A step in the right direction ... and of potential general use.   What about SWR?   

That has been "nagging" at me.  I suspect it's beccause our "like" function may communicate with the server(s) using http rather than https protocols and security settings in your browser are too tight to let that through / or you have some anti-tracking software running that thinks your "like" is a tracking mechanism.  It's probably not a sensible use of what could be a lot of time to replicate, fix and test when the "like" mechanism as a whole needs sorting - sorry!

An update, from the BBC:

**snip**
Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.

GWR is joining the scheme where a passenger whose train is cancelled can use any train up to 2 hours before or 2 hours after with original ticket even if it alternative train is with another operator (or by any reasonable alternative route)  No need to buy replacement or extra ticket.

Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Cross Country also joining.

East Midlands will remain outside common scheme for now (don't think it applies to TfW, Scotrail, Merseyside either)

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/your-cancellations-covered-new-scheme-to-help-stranded-rail-passengers-arrives-this-weekend

Trains just starting to move on the relief lines through Twyford now.

1A02 (presumably the unfortunate train involved in the incident) is blocking the up main just past Twyford station.

After years of uncertainty, permission has now been given to build a new busway between Cambourne and Cambridge.

Known locally as the C2C, it has been in the planning for more than a decade and has been the subject of a lot of opposition.

Opponents said the route over greenbelt land and through an orchard was the wrong route to choose. Supporters say it will provide a direct route to Cambridge for thousands of new homes being built in the area.

Cambridgeshire already has a guided busway between St Ives and Cambridge. A shorter one also links the main Cambridge rail station and the biomedical campus.

The existing busway is constructed of concrete guideways which require special buses with side guide wheels. This means bus companies have to invest in the specialist vehicles and train their drivers to use them.

However, the Cambourne to Cambridge route will use different technology. It will look like a normal road but will use lane markings and sensors on buses to guide the vehicle. It will work much in the same way as the lane sensors in modern cars.

Private cars are prevented from accessing the existing busway with car traps, which prevent vehicles from travelling onto the guideway.

Details of how cars will be prevented from accessing the C2C busway will be decided during the detailed design stage. Whilst car traps remain an option, so do gates and ANPR cameras.

On Wednesday evening (14.9.2026), Peter West, OBE, will be speaking to the West Wiltshire Rail User Group in Trowbridge (at the Bethesda Church Hall). All welcome.

It’s seems this mornings incident has caused data feeds to stop. Looking across various sites (this one, RTT, GWR, National Rail) you get a very different picture painted of actual trains running.

Very hard for the average traveler to determine what is correct. Clearly a very fluid and disruptive situation, where accurate data for the traveler would help.

Just an observation on the state of our travel assistance websites.

If Journeycheck is to be believed, the lift is back in operation.

1988 A London taxi reached New Delhi with the meter showing a fare of £13,200. It was part of a six-man expedition on the way to Sydney.

Hydrofoil could provide link to Scilly, says firm


Artemis Technologies said the all-weather hydrofoil could travel between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

A marine technology firm has been showcasing an all-weather electric hydrofoil vessel it says could travel between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Artemis Technologies said the hydrofoil, which uses underwater wings to lift the boat out of the water, could operate in winter when seas are choppy.

John Patterson, from the firm, said said four days of demonstrations in Newlyn and St Mary's were "really exciting" for the region.

They follow a feasibility study run with the Council of the Isles of Scilly to see if the technology "could help make life easier for the locals" with "quick, clean, efficient transit".


The test vessel is demonstrating the technology

If it gets the go-ahead Patterson said a full-size ferry could take 150 passengers at a speed of 32 knots between Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in just over an hour.

"The whole joy of the hydrofoil system is it lifts the vessel out," he said, adding it made for a "more comfortable ride".

The feasibility study run with the council and transport firm Connected Places Catapult was aimed at showing "modern technology can provide an alternate solution which may be able to overcome the issues which the Isles of Scilly have in the depths of winter", he added.

(BBC article continues)

There's no use in having a good supply of candles if you've got no matches to light them with.  I tested  my box of Swan Vestas this morning and they all worked!

Metro ticket evaders now face £100 fines


Revenue officers are being deployed across the tram network to carry out ticket inspections - Image © West Midlands Metro

Ticket evaders on the West Midlands Metro will face a £100 penalty as a new inspection scheme comes into force.

Revenue officers are set to carry out regular inspections under the Buy Before You Board (BBYB) scheme, which has been fully introduced.

The changes mean passengers can no longer purchase a ticket from conductors while on board the tram and must buy a valid ticket or pass before climbing aboard.

Under the new rules, anyone who is caught travelling on a tram, or on the platform having just got off one without a valid ticket or pass, may be liable to pay the £100 penalty fare.

Most revenue officers on the Metro, which connects Birmingham to Wolverhampton, were former conductors who have been retrained for revenue protection duties, the transport provider added.  Their role includes ensuring ticket checks take place throughout the day to help prevent fare evasion, alongside issuing penalty fares where necessary.

"At busy times, it has sometimes been difficult for conductors to cover an entire tram between stops, and we know that the vast majority of customers don't like to see some people travelling without paying their way," said Michael Reading-Skilton, Metro's head of commercial and customer experience.  "Our revenue officers will now be out on Metro services to help customers understand the new ticketing process and make sure everyone is travelling with a valid ticket."

The number of ticket machines that accept card and cash at tram stops has increased, with tickets also available to be purchased using the MyMetro app.

Valid passes purchased as part of a season ticket or on the Swift card were also accepted, a spokesperson added.

Direct Birmingham-to-Manchester Airport trains due


The first Birmingham to Crewe services will begin in December, with the extension to Manchester Airport following in May 2027 - Image © LNR

A direct train service from Birmingham to Manchester Airport is set to be launched next year, it has been revealed.

