Swan hit by train rescued by rail staff


Rescuer Jorge, a rail incident officer at South Western Railway, has been described as a "wildlife whisperer"

A swan had a lucky escape thanks to rail staff who rescued the bird after it was hit by a train.

The animal caused minor delays for commuters travelling on the Wraysbury line between Windsor and London Waterloo on Thursday morning.

Staff from Network Rail Wessex and South Western Railway (SWR) were on hand to rescue the injured bird from the tracks before transporting him to a nearby animal centre.

Suffering a broken wing and a leg injury, the swan is being cared for by specialist vets at the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton.

Warning: Some readers may find the below images distressing

"The Network Rail team were amazing, as always," a statement from the Swan Sanctuary said. "He has been given pain relief and, unfortunately, has a broken wing which has now been strapped, along with an injury to his leg. He'll be under close observation over the coming days, and may require surgery once he's stable."

The sanctuary added it hosts training for staff at Network Rail and the Highways Agency so they are equipped to save animals that wander on to the roads and tracks.


The swan suffered a broken wing and a leg injury after being hit by a train

A mobile operations manager (MOM) from SWR, dubbed a "wildlife whisperer", lifted the bird from the track. In a post on social media, SWR wrote: "Today's unexpected rail drama: a rogue swan causing absolute chaos on the Wraysbury line. Enter Jorge the MOM — part incident officer, part wildlife whisperer — who successfully negotiated the bird's peaceful surrender."


Specialist vets quickly tended to the swan's injuries

British Museum?

Wondering if your leaflet, regarding the arrangements for the buses, has a scoop. Also thinking that even the walk from the station to the Guildhall isn't brilliant from the accessibility perspective, but what's a city to do...

Quote
Big trip planned with a tour company for Italy, France, Austria, Germany. Afraid to book it as to what’s going on in the world. Have never been to Europe!!

18:37 Westbury to Swindon due 19:21
20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56

20:12 Swindon to Westbury due 20:56 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train.
Last Updated:16/04/2026 17:55

Neither morning Hereford bound service made it all the way today:

1W01 0952 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Great Malvern and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)
1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford cancelled between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford due to late arrival of an inbound service (YI)

with the return runs similarly affected.

Ex-keeper Manninger dies after car hit by train


Alex Manninger made his debut for Austria in 1999

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died at the age of 48 after his car was struck by a train.

Police said the incident happened at about 08:20 local time (07:20 BST) at a level crossing near Salzburg.
...

Salzburg police said first responders used a defibrillator on Manninger, who was alone in the car, after he was freed from the vehicle, which was dragged along by the train, but could not resuscitate him.

Police also said that the train driver was unharmed.

(BBC article continues)

Train derailment prompts enhanced track monitoring


Several wheels on the train derailed in Darlington in January

A sparsely-used section of rail will be monitored more after a passenger train derailed and then self-righted.

No-one was hurt when several wheels on a charter service briefly derailed then rerailed, at the crossover at Hopetown Junction in Darlington on 31 January.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Any incident like this is taken very seriously because the safety of passengers and railway staff is always our top priority."

It said it repaired the track before services were allowed to resume, and that the crossover near to Darlington North Road station had become subject to "enhanced monitoring and inspection".

The train's crew had been initially unaware of the derailment, which happened at about 13:19 GMT.

Several passengers then reported a lurch and banging as it passed over the crossover, The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The charter from Derby to Shildon was owned by ROMIC Group and operated by Rail Adventure UK.

RAIB said the track under the train failed, resulting in the rails spreading apart and allowing several wheels to drop into the space between them.


The track underneath the train was found to have failed

The crossover carried very little traffic, RAIB said.

Network Rail records showed the last train to pass over it was a video inspection vehicle on 14 January, which recorded the track's bolts were intact.

"The derailment occurred on a relatively low speed section of track," an RAIB spokesperson said. "Although some damage was caused to track components, which required repair, no passengers or staff were injured, and there was only minor damage caused to the train involved."

'No estate agent will touch our Water Orton home due to HS2'


A total of 11 properties on Attleboro Lane have reported damage caused by HS2 construction

People living in a Warwickshire village on the path of HS2's railway line from London to Birmingham have described the "devastating" impact the project is having on their lives.

Linda Franklin and her husband Ed had planned to downsize their home in Water Orton once their three daughters had grown up but said, because of how close they live to the construction, "no estate agent will touch it".

The retired nurse, who lives on Attleboro Lane, claimed vibrations caused by heavy machinery had damaged their property: "It's destroyed our home, I'm embarrassed about home, it's falling apart."

HS2 said they engaged regularly with the local community and tried to minimise the local impact of the works. But 59-year-old Franklin said she had been "fobbed off" by the company.

