Week-long bridge replacement works disrupts trains through Oxford

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Some train services travelling through Oxford are set to be affected by work to install a new railway bridge near the city's station.

The work will see rail replacement services in place between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, and between Banbury and Oxford/Didcot Parkway for a week from Sunday. Footpath access from the Botley Road into the city centre will also be affected. The current walkway, which passes under the bridge will be closed, with pedestrians needing to follow a new route through the train station.

The works are the next step in the oft-maligned £161m project to upgrade Oxford Railway Station, which has been beset by regular delays.

Giles Clark, project director for Network Rail, said the closure marked a "major milestone" in the work to "provide more capacity and better journeys" in Oxford. He explained the week-long closure would see the current bridge demolished - with two new bridges installed in the vacant space.

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When asked if the works could be delayed, much like the entire railway station project has been repeatedly, Clark said: "We've got to recognise that there's always challenges and a huge amount of work to do in these eight days."

"But we're confident that we have a really good plan and a really good team working on this." He added that Network Rail understood that "getting to this stage" had been a "difficult journey", and thanked passengers and local residents for their patience.

As part of the week long works, pedestrians will be diverted from the current walkway under the Botley Road bridge, and instead be sent via a makeshift walkway through the train station.

"We've done something we've not done before in the railway, which is have a major pedestrian route going through a station," Clark said. "We'll be linking Platforms 3 and Platforms 4 with two polystyrene bridges which we've had manufactured specifically for the job, and people will be able to go through without going across any steps," he added.

The works are the next step in the oft-maligned £161m project to upgrade Oxford Railway Station, which has been beset by regular delays.

Why celebrities keep moving to the Cotswolds - as new star buys mansion

As one of the world's most popular singers has announced he is moving to the Cotswolds, we take a look at what makes the idyllic district such a popular destination for the rich and famous.

Oasis star Liam Gallagher confirmed in one of his signature style X posts on Saturday he will "come in peace" to the Gloucestershire hills.

The Cotswolds is home to a galaxy of homegrown and Hollywood stars including the Beckhams, presenter Jeremy Clarkson, model Kate Moss and actor Hugh Grant to name but a few.

Designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen said "everybody's terribly intrigued" at how the "hellraiser" singer may shake things up when he moves to the sleepy yet attractive region.

The Wonderwall star is believed to have bought former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams' £4m residence in Coates, near Cirencester.

In his post on X, Gallagher said: "To all the beautiful people from the Cotswolds, I come in peace. You won't even know I'm there, I'm not like all those divvy celebrities who like to show off I'm LO FI as you were, LG x"

Gallagher previously rented a house in Selsley near Stroud, and was seen walking his dog, Buttons, on Selsley Common.


(BBC article continues)

Some of them are quite difficult....

Road closes after lorry overturns at Hazelwick Roundabout in Crawley

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A recovery operation lifted the lorry off the road earlier

Police have said they are investigating after a lorry overturned at a roundabout in West Sussex.

Emergency services were called to Hazelwick Roundabout in Crawley, at about 07:00 GMT to a crash involving a single vehicle.

Sussex Police said no injuries were reported. The force said the road was temporarily closed while the vehicle was recovered. Anyone with information on the crash can report it to Sussex Police online.

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No-one was injured in the lorry crash, police said

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Sussex Police urged people to get in contact if they have any information

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The road was closed for a time by emergency services until the vehicle was recovered

Residents 'cut off by lack of transport links'

People living on the outskirts of a city said they felt cut off from facilities due to a lack of transport links.

As part of The Milton Keynes Community Foundation's Vital Signs report, residents on estates and new developments were consulted.

The report said a "lack of affordable shops and activities nearby, and the costs of alternative private transport, represents a major concern", which created "enormous financial pressure for those already on the tightest budgets".

Senior Labour councillor Shanika Mahendran pointed out that the city council had limited authority over commercial bus services. "[But] we are always thinking of ways to keep communities connected, whether it be with MK Connect, external or with the loop service."

This is the 13th year the foundation has published its report, which examines local authority data, speaks to community organisations and, for the first time this year, more than 250 residents.

