ENTSO-E Publishes Expert Panel Final Report on 28 April 2025 Blackout in Spain and Portugal

The final report of the Expert Panel on the 28 April 2025 blackout in continental Spain and Portugal identifies its causes and outlines recommendations to strengthen the resilience of Europe’s interconnected electricity system. It was prepared by a 49-member Panel including representatives from Transmission System Operators (TSOs), Regional Coordination Centres (RCCs), ACER and National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), and was chaired by experts from two unaffected TSOs. 

The investigation concludes that the blackout resulted from a combination of many interacting factors, including oscillations, gaps in voltage and reactive power control, differences in voltage regulation practices, rapid output reductions and generator disconnections in Spain, and uneven stabilisation capabilities. These factors led to fast voltage increases and cascading generation disconnections, resulting in the blackout in continental Spain and Portugal. 

Based on these findings, the Expert Panel sets out recommendations addressing each of the factors identified in the report to help prevent similar events in the future. These include strengthened operational practices, improved monitoring of system behaviour and closer coordination and data exchange among power system actors. The findings of the investigation also underscore the need for regulatory frameworks to adapt in order to support the evolving nature of the power system. 

The 28 April 2025 blackout was a first of its kind event, and the recommendations aim to strengthen system resilience with solutions that are already technologically deployable. This blackout highlights how developments at the local level can have system-wide implications and underlines the importance of maintaining strong links between local and European system behaviour and coordination, while ensuring that market mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and energy policies remain aligned with the physical limits of the system.

Report here

It’s hardly surprising though that none of the 35 stations is in Wiltshire - we know that there are currently no new stations funded / under construction in the county - unlike all of those 35 (36 if you add in Brabazon). What should be is of course another matter.

March 2026 enhancements plan with estimated target dates

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CP7-Enhancements-Delivery-Plan-Mar-2026-Update.pdf

.....one of the things that does not get recycled in most areas is rigid plastic.....

What is happening to RailAir links in the great new Great British Railways wonderland. I don't know what the current contractual relationship between the ROC▸ and the RailAir provider.

From a passenger point of view will things carry on seamlessly? (Innocent fool?).

West of England children's bus tickets capped at £1 until 2029


Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England (centre) said passengers deserved an "affordable, reliable and accessible" transport network

A £1 cap on child bus tickets has been extended until spring 2029.

The West of England Combined Authority (Weca) announced the three-year extension of the initiative as part of a wider fares support package for bus passengers.

The multi-operator fare cap, free bus travel for care leavers up to the age of 25, the Youth Guarantee free bus pass and the Diamond Pass to allow pensioners and disabled passengers to travel for free will also be extended following funding from the Department of Transport.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: "We're determined to support the delivery of affordable, reliable and accessible transport networks that passengers deserve."

According to Weca, the £1 child fare cap - which was introduced in September 2022 for anyone aged between five and 15 years old across Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset - has already saved families across the region about £1.1m in the last year.

The authority has also allowed children to travel for free during the summer and Christmas half term holidays since June 2025.

Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council, said he was "pleased" to see the extension of several money-saving schemes which would encourage more people to travel by bus. "We will continue working with the Mayoral Combined Authority, bus operators and neighbouring councils to deliver reliable and affordable services," he added.

North Somerset councillor Hugh Malyan said: "Extension of these schemes will mean increased access to services for many, and at the same time support wider ambitions for a cleaner, more sustainable and inclusive transport network for the future."

Over the coming weeks, Weca is set to consult residents on its developing Bus Plan to enable the community to work together to build a more reliable bus network, which was earmarked as a priority for the region.

Elsewhere, the authority's Transport Vision plan which was announced last month also aims to transform public transport services across the region, with proposals to implement an extended rail network, a mass transit system, safer active travel and improved streets.

A vehicle had struck a bridge in the Freshford area between Trowbridge and Bath Spa. The bridge has been examined and we are now able to run trains.
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What are we doing about it?
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Our service between Chippenham and Westbury via Melksham will remain suspended as a number of our trains and crew are now not in the right place.
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What are your options?
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We are sorry for the disruption to your journey today, these are the current options available to you:
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Replacement transport has been arranged to run in place of cancelled train services. These have been advertised on journey planners.

GWR unveils mythical statue at St Ives station


The statue of the Mermaid of Zennor has been placed at St Ives Train Station

Great Western Railway (GWR) has unveiled a statue of the mythical Mermaid of Zennor at St Ives train station.

Along with four others dotted about the GWR network, the temporary sculpture is designed to encourage families to explore the landscapes behind the region's myths and legends.

A new book of the railway's Legend Land series, Line to Legend Land, has also been published, featuring a reissue of 11 myths and a new chapter written by former Poet Laureate Sir Michael Morpurgo.

