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.

12:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 15:46

12:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 15:46 was diverted between Westbury and Bath Spa.
It will no longer call at Bradford-On-Avon but will call additionally at Melksham, Chippenham, Oldfield Park and Keynsham.
It has been delayed due to the diversion and is now 15 minutes late.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 3.

15:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 18:50

15:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central due 18:50 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 14 minutes late.
This is due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge.

Cancellations to services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham
Due to a road vehicle colliding with a bridge between Trowbridge and Bath Spa the line towards Bath Spa is blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham may be cancelled, delayed or diverted.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
A vehicle has struck a bridge in the Freshford area between Trowbridge and Bath Spa. The bridge has been examined and one of the two lines over the bridge, the line towards Bath Spa, will remain closed for the rest of today.
-
What are we doing about it?
-
Network Rail are assessing the repairs that are required.
-
Where possible trains between Trowbridge and Bath Spa will divert via the route through Melksham. As this line has limited capacity it means our services that run between Westbury and Swindon have been suspended.
-
What are your options?
-
We are sorry for the disruption to your journey today, these are the current options available to you:
-
Option 1: If you are travelling towards Chippenham and Swindon, diverted services will be calling additionally at Melksham and Chippenham. Please change at Chippenham for trains towards Swindon.
-
If you are travelling towards Melksham, Trowbridge or Westbury, we are arranging replacement transport to run from Chippenham. Details of this will be given here once confirmed.

Option 2: You can use your ticket, at no extra cost, on the local Faresaver bus route X34 between Chippenham (Bus Station, Bay 6), Melksham (McDonalds, a 10 minute walk from the station), Trowbridge (Trinity Church, a short walk from the station). Just show your train ticket to the bus driver. You can find bus times at www.faresaver.co.uk/current-timetables/
-
Option 3: Consider postponing your journey until our service returns to normal.
-
For more information:
-
Use the National Rail Enquiries real-time journey planner to check if a journey by rail is currently possible. If you are at a station please check the live departure boards or speak to a member of station staff.
-
Let us help you:
-
If you're already travelling when disruption happens, we'll get you where you need to go. If you miss the last train of the day due to cancellation or because another train was delayed, we wont leave you stranded.
-
If you require help, further information or would like to provide feedback, to help us improve in the future:
Speak to staff at the station or on the train. Use the Customer Help Point on the platform.
Message us on X @GWRHelp, Facebook Messenger @gwruk, Instagram @gwruk or WhatsApp 07890 608043. Our team is available daily between 06:00 and 23:00 Monday to Friday and 07:00 to 23:00 Saturday and Sunday.
Call our Customer Support team on 03457 000 125, who are available between 06:00 and 23:00, or National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950, who are available 24 hours a day.
-
Delay Repay:
-
If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can apply for Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
-
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.

Glasgow Central Station to fully reopen after Union Street fire


The remaining platforms one to six will reopen on Wednesday

Glasgow Central Station will fully reopen all platforms on Wednesday, two weeks after a devastating fire collapsed the building next door.

Network Rail said all ScotRail and cross-border routes would be restored at Scotland's busiest railway station after a partial reopening last week.

The station avoided serious damage after a blaze in a vape shop spread through a B-listed Victorian building on Union Street on 8 March.

Platforms one to six will be reopened, but the station's front entrance on Gordon Street will remain closed during ongoing demolition and clear-up work.

Network Rail route director Ross Moran said: "We've been fully focused on getting everyone back safely. The aftermath of the fire has been a significant challenge for everyone involved, but our teams have been working tirelessly to restore the station and support our passengers, train operators and retailers. Our priority now is to keep people moving safely and give everyone who relies on this station a smooth and welcoming experience on Wednesday."


The main entrance to Glasgow Central Station remains closed

David Ross, Scotrail chief operating officer, said: "This is excellent news for our customers, and I am very pleased we will be able to resume our normal timetable. We understand how frustrating the closure has been for customers whose journeys have been disrupted, and we're very sorry for the impact it has had."

Station facilities will also reopen, including the shops and toilets, but some of the main concourse will remain closed. Passengers should continue to use Glasgow Central's Hope Street and low-level entrances while the main doors are blocked off.