The couple, who have lived at the property for 29 years, have cracks in their plaster, floor tiles, wall tiles and ceilings and have been quoted £7,000 for repairs. She said HS2 had acknowledged that it caused the damage, but only offered to pay half the cost when she submitted a claim. "I dread coming home, it's just destroying every part of it", she said.

When they have looked into selling their property, the feedback from estate agents was negative. "The minute they know where we are, they've said categorically because of HS2 they can't market it, nobody will put a mortgage on it, the only way we'll get a buyer is a cash buyer," Franklin said.

The couple are not prepared to sell their home below market value which means they are "stuck, we're just in limbo".

"On a good day it's frustrating, on a bad day it's devastating, I could cry", she said. The huge delays to the project have also added to her misery, she said, adding: "It feels like there's no end to it, there's no way out of it all."

Last year, the government confirmed the high-speed rail project would not be completed as planned by 2033.

HS2 said they acknowledged some people would experience effects as a result of construction and urged residents to continue to talk to local engagement teams.

(BBC article continues)

The Railway Gazette seem to have pulled all their Go Op articles ....

Hello! What’s the best train route to get from London to Liverpool?

Flying to Amsterdam in July. What is the best mode of transportation from the airport to a hotel across from the central train station?

How is Ireland right now? Are there issues?

Big trip planned with a tour company for Italy, France, Austria, Germany. Afraid to book it as to what’s going on in the world. Have never been to Europe!!

Just stating to think about a river type cruise in Norway. Any real life experiences out there to share?

I am very interested to see what this group can enlighten me about travel for older folks, other tips & ideas to make travel easier.

I’m hoping some of the travelers out there might be able to help me. I am  a senior doing my first solo. I may have bit off more than I can chew. l arrive at terminal two Manchester and I need to get to the train station to continue on Birmingham. I’ve tried to watch a few videos and YouTube and I’ve tried to do some research on Google but it’s very overwhelming.

Is it worth it to buy a woman’s woolx t-shirt  for 10 days in May in Ireland?  They are pricy. Does it really not smell after multiple wearings?

Do I have to have the Real ID to travel via airline within the United States or will my Passport be sufficient?

Where are the best ancient Egyptian art collections in Europe?

Open access passenger train start-up Go-op Co-operative says 'a hostile investment environment' has so far prevented it from raising the ...

Lighthouse has been the wrong colour for 160 years


Part of the red lighthouse in Watchet is set to be repainted

A lighthouse will be repainted as it has been the wrong colour for more than 160 years, a council says.

Somerset Council said the Watchet landmark's red colour meant it was not compliant with the navigation system used in UK waters, which calls for sea-facing structures on the starboard side to be green.

The council said the red paint had "the potential to cause confusion for vessels during daylight hours or restricted visibility" and near-miss incidents had been reported. It added painting the sea-facing panels of the structure green, while leaving the others red, had been agreed "as a proportionate solution that balances navigational safety with local sensitivities".

The lighthouse was built in 1862 at a cost of £75 by Hennet, Spinks and Else of Bridgwater, based on a design by James Abernathy, whose work was chosen over that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The light emitted from the building is green and can be seen as far as nine miles (14.5km) out, but Watchet's harbourmaster Captain Jessica Tyson said green paint would help the building itself be identified correctly by seafarers.

As first reported by the West Somerset Free Press, the issue was discussed at a meeting of the town's harbour advisory committee which followed a 2025 inspection of the lighthouse by Trinity House - the designated lighthouse authority in the UK.

This inspection found the lighthouse's colour did not comply with regulations set out by the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation.

Watchet's mayor, Loretta Whetlor, said the change in colour was needed to ensure the town complied with the body's rules. Whetlor, who is also chair of the harbour advisory committee, said the front panels of the lighthouse would be painted green and the back could be left red, which she thought would look "quite nice".

Somerset Council said it had a legal responsibility to ensure the safe navigation of vessels entering and leaving the harbour. No instruction to carry out the work has yet been issued yet, the council added.

With many thanks to IndustryInsider for his update post here, may I also resurrect a parallel topic, at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=31490.0 ?

I remain keen to do this, particularly now we have some rather warmer weather and more daylight.  Any takers?

CfN.

I did manage a trip to the area at the end of last month taking some images with a view of returning in a couple of years to see how it has changed.
...

The X4 bus provided an excellent means of achieving all this as it stops near to all locations I needed to visit, which also included Pill and the site of the old station at Ashton Gate .  The main hinderance of it being that I had to walk a mile or so from Temple Meads to catch it from The Centre stop, and on the way back a similar length of walk from Bower Ashton to Parson Street station.  That does though demonstrate that the two services should be able to co-exist and complement, rather than compete, with each other as there will be a clear winner depending on where you are going to.

I can certainly recommend it to forum members as an interesting way to while away a day as there's plenty of things both new and old to see.