The foundation's Sam Snelus said some people were forced to use taxis as "limited transport access is putting additional financial pressures on low-income families".

The report said: "One resident of Glebe Farm spends up to £800 a month on taxis in winter to get her children, who have special needs, to their school. The school is three miles away and too dangerous to cover on foot."

Snelus told the BBC: "There is a lot of exciting work going on in Milton Keynes with East West Rail and the (proposed) Mass Rapid Transport system, but there is also a lot of disparity, and 42% of residents feel it is the area that needs most improvement." She said in the most deprived areas people were "paying for taxis to get to and from work and to supermarkets, because the alternative is to go to the local corner shop, which is more expensive".

Horse on tracks causes disruption to train services

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A horse that was roaming loose on a railway line caused disruption to train services on Sunday morning.

It was found on the tracks at Albrighton, between Wolverhampton and Cosford, at about 10:00 GMT.

The lines were blocked until about 10:30.

The horse was removed by Network Rail teams, and the company thanked passengers for their patience.

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Alterations to services between Liskeard and Looe
Due to flooding between Liskeard and Looe the line is closed.
Train services running to and from these stations have been suspended. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 01/02/26.

Dear Customer Relations Team,
I am writing regarding the current suspension of rail services between Barnstaple and Exeter due to infrastructure failure.

I have already paid for a valid ticket for travel on this route. However, there are currently no trains running and no rail replacement bus service being provided, which means there is no reasonable alternative public transport available on this rural line.

This journey is required for my child to attend school/college, and we live in a rural community with no viable alternative means of travel. As a result, despite holding a valid ticket, the journey has been made impossible due to the complete withdrawal of services.

I understand that infrastructure faults are outside the operator’s direct control. However, where no replacement transport is provided and the passenger is left without any reasonable way to travel, I would like to request that you either:
 • confirm approval for alternative transport (e.g. a taxi) to be arranged, or
 • confirm that reasonable alternative transport costs will be reimbursed, or
 • advise what immediate arrangements you can offer to enable this essential journey.
If alternative transport cannot be authorised, please also confirm the process for obtaining a full refund for the unused ticket.

I would appreciate a prompt response given the ongoing nature of this disruption and the impact on a child’s access to education.

Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to hearing from you

Romsey Signal Box Museum will be open on Sunday 1st and Saturday 21st February 2026.

We will be offering demonstrations of how a traditional signal box was operated with the chance to pull levers to work points and signals. Cowley Bridge Junction miniature signal box will be open for demonstrations as will the Audrey Gebbie discovery centre, which explains some of the principles and science behind  operating signal boxes. Our cafe will be open for the sale of teas, coffees and light refreshments.

One question we are occasionally asked is how far away can semaphore signals be seen. Obviously a clear view and good visibility are important. To help with signal sighting, some railways, including the London and South Western were prepared to use tall signal posts to give the driver the best possible chance to see a signal. To ease sighting closer to the signal quite often a co-acting arm was fitted lower down the post as we see here at Ropley on the Watercress Line. Another difficulty was that lamps burning oil were not that bright, so part of the drivers route knowledge was knowing where to look. ( But years ago there was much less light pollution.)

Transfer of West Midlands Trains’ services into public ownership

From 1 February 2026, 8 of the 14 train operators that DfT is responsible for will be in public ownership.[/b]

I am confirming to the House that on Sunday, 1 February 2026, West Midlands Trains, operating as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, will become the fourth operator whose services will transfer into public ownership under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act.

Operations will now be run by a new public sector operator – WM Trains Limited – a subsidiary of public corporation DfT Operator Limited (DFTO).

This now means that 8 of the 14 train operators that my department is responsible for and which will form the backbone of passenger services under Great British Railways (GBR), are in public ownership.

Govia Thameslink Railway’s services will be the next to transfer on 31 May 2026, with the intention that Chiltern Railways and Great Western Railway’s services will follow. Expiry notices will be issued to confirm the dates of transfer for these operators once a final decision has been taken.

