They would still be vulnerable to power cuts, though, without a major integration and update of backup systems.  That will take time.  And money. 

Maybe a benefit of GBR would be the elimination of separate TOC/NR control offices?

Trying to understand you here - are you saying that Oxford City Centre is like Melksham centre, some way from he station? It's about a 10 minute walk.

The XC Control Room duty manager would be needed to deal with incident management.  That could be something quite small such as dealing with a driver who has had a SPAD, to something more serious like stranded train scenarios, to something very serious such as an accident or derailment.  So I can understand why them being contactable and in contact with everyone is essential these days. 

Each TOC having back up facilities that can be fully operational within a couple of hours could also be regarded as essential.

Torbay had a mayor under the existing unitary system, but after a referendum the position was abolished and went back to a ceremonial mayor. No mention of a mayor under Torbay and South Devon unitary authority.

CrossCountry cancels 'almost all' UK services after power cut

Trains across the UK have been cancelled by rail operator CrossCountry after a power cut at its control centre.

The power outage started in Birmingham on Saturday and as a result, many of the systems used to manage the railway are unavailable, the operator said.

Cancellations are affecting most routes, from Glasgow to Penzance and Leeds to Manchester, until further notice because of "significant and unforeseen disruption", said CrossCountry, ranked Britain's worst rail operator, in June.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned to hear about a power outage" and had asked publicly owned operators to provide "extra services where possible".

"We've also sent Network Rail power teams who are onsite and working to restore power and systems as soon as possible," she added.

Passengers are venting their anger on social media, saying the situation is the "worst case scenario" at the weekend, with some taking coaches before continuing their train journey with another operator.

Major routes between Manchester and Birmingham, which passes through Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Wolverhampton, along with routes from Leeds to York, Cheltenham to Cardiff and Glasgow to Edinburgh, are all affected.

CrossCountry confirmed tickets for Sunday would remain valid until Wednesday.

One user on X asked the operator if the situation would be resolved on Monday.

It responded: "We would hope so, but at the moment we have no further updates.

(BBC article continues)

Seems to be lack of contingency plan at work here.

Staff on the ground have mobile phones, staff at control centre could have emergency contact method if their main building is not available

Out of curiosity, I checked the "south-eastern" leg (Birmingham to Oxford, Reading and the South Coast) on their website which showed only an apology for reduced catering on most trains due to unavailability of staff. So perhaps "No trains on Cross-Country" is a bit of an exaggeration?

Trying to understand you here - are you saying that Oxford City Centre is like Melksham centre, some way from he station? It's about a 10 minute walk.

Quote
Mayors to get powers to overrule local councils on planning decisions

Mayors across England will be given new powers to overrule local councils on some planning decisions.

The change would apply to proposals with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space or buildings over 30 metres.

Mayors in 13 areas including Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and the West Midlands will gain similar powers to Sir Sadiq Khan in London, who is already able to "call in" planning decisions.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said the powers were an "essential part of the toolkit that mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration".

The Conservatives questioned whether it was right for councils to lose the "ability to make planning decisions in their own communities".

The powers will also be available to mayors in the Combined Authorities in North East England, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, and Tees Valley.

Housebuilding has fallen in London in recent years, but Pennycook insisted the "call in" powers had helped the mayor "unblock strategic growth sites" in the capital.

In the 2024 general election, the Labour government promised to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade but housebuilders have warned the target could be missed.

Pennycook said the government was "absolutely determined to stick with that ambition".  He acknowledged the target was "really stretching" but said nearly 180,000 children were in temporary accommodation and "any smaller target wouldn't be commensurate with the scale of the challenge".

In addition to gaining the new "call-in" powers, mayors are set to be able to grant "up-front permission", which the government says will allow building to begin "without a developer having to apply".

A consultation on how the powers will work is due to be published next week.

The government has sought to stress that local councils will continue to decide the majority of applications and that all decisions must still follow planning rules.  It has also said mayors will get a "bigger say" over how housing funding is spent in their area, with the government directing national agency Homes England to focus on local mayors' priorities.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who served as mayor for Greater Manchester for nearly a decade, has repeatedly expressed his desire to transfer more powers to local mayors.  "Challenge does need to be made to local decision-making and actually it cuts both ways," he told the Sunday Times.  "Sometimes it's the other way round. It's the local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It's a two-way street."

Last month, Burnham promised to give all mayors a share of income tax revenue, saying he wanted to "bring power home" to "every postcode".  Earlier this week, he announced a secondment programme to send high-performing civil servants to work in mayoral offices.

The approach has faced criticism from some in his own party and the Liberal Democrats, who fear it could create a "two-tier system" that discriminates against those areas that do not have an elected mayor.

Responding to the new powers for mayors, Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said the government was "simultaneously stripping councils across the country of their ability to make planning decisions in their own communities, while making it easier to build traveller sites against local wishes".

Sir James also suggested Labour mayors had failed to meet housing targets, adding: "The Conservatives are the only party with a plan to get Britain building and moving again with our plan to scrap stamp duty on the family home."

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat housing and planning spokesperson, said "taking powers away from communities and local councillors is taking powers away from local people.  Instead of silencing residents and handing mayors a blank cheque, the government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them," he added.

Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Greens, said "more powers for mayors to direct local councils" was "more tinkering from the Labour government when local authorities continue to be forced by government into austerity budgets".

Reform UK accused Labour of "centralisation in disguise", saying: "Westminster is stretching its tentacles outward instead of giving real power, resources and decision-making capabilities to devolved authorities."

Not to weigh in on the criticism... but to ask why "XC control" has become vital to the running of trains? Isn't the signalling and NR control function capable of meeting all the operational and safety requirements?

Also learned - somewhat though not sharing more about fellow passengers arriving into Melksham / taxi sharing - travelling from Oxford (that flow again!) on personal / family business, and headed for a location in Melksham that's a significant walk from the station there.

Still ongoing, no reopening date yet available.

If this had been GWR then I'm sure some of our regular posters would have quite rightly been all over it.  Strange that it's only generated a handful of replies.

apart from the normal timetable for IET's,are they passed on other routes,

like beyond Westbury to Portsmouth and Brighton.

Milford haven and Pembroke

Worcester heading North