On 11 July, I attended a briefing with Nick Brown, COO of GTR, and John Halsall of Network Rail. Hopes remained pinned on a reliable performance being established after 15 July, followed by reinstating more peak services.

I also met Stuart Cheshire, GTR Passenger Services Director, who confirmed the full service of May timetable should be up and running by December. He also said that it may be possible to make timetable improvements, but the key will be establishing stability.