Paul Gentleman, a spokesperson for GWR, said: "The statues are going to be around for the next few weeks so that people get out... and hopefully explore the countryside around and find out where these stories originated from."


The Mermaid of Zennor was etched into a pew at St Senara's Church in Zennor more than 400 years ago

Visitors can find the five mythical statues across network - The Giants of Avon Gorge at Bristol Temple Meads, Excalibur at Castle Cary Station, The Faeries of Pennard Castle at Swansea Station, and the Red Dragon at Cardiff Central Station.

'The Line to Legend Land' was a series of 24 pamphlets written 100 years ago, and included tales of folklore, myths, and legends from across the South West.

In a social media post for the rail network, Morpurgo said: "By retelling these ancient stories – including the addition of my own, The Miracle Dolphin of Mevagissey – we aren't just looking back at the past; we are ensuring that the giants, dragons and mermaids of our heritage continue to live on in the hearts of children today."

Jeni Woolcock, collections manager at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, which launches its own myths and legends exhibition at the end of this month, said: "Cornwall is absolutely prolific with myths and legends there are so many of them. I really do love the Mermaid of Zennor. I also love Cherry of Zennor which is another myth about a young woman. I think I'm quite often drawn to those where women are not represented in a way that I'm particularly happy with, so I resonate with those because I really want to give them a voice and see things from their perspective," she said.

Cardiff residents will have eight different recycling bags to meet targets


Recycling sacks have been used to separate materials in Cardiff since a trial took place in 2022

Residents in Cardiff will soon have an extra waste bag to deal with as the council looks to boost its recycling rate.

The city's cabinet has agreed to a dedicated collection for soft plastics. These include lightweight and more fragile plastics such as clingfilm, bread bags and crisp packets.

Figures show that last year, the city managed to increase its recycling rate by 4% to 64%,, external but this was still short of the 70% target.

Cardiff residents shared mixed opinions on the change, with one saying: "Rubbish bags don't look very nice, but it's more important that people recycle."


The change will be introduced this summer ahead of the statutory national requirement in April 2027

How will it work?

Residents will receive rolls of dedicated 30-litre bags for storing clean and dry soft plastics; the bags should then be placed in the existing red sacks for kerbside collection.

The council believes the new system should make things simpler for residents and can be incorporated into the current recycling scheme without capacity issues.

The change will exclude flats that use communal bins. A separate trial will be held to work out the best method for collecting soft plastics from these buildings.

The council will also adjust the collection for absorbent hygiene products, like nappies. The collection will be changed from twice a week to once a week in April 2026.

The change will be introduced this summer, ahead of a statutory national requirement in April 2027.

Soft plastic collections are expected to make a considerable impact to Cardiff recycling performance.

Councillor Norma Mackie, cabinet member for waste, street scene & environmental services, said: "Soft plastics represent a significant proportion of Cardiff's residual waste. Both these interventions will aid Cardiff in achieving the Welsh government statutory requirement of 70% of municipal waste being recycled."

What do residents think?

Residents from Cardiff expressed mixed views about the new recycling bags.

Andrew thinks there's enough recycling bags but will use the new ones. He said: "I'm not opposed to it but there's so many recycling bags now."

Sandra, 27, didn't know about the change but thinks it couldn't come soon enough. She said: "Rubbish bags don't look very nice, but it's more important that people recycle, the more recycling we can do the better."

Ellie, 34, who works at a property managing company, feels neutral about the change. She said: "I'm not bothered about new bags really it's obviously important that we recycle but I hope the items do actually get recycled."

Vin and Rhys both think the money used to provide new recycling bags should be used to improve the recycling centres. Rhys said he's seen the bin lorries mixing the waste so feels like it's pointless having another bag. They said: "I think the money should go into investing in the local recycling centre, it would make more jobs and waste would be sorted properly."

15:28 Weymouth to Gloucester due 19:04

15:28 Weymouth to Gloucester due 19:04 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 16 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

16:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 19:53

16:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 19:53 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 15 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

17:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 20:46

17:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 20:46 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.


It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 15 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

18:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 21:45

18:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 21:45 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 16 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 22:56

19:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 22:56 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 15 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

20:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 23:57

20:24 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 23:57 will be diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.

It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham and Chippenham.

It will be delayed due to the diversion and is expected to be 15 minutes late.

This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 3.

20:06 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:49

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 20:06 Chippenham to Westbury due 20:49.

20:50 Chippenham to Westbury due 21:33

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 20:50 Chippenham to Westbury due 21:33.

What we know about the LaGuardia Airport crash



Two pilots have died after a passenger plane collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Photos from the scene show the plane tilting backwards with its cockpit almost sheared off. The fire truck is on its side, surrounded by debris, wreckage and warped metal.

