Train derailment prompts enhanced track monitoring


Several wheels on the train derailed in Darlington in January

A sparsely-used section of rail will be monitored more after a passenger train derailed and then self-righted.

No-one was hurt when several wheels on a charter service briefly derailed then rerailed, at the crossover at Hopetown Junction in Darlington on 31 January.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Any incident like this is taken very seriously because the safety of passengers and railway staff is always our top priority."

It said it repaired the track before services were allowed to resume, and that the crossover near to Darlington North Road station had become subject to "enhanced monitoring and inspection".

The train's crew had been initially unaware of the derailment, which happened at about 13:19 GMT.

Several passengers then reported a lurch and banging as it passed over the crossover, The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The charter from Derby to Shildon was owned by ROMIC Group and operated by Rail Adventure UK.

RAIB said the track under the train failed, resulting in the rails spreading apart and allowing several wheels to drop into the space between them.


The track underneath the train was found to have failed

The crossover carried very little traffic, RAIB said.

Network Rail records showed the last train to pass over it was a video inspection vehicle on 14 January, which recorded the track's bolts were intact.

"The derailment occurred on a relatively low speed section of track," an RAIB spokesperson said. "Although some damage was caused to track components, which required repair, no passengers or staff were injured, and there was only minor damage caused to the train involved."

'No estate agent will touch our Water Orton home due to HS2'


A total of 11 properties on Attleboro Lane have reported damage caused by HS2 construction

People living in a Warwickshire village on the path of HS2's railway line from London to Birmingham have described the "devastating" impact the project is having on their lives.

Linda Franklin and her husband Ed had planned to downsize their home in Water Orton once their three daughters had grown up but said, because of how close they live to the construction, "no estate agent will touch it".

The retired nurse, who lives on Attleboro Lane, claimed vibrations caused by heavy machinery had damaged their property: "It's destroyed our home, I'm embarrassed about home, it's falling apart."

HS2 said they engaged regularly with the local community and tried to minimise the local impact of the works. But 59-year-old Franklin said she had been "fobbed off" by the company.

The couple, who have lived at the property for 29 years, have cracks in their plaster, floor tiles, wall tiles and ceilings and have been quoted £7,000 for repairs. She said HS2 had acknowledged that it caused the damage, but only offered to pay half the cost when she submitted a claim. "I dread coming home, it's just destroying every part of it", she said.

When they have looked into selling their property, the feedback from estate agents was negative. "The minute they know where we are, they've said categorically because of HS2 they can't market it, nobody will put a mortgage on it, the only way we'll get a buyer is a cash buyer," Franklin said.

The couple are not prepared to sell their home below market value which means they are "stuck, we're just in limbo".

"On a good day it's frustrating, on a bad day it's devastating, I could cry", she said. The huge delays to the project have also added to her misery, she said, adding: "It feels like there's no end to it, there's no way out of it all."

Last year, the government confirmed the high-speed rail project would not be completed as planned by 2033.

HS2 said they acknowledged some people would experience effects as a result of construction and urged residents to continue to talk to local engagement teams.

(BBC article continues)

The Railway Gazette seem to have pulled all their Go Op articles ....

Hello! What’s the best train route to get from London to Liverpool?

Flying to Amsterdam in July. What is the best mode of transportation from the airport to a hotel across from the central train station?

How is Ireland right now? Are there issues?

Big trip planned with a tour company for Italy, France, Austria, Germany. Afraid to book it as to what’s going on in the world. Have never been to Europe!!

Just stating to think about a river type cruise in Norway. Any real life experiences out there to share?

I am very interested to see what this group can enlighten me about travel for older folks, other tips & ideas to make travel easier.

I’m hoping some of the travelers out there might be able to help me. I am  a senior doing my first solo. I may have bit off more than I can chew. l arrive at terminal two Manchester and I need to get to the train station to continue on Birmingham. I’ve tried to watch a few videos and YouTube and I’ve tried to do some research on Google but it’s very overwhelming.

Is it worth it to buy a woman’s woolx t-shirt  for 10 days in May in Ireland?  They are pricy. Does it really not smell after multiple wearings?

Do I have to have the Real ID to travel via airline within the United States or will my Passport be sufficient?

Where are the best ancient Egyptian art collections in Europe?

Open access passenger train start-up Go-op Co-operative says 'a hostile investment environment' has so far prevented it from raising the ...

