Oh - the same irony that rail franchising is declared dead and the TOCs will be nationalised, whereas flavour of the month in bus operation is a network designed by the public sector, with routes or areas operated by franchises?

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:23
Facilities on the 05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:23.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9.
Last Updated:17/03/2025 06:12

Here is an interesting 1990 photo of the Batheastern & Swainswick bypass (looking towards Bath).   Those parts got built, by the link to A36 in left foreground was dropped due to local opposition

https://bathintime.co.uk/image-library/image-overview/poster/20931/posterid/20931.html

But it wasn't (overturned)

The question from the OP was why was the penalty reduced to zero, rather than the penalty cancelled/overturned.

Summary

At around 20:00 hrs on Saturday 14 December 2019, a train driver became trapped between two trains in the yard at Tyseley maintenance depot, Birmingham. The driver received fatal injuries as a result.

The driver became trapped because he was passing between two closely-spaced trains when one of the trains was moved towards the other as part of a coupling operation. The driver had not used a safe route when he was walking within the yard, and almost certainly did not expect that the trains would move as he passed between them. Another driver, who was attempting to couple the trains, was unaware that anyone else was close to them. He did not sound a warning prior to coupling because local instructions did not require this.

RAIB’s investigation identified that the depot operator, West Midlands Trains, had not adequately considered the risks faced by drivers on depots. The investigation also found that Tyseley depot is operating at or beyond its capacity at night and that West Midlands Trains’ management assurance processes had not promoted safe working practices.

Recommendations

RAIB has made two recommendations as a result of the investigation, both addressed to West Midlands Trains. The first recommendation is that West Midlands Trains ensures that effective assessments are carried out of the risks to those walking and working in depots, yards and sidings and that suitable measures are in place to control these risks. The second recommendation is that West Midlands Trains reviews its safety assurance processes to ensure that unsafe working practices within the company can be effectively identified and their causes addressed.

The investigation has also identified six learning points for the railway industry:

* the first two learning points warn duty holders and railway staff of the dangers of being in close proximity to railway vehicles

* the third learning point reminds duty holders that authorised walking routes must be made known to staff

* the fourth learning point reminds duty holders of the importance of assessing the capacity of depots relative to the operational demands placed on them to ensure that they can be operated safely

* the fifth learning point is that results from brake tests and other safety critical examinations are routinely checked and understood by competent staff

* the sixth learning point covers the importance of screening staff members involved in accidents for the presence of drugs or alcohol in accordance with the relevant procedures.

Simon French, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said:
The death of any member of railway staff on duty is a tragedy. As we publish RAIB’s investigation report into the accident which took place at Tyseley depot in December last year, my thoughts are very much with the family of the train driver who died as a result.

This sad accident highlights how dangerous depots and sidings can be. When I started on the railway in 1982 one of the first things that was drummed into me was to take care around vehicles, and to only go under or between vehicles when you were quite sure they were not going to move. That is as true now as it was then. No matter how bad the weather, don’t be tempted to make a quick dash through a small gap. It could prove fatal.

In a depot like Tyseley, trains are maintained and serviced in readiness for their next duty. Train drivers are required as part of their normal work to take trains into depots for these activities to take place. They will also carry out the final preparation of trains and take them out of depots afterwards. We found that the department within the train operating company responsible for managing traincrew and the department responsible for the servicing and maintenance of trains were not working well together. This meant the company as a whole did not understand or sufficiently manage the risks posed to drivers who were working or walking in depots. The company was also not taking effective action to deal with unsafe actions in depots. Good safety management requires both an understanding of risk and spotting when things are not being done properly, and then doing something about it.

No: he was found clinging to the outside of their vehicle.  The article makes that clear.

Not fully understanding how fines and convictions work in this case.... I guess there is a distinction between 'reducing the fine to £0' and dropping the case altogether?