The London Northwestern Railway (LNR) service will be hourly, with trains going to the airport starting operation in May 2027, running from Birmingham New Street through the Black Country, Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Passengers currently travelling to the airport have to change trains at Crewe, Wilmslow or in Manchester city centre.

The direct airport service be the second of two stages of introduction, with the first starting on 13 December, when trains will run between Birmingham and Crewe, stopping at 12 stations including Darlaston and Willenhall.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, said the route would provide "more sustainable transport options for those travelling abroad" and improve connections between the two regions.  "I'm delighted to see new rail connections... offering more sustainable transport options for those travelling abroad, and improving connectivity across both regions," he said.  "This new route also delivers additional services for those travelling within the West Midlands, including to our new stations in Willenhall and Darlaston."

Five months later, the route will then be extended to Manchester Airport, stopping at Sandbach, Holmes Chapel, Wilmslow and Styal.

Denise Wetton, managing director of LNR, said the service would provide "direct connectivity... for the first time in decades".  It will also mean more trains for passengers travelling between Birmingham, the Black Country and Staffordshire.

Adam Jogee, MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, said the announcement was "a brilliant step forward for the connectivity of our area".  He said travelling to the airport for the announcement had highlighted the need for an alternative to driving, citing "the struggle for parking".

The direct airport service will call at 17 stations:
- Birmingham New Street
- Tame Bridge Parkway
- Darlaston
- Willenhall
- Wolverhampton
- Stafford
- Stone
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Longport
- Kidsgrove
- Alsager
- Crewe
- Sandbach
- Holmes Chapel
- Wilmslow
- Styal
- Manchester Airport

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. ?

New leak forces closure of canal near collapse site

A new leak has forced the temporary closure of a stretch of canal close to where a major collapse happened just before Christmas last year.

The closure, from Monday, of the Llangollen Canal, in Whitchurch, Shropshire, comes nearly nine months after millions of litres of water were sent cascading onto nearby land, in the early hours of 22 December, leaving boat owners in disbelief.

Work by the Canal and River Trust (CRT) has been ongoing across the year, but a wet patch had been discovered, it said.

The Whitchurch Waterway Trust (WWT) said the leak is thought to be from the canal to the south of the works, which means that part of the canal will have to be temporarily closed by the CRT.

WWT said it had contacted all the boats moored on the stretch, known as the Arm, to explain the situation ahead of the closure.  Owners have been given the option to stay where they are or move to moorings elsewhere on the canal.

In a statement on the group's Facebook page, it said the CRT had advised that the problem could be resolved within weeks or could extend for several months.

Hundreds had attended a festival at the site last week, aimed at encouraging more people to use the canal following the major incident.

"Coming so soon after our hugely successful canal festival, this is a setback," said WWT chair Mark Lacey.  "But we understand that renovating a 200-year old structure built with pick and shovel will throw up obstacles along the way.  We have an excellent relationship with the CRT project team and we will work with them to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone who enjoys the Whitchurch Arm."

The collapsed embankment has been rebuilt in layers, and its structural integrity has been reinforced.

Repair work is expected to be finished by February, costing the CRT about £10m.

Warwickshire businesses 'cut off' after railway bridge strike


A 64-year-old man was arrested after a lorry hit the railway bridge in June

Businesses in Warwickshire have said a planned five-month road closure following a bridge strike has left them unable to receive deliveries.

The railway bridge on Marston Lane, Whitestone, was hit by a lorry on 11 June and a large part of the brickwork fell away.

West Coast Mainline trains continue to cross the bridge but the road beneath it has been closed to road traffic since the incident, affecting access to the Marston Hall Industrial Estate.

Network Rail said the road closure was "helping to protect local communities, road users, railway passengers and the workforce delivering the repairs", and that it was expected to remain in place until November.

(BBC article continues, in some detail)

Watch: Great Western Railway offers video view inside its control room

Great Western Railway (GWR) launched a four-part, behind-the-scenes video series called Beyond the Journey that takes viewers inside the daily operation of its control room on Friday 11 September.

The video is told from the point of view of control room workers, and shows the split-second decisions, high pressure and hard work that go into keeping the railway moving.

Production company So-Motive has co-produced the video series with GWR.

The video follows staff from both GWR and Network Rail during high-pressure days on the job. Workers can be seen live from the control room, as they carry out actions including rerouting services, keeping rails safe as temperatures rise, dealing with tens of thousands of football fans travelling to and from a major stadium, and making sure that the final 24 hours before the opening of a brand-new station run smoothly.

Episode 1: 24 hours to opening day (link to YouTube). Staff from Network Rail and Devon County Council, together with GWR’s Head of Third Party Delivery, Ian Mundy, look at the busy final 24 hours before the opening of the new Okehampton Interchange station.

Episode 2: Match day at the Principality. Staff, including GWR’s Customer Service and Events Manager for South Wales Kay Davies, manage the crowds as Cardiff’s Principality Stadium hosts Arsenal v Manchester City in the FA Community Shield. This involves managing additional train capacity and moving tens of thousands of fans safely to and from the game.

Episode 3: Beating the heat. This summer’s heatwaves provided a challenge to the railway network that was so severe that it had to impose speed restrictions. In this episode, Network Rail Track Maintenance Engineer, Michael Payne, explains the work that railway workers have to carry out in order to keep trains running safely during extreme heat. He also talks about what climate change will mean for the railway’s infrastructure in the years ahead.

Episode 4: Inside the Control Room. Staff at the joint GWR and Network Rail Control Room respond to live incidents across the network in real time. Along with GWR Duty Service Delivery Manager, Amy Sansum, they make split-second decisions that keep passengers moving when difficulties arise.

Episode 1 is already available, and the remaining three will be released one per week on GWR’s social media channels.