Lighthouse has been the wrong colour for 160 years


Part of the red lighthouse in Watchet is set to be repainted

A lighthouse will be repainted as it has been the wrong colour for more than 160 years, a council says.

Somerset Council said the Watchet landmark's red colour meant it was not compliant with the navigation system used in UK waters, which calls for sea-facing structures on the starboard side to be green.

The council said the red paint had "the potential to cause confusion for vessels during daylight hours or restricted visibility" and near-miss incidents had been reported. It added painting the sea-facing panels of the structure green, while leaving the others red, had been agreed "as a proportionate solution that balances navigational safety with local sensitivities".

The lighthouse was built in 1862 at a cost of £75 by Hennet, Spinks and Else of Bridgwater, based on a design by James Abernathy, whose work was chosen over that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The light emitted from the building is green and can be seen as far as nine miles (14.5km) out, but Watchet's harbourmaster Captain Jessica Tyson said green paint would help the building itself be identified correctly by seafarers.

As first reported by the West Somerset Free Press, the issue was discussed at a meeting of the town's harbour advisory committee which followed a 2025 inspection of the lighthouse by Trinity House - the designated lighthouse authority in the UK.

This inspection found the lighthouse's colour did not comply with regulations set out by the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation.

Watchet's mayor, Loretta Whetlor, said the change in colour was needed to ensure the town complied with the body's rules. Whetlor, who is also chair of the harbour advisory committee, said the front panels of the lighthouse would be painted green and the back could be left red, which she thought would look "quite nice".

Somerset Council said it had a legal responsibility to ensure the safe navigation of vessels entering and leaving the harbour. No instruction to carry out the work has yet been issued yet, the council added.

With many thanks to IndustryInsider for his update post here, may I also resurrect a parallel topic, at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=31490.0 ?

I remain keen to do this, particularly now we have some rather warmer weather and more daylight.  Any takers?

CfN.

I did manage a trip to the area at the end of last month taking some images with a view of returning in a couple of years to see how it has changed.
...

The X4 bus provided an excellent means of achieving all this as it stops near to all locations I needed to visit, which also included Pill and the site of the old station at Ashton Gate .  The main hinderance of it being that I had to walk a mile or so from Temple Meads to catch it from The Centre stop, and on the way back a similar length of walk from Bower Ashton to Parson Street station.  That does though demonstrate that the two services should be able to co-exist and complement, rather than compete, with each other as there will be a clear winner depending on where you are going to.

I can certainly recommend it to forum members as an interesting way to while away a day as there's plenty of things both new and old to see.

Road lowering at 'most bashed' bridge near Hinckley set to start


Lorries regularly misjudge the A5 Watling Street bridge's height

Long-awaited work to try to prevent lorries striking a low bridge dubbed "Britain's most bashed" is to start in the summer.

Developers have confirmed plans to lower the carriageway of the A5 Watling Street, near Hinckley in Leicestershire, under the railway bridge.

Network Rail figures have shown the bridge was struck 22 times between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, confirming its status as the most bashed bridge in the country.

A temporary traffic regulation order, published on Wednesday, said the road lowering would be part of a wider series of highways works set to start on 5 May and take up to a year.

Hinckley and Bosworth MP Luke Evans said he had been told the road lowering would take place in the summer holidays over a two-week period.

The road-lowering plan was approved when permission was granted for a large logistics park near the bridge in June 2023.

Developer Mountpark said it would fund the project. The firm's senior development director Tom Kilmister said the order had been agreed with National Highways.

"The schedule of works includes delivery of the new signal-controlled site access, upgrades to Dodwells Roundabout, enhanced pedestrian and cycle connectivity, and the lowering of the A5 carriageway beneath the railway bridge," Kilmister said. "By addressing this long-standing bottleneck, Mountpark will deliver lasting improvements to safety, reducing disruption and improve reliability for the local community and the wider road network."

Kilmister said the firm was working closely with Network Rail, National Highways and Leicestershire County Council highways bosses on the scheme.

Under the proposed works, a 40mph speed limit will be imposed on the A5 between its junctions at Hammonds Way and Dodwells Road.

The traffic order allows the contractors to close the road overnight between 20:00 and 06:00 over periods while undertaking work.

Project manager Craig Tiernan told the BBC the road lowering would take place "over the summer" with the exact dates to be confirmed.

