https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/london-bus-route-cuts-tfl-30-205-euston-paddington-marble-arch-b1229839.html

More to follow on this ... but I am in conference today

Ouch

Landslip closes Dartmoor railway line in Devon



Railway services in part of Devon have been cancelled after a landslip forced a train line's closure.

National Rail said the incident had been reported between Crediton and Okehampton on the Dartmoor Line at about 01:40 BST.

It said Great Western Railway train services running between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton had been suspended.

A Network Rail spokesperson said engineers had made it to the site for repair work after earlier difficulties in reaching it and disruption was expected to continue until 14:00.

National Rail said rail replacement services, external had been arranged to help passengers affected by the closure.

Passengers could also use their train tickets on Stagecoach bus routes 5A and 6A between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton.

Trains on the Tarka Line, between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple, would still stop at Crediton, National Rail added.

Final Grenfell anniversary before tower comes down



Bereaved families, survivors and local residents will come together in west London this weekend to remember the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Met Police investigation into what led to the "avoidable" tragedy in 2017 which claimed the lives of 72 people – 18 of whom were children - is still ongoing.

In a few months' time, work will begin to take down the 23-storey building, so this year's eighth anniversary will be especially poignant.

Many families and survivors believe the tower should stay until there are criminal prosecutions while some local residents say they find it difficult to see every day.

Significant progress in excavating 8.4-mile-long HS2 tunnel under London - June 2025



Further significant progress in excavating the 8.4-mile-long Northolt Tunnel for HS2 was made when the third of four tunnel boring machines completed its work in the tunnel last Friday, 6th June.

Emily made the breakthrough after completing a 3.4-mile drive at Green Park Way in Greenford, west London, and the fourth TBM, Anne, is due to finish its boring this summer.

The second bore was completed by TBM Caroline in April this year.

Emily was named after Emily Sophia Taylor, who helped establish the Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1937 before becoming Ealing’s first female mayor in 1938.

It was launched in February 2024 and worked on one bore of the eastern section of the tunnel, from where it removed 775,000 tonnes of London Clay and installed 17,514 tunnel segments.

Four TBMs are being used to construct the Northolt Tunnel, with two TBMs building the eastern section from Victoria Road in North Acton and two TBMs building the western section from West Ruislip. Each TBM will finish its task at Green Park Way, from where it will be lifted out from its underground shaft.

Because of high water pressure in the ground at the Green Park Way site, the TBMs are finishing their drives in a reception can in the shaft, which allows pressure to be maintained while sealant is applied from the tunnel lining to prevent water ingress.

Emily was designed specifically for the soft London Clay of the tunnel. Built by Herrenknecht in Germany, it weighs 1,700 tonnes and has a 9.11m diameter cutterhead.

Three teams of 48 employed by HS2’s London Tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG JV, worked around the clock to bore the tunnel, with Emily advancing at around 38 metres per day at peak production.

Excavated clay was removed from the tunnel on a conveyor system to the London Logistics Hub at Willesden Euro Terminal, then transported by rail and reused at sites in Cambridgeshire, Kent and Warwickshire.

The excavated tunnel shaft was lined with concrete segments, each weighing up to 7 tonnes, and made at Hartlepool in County Durham by STRABAG.

I am struck by watching "Fare Dodgers" that the BTP are often not around when needed to deal with regular/aggressive fare dodgers, tailgaters etc and as they don't have the power to detain them the RP/gateline staff have little option but to let them go despite frequently calling for their assistance.

Perhaps a more visible/rapid reaction presence to make arrests would be more of a deterrent?

Otherwise it tends to be the more compliant customers who have often made honest mistakes that tend to get punished.

Alterations to services between Weymouth and Westbury
Due to a shortage of train crew between Weymouth and Westbury:
Train services running to and from these stations may be revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00 14/06.
Customer Advice
Owing to a shortage of train crew we are unable to operate the full advertised timetable of train services between Weymouth and Westbury this morning.

