Welcome
With little advance notice, Great Western Railway kindly offers a seat on its planned 175th anniversary non-stop Oxford to London train on 12 June. So, it is up to London to head to Oxford for the trip: leaving Paddington, a full station evacuation announcement can be heard starting literally as the Worcester-bound Intercity Express Train pulls out of the platforms.
Hopefully that will be resolved by the time the special is due back there, in under three hours! Arriving at Oxford, another delay due to a trespasser, spotted by other invitees arriving for the GWR special train and immediately reported to Network Rail staff. With British Transport Police help, the individual is swiftly removed.
The aim of GWR’s non-stop run is to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the railway between London and Oxford, but also – with luck – to do it quicker than ever before, although if any more of the everyday operational incidents already seen that morning intervene then this may not happen.