Authorities said 41 people had been taken to hospital, with 31 later discharged but others suffering from serious injuries.

Here's what we know.

What happened?

At around 23:40 local time (03:40 GMT) on Sunday, shortly after Air Canada flight AC8646 had landed from Montreal, it collided with a firefighting vehicle on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport.

The truck had been called minutes earlier to a separate incident on board another plane which had "reported an issue with odour", according to Port Authority executive director Kathryn Garcia.

In audio from the air traffic control tower at LaGuardia, a staff member can be heard saying: "'Truck One, stop, stop, stop!" in the seconds before the crash.

"We were literally like 100 meters away," 23-year-old eyewitness Leo Medina told the BBC. "It was like the plane got cut in half."

After the collision took place, authorities "immediately responded", Garcia said.

An investigation is now underway to determine what happened. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be looking at the speed the plane was moving, the staffing of the air traffic control tower at the time, and if anybody was ejected from the aircraft, according to Garcia.

Who are the victims?

The aircraft – a CRJ 900 model - was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.

The identities of the two pilots who died have not yet been made public.

All others on board the plane have been accounted for, Garcia said, while adding that the sergeant and police officer who were inside the firefighting vehicle were in a stable condition in hospital "with no life-threatening injuries".

"I visited them both in the hospital, as has the chairman, and they were able to speak and we're notifying their families," said Garcia.

Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani said he had "been briefed on the tragic collision".

"I am grateful to our first responders, whose swift actions saved lives," he said. He added that the NTSB "is investigating the incident, and the City is in close contact with federal, state, and local partners".

New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the incident "heartbreaking". She added: "Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected."

How will travel be affected?

LaGuardia Airport is one of the busiest airports in the US, with over 32 million passengers passing through in the last 12 months. It is currently closed, and the earliest it could reopen is 14:00 ET (18:00 GMT) on Monday, authorities have said.

The majority of flights listed on its website on Monday morning were labelled as cancelled, with a small number listed as delayed. Hundreds of flights are affected, with carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Air Canada.

Earlier, LaGuardia Airport authorities released a statement stating that "emergency response protocols were immediately activated" after the crash, with the agency's chairman and executive director on the scene with Port Authority police.

The New York City Police Department said people should "expect delays and avoid the area if possible".

"Due to an emergency incident at LaGuardia Airport, all streets and highway exits into the airport are closed until further notice."

The New York City Fire Department told people to "expect cancellations, road closures, traffic delays and emergency personnel near LaGuardia Airport".

"Use alternate routes," it posted on X.

8 cancellations reported ... and the issue is on a adjoining line and not on this one!

GWR have released a report, with case study of 11 stations, regarding growth (economic, housing and jobs)

https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/publications/growing-places-report-2026.pdf

The story behind new giant statues at Temple Meads


A statue of The Giants of Avon Gorge have been unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads Station

Statues of legendary giants have been unveiled alongside a children's book inviting people to explore the landscapes behind West Country myths.

The Giants of Avon Gorge at Bristol Temple Meads Station, is one of five installations that form a new Great Western Railway Legend Trail and book by author, poet and playwright Sir Michael Morpurgo.

Updated from the first version published more than a century ago, The Line to Legend Land features 11 folklore tales from across the South West and Wales.

Morpurgo said the project was about "connecting people with the past" and their families. "It's fun and I like the fact these are legends which are to be enjoyed just as books are to be enjoyed," the author said.

"Sure, we learn things from them, but it's also about connections with our past, with our mums, dads, grandparents and then going way, way, way back in time. But wherever you go in the West Country there are stories everywhere and some of them have grown out of myths and legends."

Temple Mead's mythical giants, Goram and Vincent, are famous for being involved in a brutal battle to win the hand of Lady Avona. She told the brothers, she would marry whoever could drain the water which ran between Bradford-on-Avon and Bristol.

Vincent won the challenge by creating the Avon Gorge, while distraught Goram was so distressed about losing, he stamped his foot into a pit - leaving the Giant's Footprint in what is now the Blaise Estate.

Visit West's head of marketing Jon Chamberlain, who was at the unveiling, said he hoped the statues would invite people to "explore the wider city – all inspired by the legends of the Bristol Giants".

The book also explores tales like The Ghost of Gloucester Cathedral, King Arthur's Camelot, in Somerset, and The White Horse of Uffington.

GWR has donated copies of Line to Legend Land to 500 primary schools.

The train company's head of external communications, Dan Panes, said by taking the statues out to "some of our most popular destinations, we're aiming to inspire families to venture out on the train and discover the legends for themselves.  We've been thrilled by the reaction to our new Line to Legend Land book, and our goal was to create a truly immersive world where these myths step out of the stories and onto our stations, bringing the legends to life for everyone who travels with us," he said.