Public ownership is already putting passengers at the heart of the railway, but, in and of itself, is not a silver bullet. To truly fix the structural issues that have long plagued our railways, we need systemic reform.

The railways bill continues its passage through Parliament and will establish GBR, a new publicly owned body, that will run and manage the tracks and trains for passengers and freight use every day. The bill will also give passengers a powerful new voice with a passenger watchdog, and an enhanced role for devolved governments and England’s mayors to have a bigger say in how the railway is run in their regions.

GBR will take responsibility for the day-to-day operational delivery of the railways: from delivering services to setting timetables, managing access to the network and operating, maintaining and renewing infrastructure. It will also bring fares and ticketing into the 21st century, simplifying the baffling array of fares and ticketing that passengers currently endure, ensuring they get the best value for money. The new GBR app and website will allow passengers to buy tickets, check train times and access a range of support all in one place.

Ahead of the establishment of GBR, the management of track and train is already being brought closer together with integrated leadership across DFTO train operating companies and Network Rail routes in defined regional areas. This will deliver improvements for passengers and freight users.

Furthermore, for the first time in 30 years, rail fares will be frozen for a year from March 2026. This will put money back in passengers’ pockets and ease the cost of living for hard-working people, including delivering savings across over a billion journeys.

The government continues to deliver on its Plan for Change, with investment and reform driving growth and rebuilding Britain. Reforming our railways is central to this and will drive improved performance, bringing more people back to rail, generating greater revenue and reducing costs.

It is only a few months since they opened one at the side of the station at Paddington Basin.

Can you spot the 40 railway stations from the cryptic clues in the picture above and get one over on Darragh Ennis from The Chase?

The brainteaser was dreamt up by Alzheimer's Research UK to encourage people to keep their minds active during free time or on their daily commute.

Quiz master Ennis, known on the TV show as "The Menace", saw his dad pass away in 2024 after spending his later years living with dementia.

The scientist, who studied and lives in Oxford, is hoping the puzzle can help people keep their brains "sharp" but admitted he had so far only found 32 of the 40 hidden stations from across England and Wales.

The campaign is being supported by Great Western Railway (GWR), which has been advertising it at stations including Oxford, Didcot, Newbury and Maidenhead.

Ennis said the brain was "something you have to exercise or else it gets lazy".

"If you don't use different parts of your brain for problem-solving and things like that, the synapses and the circuits don't get strengthened," he added.

He said his dad had experienced "a very gradual, slow decline".

"We started noticing quite a long time ago that his memory was going," Ennis said.

"You would sit in a room with my dad for years and sometimes you would have the same conversation 20 or 30 times.

"While that can be very frustrating, it's at least still a conversation, but for other people it's much more aggressive and they disappear completely."

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, external - a condition often leading to memory loss and challenges with taking on independent tasks.

"Doing a crossword a day is not going to prevent you getting dementia if your genetics are that way or you have some other disease, but it changes the odds a little," Ennis added.

"So for something that's so small that can help keep you sharp in other ways, it's worth a try."

He said the use of technology for that purpose "isn't inherently bad".

"I do four puzzles a day before I get out of bed and they're all done on my phone - it's not the technology that's wrong, it's how we use it."

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A study by Alzheimer's Research UK among 2,006 adults in the south of England recently showed just one in three of them were doing daily puzzles or challenges in their free time.

About half were instead turning to passive pursuits such as scrolling on their phones or watching shows.

Samantha Benham-Hermetz, executive director at the charity, said: "As each generation ages there are different things that are both protective for brain health and also distracting.

"We want to send this message to the public that there are lots of things within their control that they can do to reduce their risk of developing dementia as they grow older."

"One of the things that I've noticed with the puzzle is when you look at it at different times you see different things, so it really is challenging your brain to do things you wouldn't normally do or in different ways," she added.

The puzzle can be found on the charity's website, external, with some of the clues unveiled on its social media channels.

A scrolling notice at Bath Bus Stations one surviving screen of the bank of three at the west end announcing that this was becoming a problem for bus timings.

Presumably with the motorway closed and the motorway traffic seeping into the City, the Bristol CAZ zone profits mightily?

Mark