A limited combination of coaches and MPV's will operate over this section of line but kindly note owing to the local road layout the larger vehicles are unable to serve many of the stations which will be served by the MPV's instead. Any customers at Weymouth who had intended to travel to Westbury or beyond on the 09:30 and 11:30 departures may use their tickets to travel on South Western Railway services to Southampton Central and change there for GWR services to Westbury and Bristol.

Split tickets cause all sorts of challenges. They may offer the traveller a cheaper journey, but they cause all sorts of challenges to the operators. I have heard stories of folk purchasing split tickets for their journey; showing the relevant part when asked to show their ticket; and then applying for a refund for the tickets not checked - and openly boasting about it! That is certainly a form of fare evasion.

08:44 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08

08:44 Swindon to Weymouth due 11:08 will be diverted from Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will call additionally at Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole and Upwey.
This is due to the train making extra stops because of service disruption.

.....Graham Sutherland, chief executive of FirstGroup, which runs express trains on the West Coast and Great Western main lines, said on-train ticket checks remained vital to prevent “revenue leakage”. .....

09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester due 12:56

09:30 Weymouth to Gloucester due 12:56 will be started from Westbury.

It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton and Frome.

This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Further Information
We're sorry for the disruption to your journey.

A coach operated by South Dorset Coaches has been arranged leaving Weymouth at 09:30 calling at Dorchester West (09:48), Yeovil Pen Mill (10:26), Castle Cary (10:49), Frome (11:21) and Westbury (11:36 arrival).
For other stations, there is a taxi operated by Bath Taxis leaving Weymouth at 09:30 calling at Upwey (09:40), Dorchester West (09:51), Maiden Newton (10:08), Chetnole (10:20), Yetminster (10:27), Thornford (10:30), Yeovil Pen Mill (10:38), Castle Cary (11:01), Bruton (11:13), Frome (11:37) and Westbury (11:52 arrival).

* Remove loopholes in the system that make it easier to avoid paying the right fare in the first place

How much is the cost of 100 staff per week being assaulted and having time off work as opposed to the amount of fares being lost.

An East Sussex tunnel which was last used by passenger trains 60 years ago will be reopened to pedestrians for one weekend.

Volunteers have spent thousands of hours restoring the 256 yard (242m) Heathfield Tunnel to open to the public on 13, 14 and 15 June from 10:00 to 17:00 BST.

The tunnel was once part of the now disused Cuckoo Line, running from Polegate to Eridge via Heathfield, which was fully opened in 1880 and closed to passengers in 1965.

The reopening is part of Spa Valley Railway's Cuckoo Line gala, marking 60 years since the rail line was shut to passenger trains following a recommendation by the British Railways Board.

The last passenger train to run through the Heathfield Tunnel on 12 June 1965 was a BR Standard 4MT 80144.

The tunnel remained open to freight trains until 1968 and was closed to pedestrians in 2015.

The train line's name came from a tradition at the Heathfield Fair where the "first cuckoo of Spring would be released", says Spa Valley Railway.

In the 1990s, the Polegate to Heathfield portion on the track was turned into the 10.4-mile Cuckoo Trail, jointly owned by Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council.

Six steam and diesel locomotives once used on the Cuckoo Line will run from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge via Groombridge as part of the celebrations.

A spokesperson for Spa Valley Railway said: "This is as close as we're probably going to get to recreating the Cuckoo Line."

Jeremy Clarkson names the 'coolest' thing in London - and it's inside a train station

The Clarkson's Farm star reckons this is better than Tower Bridge

Jeremy Clarkson has named the best thing in London - and it's great news for all the train buffs out there. The presenter-turned-farmer revealed he has a soft spot for the glazed roof of Paddington station due to the intricate work of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Speaking in a video posted to partner Lisa Hogan's Instagram, the 65-year-old believes the Victorian-era station should be considered amongst the capital's greatest attractions. He said: "While people come to see Natural History Museum, Tower of London or Tower Bridge, the roof of Paddington station is THE coolest thing in London, the most beautiful thing in London." The Clarkson's Farm host went on to explain the beams above the tracks were supposedly designed with holes so scaffolding could be passed through them, allowing workers to easily clean the glass. However, if you look closely you'll spot the gaps on the support girders also depict the sun, moon and stars.