Train services from the low-level platforms, which run to Balloch and Milngavie in the west and Motherwell and Cumbernauld to the east, were the first to resume after the blaze.

Which services are returning?

• Edinburgh - Glasgow Central via Shotts/Carstairs
• Cathcart Circle - Glasgow Central
• Paisley Canal - Glasgow Central
• Newton - Glasgow Central
• Barrhead - Glasgow Central
• Neilston - Glasgow Central
• Ardrossan South Beach/Harbour - Glasgow Central

Altered routes will also return to normal:

• Glasgow – Largs
• Glasgow – Dumfries/Carlisle
• Glasgow – Stranraer

Passengers are still advised to check their journey before travelling.

(BBC article continues)

HS2 trains could run slower than planned to save money



HS2 high speed railway trains could be made to run slower than initially planned to keep costs down.

The government is to order the company building the project to consider lower speeds on the line from London to Birmingham, which has been hit by delays and cost overruns.

HS2's chief executive Mark Wild was expected to say this month the line would not be completed until after the current 2033 deadline and it would cost over £100bn in today's prices, but that announcement has now been delayed until after the May elections.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is said to be weighing up all options to claw back as much time and money for the taxpayer as possible. Among the options is a lower initial operating speed on the line.

HS2 has been designed to allow trains to run at up to 360km/h (224mph). Department for Transport sources point out that this is faster than any other conventional railway in the world.

Most high speed trains in this country run at up to 200km/h (125mph), while those on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (HS1) operate at up to 300km/h.

This means HS2 trains could not be tested at their intended operating speeds until a bespoke test track, or the railway itself is complete, something DfT sources claim would delay completion of the project by several years and cost billions of pounds.

The alternative, they say, would be to send trains to China to be tested on existing tracks there.

The government has been highly critical of decisions taken by previous administrations. Last year, the Transport Secretary described the scheme as "an appalling mess".

The Conservatives have been approached for comment.

Wild had previously worked as chief executive of Crossrail, the project that became London's Elizabeth Line. He was appointed as chief executive of HS2 under the previous government in May 2024 to oversee the completion of the railway.

Wild has spent more than a year working on a "reset" of the entire project which is meant to set out a realistic schedule and budget for delivering the line.

A number of major developments, including tunnels and bridges, have been built along the line but it is still years away from completion.

HS2 was originally envisaged as a high-speed railway that would connect London with Leeds and Manchester. However, the sections north of Birmingham were subsequently cancelled.

Under current plans, HS2 trains will travel from Birmingham to Manchester, but at reduced speed on the existing West Coast Main Line.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to the train departing late to maintain customer connections.

Electrification Didcot to Oxford, Newbury to Bedwyn, or Cockelbury Lane to Bath where tracks are already primed and there are even some overheads in place, anyone?

Do you think that perhaps, assuming a reasonable amount of common sense (risky I know), that someone on the train in question expecting to be picked up would ring ahead and confirm any revised arrival time, especially given yesterday's events at Newton Abbot?

Shock, horror  - 9 minutes late into Penzance - 08:04 versus 07:55.   All that remains is for anyone who's told their lift to pick them up at the JourneyCheck expected time of 08:54 to twiddle their thumbs for 50 minutes.

Bit of an old thread, but have today (23 March 2026) announced electrification is finished.

I think Cardiff Bay line was final bit energised.

https://news.tfw.wales/news/100-percent-electrification-of-the-core-valley-lines-complete

I did think of adding something along the lines of 'your move, Wiltshire' at the end of that post... trouble is transport doesn't very neatly map on to county boundaries. West Wilts has strong links with BANES, but what about north-east Somerset?

Interesting eyewitness account, sounds as if the problems with smoke, smell and oil/grease
were evident and reported to GWR by a passenger some time before the train was forced to stop but the journey was allowed to continue.

Some tricky questions for GWR to address.


https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/gwr-train-fire-passengers-stranded-10880256

Wonder what happens now, presumably disperse the teams, lose the knowledge etc because don't have rolling programme, lose ability to quickly do another bit etc.