T&Cs and in the pocket between the two...

I’m hearing SWR are short forming their 9 car diagrams tomorrow to preserve fuel as they didn’t receive a delivery due to climate change activists blocking access to a refinery, can anyone confirm or deny?