Opened in 1854, Paddington Station as we know it now was the jewel in Brunel's construction of the Great Western Railway, acting as a grand terminus for his greatest feat. However, he was first forced to create a temporary station amid soaring costs building the mainline. This utilised the arches of Bishop's Bridge Road and was used by passengers for nearly two decades. Unable to let his vision go, Brunel convinced railway bosses to build a bigger station to keep up with increased demand. He was deeply inspired by the Crystal Palace, built in 1851 for the Great Exhibition. Similarities between the two buildings can be seen to the current day in his use of wrought iron and glass panes.

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Oxford businesses to receive goodwill payments for Botley Road disruption

Network Rail will write to the affected local businesses that qualify to receive a share of up to £850,000 this week.

- government confirms up to £850,000 in payments to Oxfordshire businesses impacted by Network Rail disruption
- some small, local businesses most impacted by delayed works may be eligible to receive one-off, goodwill payments to acknowledge disruption caused
- Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, visits site to see progress on the Botley Road works – on track to be fully completed next summer

Some small businesses in Oxford most affected by works at Botley Road station may be eligible to receive goodwill payments, following the government today (13 June 2025) confirming up to £850,000 of Network Rail funding to acknowledge the local disruption.   The funding was confirmed today as the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, visited the site to see Network Rail’s progress on the major improvements to the city’s railway station and Botley Road as part of the Oxford Station Enhancements Project. 

The one-off goodwill payments are being offered in recognition of the disruption resulting from delays to the scheme, which businesses can apply to Network Rail for.

Network Rail will write to the affected businesses this week who qualify for this financial support and a process is being developed to take discussions further.

However, following a reset of the project in January, progress has been made and Network Rail are on track to deliver the new cycle and walkway in August 2025 and will fully reopen Botley Road in August 2026.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said:

I’m pleased that Network Rail can now offer payments to those eligible small, local businesses affected and while it can’t undo all the hardship businesses have faced, it recognises the trouble the delays have caused.

I’m glad the project is now on track. I will continue to hold Network Rail to account and engage with the local community. 

I look forward to the scheme being completed, so Oxford can benefit from more frequent and accessible transport links to boost growth in this bustling city.

Following delays owing to the discovery of a large Victorian arch under Botley Road and difficulties moving water pipes, Network Rail launched a new plan to keep the project moving forward early this year. 

Since the reset, the project has hit key milestones, including the early completion of a new clean water pipe by Thames Water. The next big step is to divert the sewer system, which is on track to finish later this year.

Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western Route Director, said:

We know the delays to this project have been frustrating, and we’re sorry for the disruption they’ve caused. The good news is that the project is now firmly back on track, and we’re making strong progress. We’re committed to keeping the community informed as we deliver a safer, more accessible Oxford station for everyone.

Network Rail has been keeping the community informed through monthly public events and business workshops, offering updates and support. New banners, posters and digital screens have also been put up around the station and Botley Road to keep everyone updated and remind people that local businesses are open as usual. The free Botley Flyer bus service now runs 7 days a week, helping people get to the city centre and extra security measures have been put in place to keep pedestrians safe.

Additional support includes new disabled drop-off bays, an audio guide map for easier navigation and improved lighting and CCTV around the station.

Network Rail will set out the process for applying in the coming weeks.[/quoe]

£850,000 to be given out to Oxford businesses due to Botley Road disruption



Businesses in Oxford may be able to receive goodwill payments in recognition of the disruption caused by the Botley Road scheme.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, visited the site today to confirm the funding and to see progress on the improvements taking place.

Network Rail will write to affected businesses this week with more details.

A new cycle and walkway will open in August 2025 following progress being made and Botley Road will fully open in August 2026.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “I’m pleased that Network Rail can now offer payments to those eligible small, local businesses affected, and while it can’t undo all the hardship businesses have faced, it recognises the trouble the delays have caused."

Depends on how much you want to flog a dead horse I suppose.

What seems extraordinary to me is that there was one survivor, whose injuries are not in any way life threatening.

Is this pure luck? Was his seating position, next to the emergency exit, likely to be the prime reason for his survival?