32 Penalty for carrying clandestine entrants.

(1)A person is a clandestine entrant if—

(a)he arrives in the United Kingdom concealed in a vehicle, ship or aircraft,
(aa)he arrives in the United Kingdom concealed in a rail freight wagon,
(b)he passes, or attempts to pass, through immigration control concealed in a vehicle, or
(c)he arrives in the United Kingdom on a ship or aircraft, having embarked—

(i)concealed in a vehicle; and
(ii)at a time when the ship or aircraft was outside the United Kingdom,

and claims, or indicates that he intends to seek, asylum in the United Kingdom or evades, or attempts to evade, immigration control.

10.—(1) A notice may be served on a person under regulation 9(3) by:
(a)delivering it to that person;
(b)leaving it at his proper address;
(c)sending it to his proper address by first class post in a prepaid registered envelope or by the recorded delivery service;
(d)facsimile, sent to his usual or last known business facsimile number;
(e)electronic mail, sent to his usual or last known business electronic mail address.

Burst pipe disrupts debut of new Alton Towers ride



Alton Towers' new ride Toxicator had to shut on its opening day when a pipe burst and brown liquid leaked out.

Park staff were inundated by frustrated riders, who took to social media about the problem at the Staffordshire park, on Saturday.  The theme park said rides were suspended for about two hours after the pipe burst, which bosses said was "unrelated to the new ride".

"Due to an unexpected burst pipe near the ride, Toxicator briefly paused operation whilst our teams swiftly dealt with the issue," a spokesperson said.  "The ride and surrounding area are now fully reopen and welcoming guests."

... and Wales were well and truly stuffed.

Oops - I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that out loud. 

Chris from England. 

Depends on your definition of NHS England body

My reading of the debate is that Labour are re-nationalising the railways, and re-nationalising ... erm, the National Health Service.

 

We can now expect the RMT to get even more militant under Dempsey’s watch.  And it might be a long watch as he’s still quite a young man.

Fine cancelled for motorhome couple who found migrant



A couple who were fined £1,500 after they reported a migrant had clung to a bike rack on their motorhome have been told the penalty has been cancelled.

The Home Office had ordered Adrian and Joanne Fenton, from Heybridge in Essex, to pay the fine for "failing to check that no clandestine entrant was concealed" in the vehicle as they crossed the English Channel.

Mr Fenton said Border Force had now told him it had taken his objection to liability into consideration and reduced the fine to £0.

The couple originally highlighted the case on BBC Three Counties Radio, and Mrs Fenton said she was "ecstatic" about the Home Office's change of heart.


The couple say the stowaway was found under a bicycle rack cover

Mr Fenton, 57, had boarded Le Shuttle from Calais to Folkestone in Kent on the evening of 15 October, after they had been travelling around France.

Mrs Fenton, 55, told the JVS show on BBC Three Counties Radio that, after a six-hour drive, her husband had unzipped the cover of the bicycle rack and found the migrant inside.


Mrs Fenton said the migrant told police he was 16 and from Sudan

The couple said they called the police to tell them they had found the stowaway. Mrs Fenton said the boy later informed the police he was 16 years old and from Sudan. They then received an email saying they were being fined.

Mrs Fenton argued that the man had been clinging to the outside of the motorhome rather than being inside it. Mr Felton said he had thought he had done the right thing by calling the police. The couple have now received an email from Border Force, which is part of the Home Office, reducing the fine to £0.

Mrs Fenton said: "It's about motorhomes and caravaners coming through the borders - how many more people are going to get caught out exactly the same?"

Her husband added: "We don't want anyone else to go through what we've gone through. If someone does call the police because they've got someone discovered in their motorhome, Border Force shouldn't even be considering fining them because everyone's doing the moral and the right thing."  He said the Home Office should "be looking at their policy and make sure that it's fit for purpose and not targeting holidaymakers".

Mrs Fenton said the couple would still take their motorhome abroad but would be "ultra careful - there'll be no covers over the bike rack".