Macron state visit causes train changes

[MasterPhillips]

Yesterday (08/07) French President Macron had a state visit to the UK which had a ceremony in Windsor. The ceremony took place right outside Windsor and Eton Riverside station. Because of this, presumably for security reasons, the 1103 from Waterloo to Windsor (2u27) terminated at Staines and the 1153 from Windsor to Waterloo (2u32) started from Staines.

Personally I think this is wrong as whilst I understand the security reasons, if something like this is going to affect the train service then the ceremony should have been had in another location. Seems wrong to delay people, even if it was just a half hour difference.

 

[The Planner]

Yesterday (08/07) French President Macron had a state visit to the UK which had a ceremony in Windsor. The ceremony took place right outside Windsor and Eton Riverside station. Because of this, presumably for security reasons, the 1103 from Waterloo to Windsor (2u27) terminated at Staines and the 1153 from Windsor to Waterloo (2u32) started from Staines.

Personally I think this is wrong as whilst I understand the security reasons, if something like this is going to affect the train service then the ceremony should have been had in another location. Seems wrong to delay people, even if it was just a half hour difference.

It was two trains, politics and optics will always trump a couple of off peak services.

 

[CarltonA]

It hardly spread chaos throughout the timetable. There is a back entrance to the castle near Riverside station so allows a quick exit for the VIPs in case any bother occurs.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Nothing compared to the carnage David Cameron’s private HST special caused to an evening peak at Cardiff Central about 15 years ago. I seem to recall it was sat on platform 1 for about 20 mins in the high peak hour with security everywhere and the booked service severely disrupted; presumably it was being run as a top-priority special without there actually being a viable timetable slot.

 

[stadler]

Yesterday (08/07) French President Macron had a state visit to the UK which had a ceremony in Windsor. The ceremony took place right outside Windsor and Eton Riverside station. Because of this, presumably for security reasons, the 1103 from Waterloo to Windsor (2u27) terminated at Staines and the 1153 from Windsor to Waterloo (2u32) started from Staines.

Personally I think this is wrong as whilst I understand the security reasons, if something like this is going to affect the train service then the ceremony should have been had in another location. Seems wrong to delay people, even if it was just a half hour difference.

Macron should be made to pay all of the delay repay claims out of his own pocket. Not from any French taxpayer money but from his own personal money. How utterly ridiculous that they decided to do a ceremony there. Could it not have been done somewhere inside the massive Windsor Castle grounds where it would not have caused any disruption.

 

[AlterEgo]

Macron should be made to pay all of the delay repay claims out of his own pocket.

Why would our guest have to do that?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jul 2025 ==

Macron should be made to pay all of the delay repay claims out of his own pocket. Not from any French taxpayer money but from his own personal money. How utterly ridiculous that they decided to do a ceremony there. Could it not have been done somewhere inside the massive Windsor Castle grounds where it would not have caused any disruption.

It was done inside Windsor Castle.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Jul 2025 ==

It hardly spread chaos throughout the timetable. There is a back entrance to the castle near Riverside station so allows a quick exit for the VIPs in case any bother occurs.

Is correct.

 

[The Planner]

Macron should be made to pay all of the delay repay claims out of his own pocket. Not from any French taxpayer money but from his own personal money. How utterly ridiculous that they decided to do a ceremony there. Could it not have been done somewhere inside the massive Windsor Castle grounds where it would not have caused any disruption.

Probably about twenty quid then.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Wait tili you hear about how much it costs local councils to host a royal visit which could be sprung upon them at any moment

 

[Jan Mayen]

Wasn't the St Erth to St Ives line bustituted for a week due to security concerns surrounding a G7/8/9 summit in the days when Boris Johnson was PM?

 

[The exile]

Wasn't the St Erth to St Ives line bustituted for a week due to security concerns surrounding a G7/8/9 summit in the days when Boris Johnson was PM?

I suspect that all Gx summits get the same treatment - regardless of who’s PM. I’m almost certainly the same thing happened when it was on the German Baltic Coast.

 

[Jan Mayen]

I suspect that all Gx summits get the same treatment - regardless of who’s PM. I’m almost certainly the same thing happened when it was on the German Baltic Coast.

Indeed. I wasn't having a go at Boris, more that they chose a location which required a full closure of a railway line.

 

[Bishopstone]

The last time a steam charter train visited Seaford, in 2014, occupation of the single line from Newhaven required cancellation of one of the half-hourly branch passenger trains, no doubt inconveniencing a couple of dozen people. Never again??

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Wasn't the St Erth to St Ives line bustituted for a week due to security concerns surrounding a G7/8/9 summit in the days when Boris Johnson was PM?

Yes, although to be fair the G8 venue was directly beneath Carbis Bay viaduct!