The road is a major trunk route and diversions will be put in place to send traffic down the M69, M6 and M42.

Evans said he understood the road would be closed "over a short period of a couple of weeks during the summer holidays" to allow the works to be carried out. "Our area has been waiting for so long to get the issue of the Watling Street bridge sorted. There will be disruption while these works take place, but I'm sure we can all agree that sorting this bridge is long overdue. This is short-term pain for long-term gain."

A National Highways spokesperson said: "National Highways has received notification of some initial preparation works to start this spring. However, we do not yet have any details of when the main works will start. This will need to be confirmed by the developer Mountpark."

Under planning conditions agreed with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Mountpark has said it would lower the road before it starts operating its new warehouse complex. However, the firm has submitted planning documents saying the highways improvements are forecast to be complete by March 2027.

It has applied to vary the condition to allow Tesco to start using a unit at its new complex from September 2026. The supermarket giant is set to relocate from its nearby distribution centre in Dowells Road.

County councillor for the area Ann Pendlebury said: "It's good news they are committing to the bridge work. But I think it would be unwise to let them change the planning conditions. There's an agreement and it should be stuck with."

Kilmister said the recent application "seeks to allow Tesco, the occupier of Unit 1 at Mountpark Hinckley, to continue progressing towards its occupation from September 2026 whilst working around the sequencing of the highway works."

He added: "Once Tesco relocates, the existing Dodwells Road facility will become vacant. As a result, there will be no material increase in traffic flows on the local road network in the short term. Tesco's existing operations are currently not impacted by the low railway bridge on the A5, meaning there is no increased risk of bridge strikes arising from the phased occupation."

That gives a 404 error....

This, from the Railway Gazette

https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/open-access-train-start-up-blames-funding-challenges-on-a-hostile-investment-environment/70487.article

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 is being delayed between Stroud and Kemble and is now expected to be 11 minutes late.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.

NEW research has found making a train journey in Britain can be survived and even enjoyed if the passenger has drunk enough.

A study of the UK’s trains, from rural routes to commuter trains, shows that once eight or more units of alcohol have been consumed it becomes a magical ride of stimulating new destinations, mysterious announcements and meetings with strangers.

Professor Henry Brubaker, of the Institute for Studies, said: “There’s nothing wrong with our overpriced, antiquated rail network that can’t be fixed by the warm fuzziness of aluminium-wrapped alcohol.

“Once lightly pissed, being in a long box fired randomly across the countryside becomes a mellow experience. Your slumped face can vibrate against the windows in a happy haze, just as the Victorians intended when they built them whacked-out on laudanum.

“Stations drift past cheerfully. The couple you’re unwillingly sharing a table with become fascinating. Even the toilets are fine when you’re urinating as freely and erratically as all their previous users.

“Whether the night train to Aberdeen, the 4.35pm to Didcot Parkway or a 6.30am commuter train into Liverpool Street, it’s just like mother said: booze is best.”

Market analyst Helen Archer said: “I drank a bottle of prosecco on the way to work in Leeds and woke up in Llanelli. So same as normal, but with prosecco.”

Thanks, Graham - images emailed to you.

For info I did try on two browsers, Firefox and Edge, and got the same result both times.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59 will be starting late from Westbury.
This is due to a broken down train.

10:36 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07

10:36 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids due 13:07 will no longer call at Westbury but will call additionally at Frome.
It is being delayed at Westbury.
This is due to a broken down train.

I have taken a look at our server operations and nothing out of the ordinary is being flagged up.  I can't be sure what the issues is (but I can make half a guess) - if you can email me the pictures I can take a look / have a go - complete the post, and also (maybe) offer an explanation; that will be this afternoon.   " graham @ sn12 . net "   

More than two people every day are injured on our network because they take risks running for trains, obstructing train doors and carrying excess luggage on escalators.

Our new film, Travel Safe with Diane Morgan, explores the inner dialogue we are all faced with at train stations, which can sometimes tempt us to make the wrong decision in order to save time. However, these quick decisions can have devastating consequences.

Watch the video [at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xpt375MZO8]  and see if you can recognise some of the behaviours being demonstrated. Hopefully, next time you’re at one of our train stations you’ll think twice before chancing it for a train.

Wasn't there to be a concerted effort from NR and contractors to fix the many long-term infrastructure issues on the Paddington the Reading main line?  What happened to that?  Failures seem to me to be as frequent as they ever were