Slough bus station, which has been derelict since it was gutted by fire in October 2022, is to be sold-off by the council.

The local authority reached a settlement with insurers last September but received significantly less money than it had been hoped for.

The borough council said it would cost more than £14m to return the distinctive building to its former state, money it says it simply does not have.

It will now be sold off to developers, leaving councillors with far less say on what it might be turned into.

The station was opened nearly 15 years ago as part of the £450m Heart of Slough regeneration programme.

The curved aluminium structure was designed with a nod to one of the town's most famous sons, the scientist William Herschel, and was inspired by wavelengths of light from one of his experiments.

Keeping the now derelict building safe and secure was costing the cash-strapped council £19,000 a month, a figure it said was unsustainable.

Trainline closed for repairs after landslip

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The track near Battramsley suffered a minor landslip

A trainline will be closed for emergency engineer works after the route suffered a minor landslip following Storm Goretti.

Passengers travelling between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier will need to use a replacement bus service, while Network Rail engineers repair the track near Battramsley.

The rail firm said buses will run every 30 minutes on Saturday and every 60 minutes on Sunday adding that any further service changes for the start of next week will be confirmed in due course. Travellers have been advised to check their journey before they travel and allow extra time.

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Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, Tom McNamee, infrastructure director, said: "We're very sorry for the additional disruption and the short notice of this line closure. We understand that closing the Lymington branch line will be frustrating for passengers and it's not a decision we've taken lightly." He added that they are doing everything they can to get the railway back open as soon as possible.

Network Rail said engineers spotted movement under the track over the festive period and had planned to conduct permanent repairs at the end of February. Strong winds and heavy rain from Storm Goretti led to a landslip which forced it to bring the works forward.

Experts will install a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment that the railway is built on. These sheet piles will act as a solid barrier, holding the slope in place and stopping the earth from moving.

Once the repair is complete, one train per hour will run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier at a reduced speed. Engineers will monitor the area of the landslip before returning to the normal service of two trains per hour.

The government has said which stations shortlisted for funding in the Access for All (AfA) programme will be progressed.

Out of 50 applications where feasibility work had been announced, eight are moving directly to delivery and 23 are progressing to detailed design.

That leaves 19 which won’t be moved forward at present.

Those moving to delivery are: Ash Vale, Colchester, Port Sunlight, Thirsk, Walton (Merseyside), Bellgrove, Aigburth and Rock Ferry.

The 23 moving to detailed design are: Battle, Bodmin Parkway, Bredbury, Castle Cary, Dalston Kingsland, Dorchester South, Esher, Falkirk Grahamston, Flowery Field, Gunnersbury, Hedge End, High Brooms, Kew Bridge, Kidbrooke, Marden, Newton for Hyde, Raynes Park, Ruabon, Shotton, Swanwick, Ulverston, Wymondham and Yeovil Junction.

The 19 which have failed to receive further funding are: Bushey, Chinley, Church and Oswaldtwistle, Dudley Port, Dumbarton Central, Inverurie, Leagrave, Ledbury, Maidstone West, Neath, Sileby, Sleaford, Small Heath, South Croydon, Stamford, Stroud, Upminster, Whitchurch (Shropshire) and Wivelsfield.

Hendy also said five legacy projects at Beaconsfield, Brondesbury, Cricklewood, Ockenden and Palmers Green are also being deferred, the first two to Control Period 8 and 2028/29 respectively and the others indefinitely.

/.....continues

Green Party calls for under-22s to get free bus passes

The Green Party is calling for free bus passes for everyone under the age of 22 in England to make it easier for them to travel for work and education.

The party said the policy would be self-financing because increased use of buses benefitted the economy.

However, the government rejected the idea last year, saying it was currently unaffordable without diverting funding away from maintaining current service levels.

Bus travel has been free for under-22s in Scotland since 2022, while in London children can travel for free on buses, with discounted rates for some 18-25-year-olds. Some bus companies in England also offer discounted rates for young people.

As well as helping young people access education, training and jobs, the Green Party said free bus travel would also improve access to services in rural areas, reduce car congestion and carbon emissions.

The party pointed to research by consultancy KPMG estimating that bus passengers spend £39.1bn annually in local businesses and that over 2.2 million commuters rely on buses to get to work, generating £72bn in collective income each year.

The analysis suggested that every £1 invested in bus services would yield an economic benefit ranging from £4.55 to £5.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "Young people are increasingly shut out of employment and training by the cost-of-living crisis, which often hits the youngest the hardest."

He added: "Green councillors elected in May will be using their influence to implement this scheme in their areas and we will be applying political pressure at a national level for a scheme recommended by the transport select committee last year to be made real. Free bus travel for the young is part of our mission to make hope normal again."

The party is also promising to abolish the current time restrictions on the disabled person's bus pass, making it valid 24 hours a day, and guaranteeing to keep free travel for older people with extended hours.

Buses are the most commonly used form of public transport in England, but the number of journeys has fallen over the last 10 years and has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. In the year to March 2025, there were 3.7 billion local bus journeys in England, down from more than four billion pre-Covid. Those aged 17 to 20 made the highest number of local bus trips per person.

Last year, MPs on the Commons Transport Committee also called for under-22s in England to get free bus passes.

Might be rationalisation of back office?

31 of 50 previously promised Access for All schemes to progress while others mothballed

Anonymous donor's £200,000 to restore famous loco

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The locomotive during filming of The Railway Children film which took place in various locations, including Haworth

An anonymous donor has given £200,000 towards the restoration of a famous locomotive that appeared in The Railway Children.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) will rebuild steam engine No 5775 after receiving the financial gift.

It is best known for its appearance in the classic 1970 film, which starred Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins and Lionel Jeffries. The locomotive was built in 1929 at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works but has been out of service for around 25 years.

Fran Hartley, KWVR's co-leader of the restoration project, said the donation had transformed the timetable for the work. She said: "We are incredibly grateful for this generosity. It has allowed us to begin restoring a locomotive that means so much to the railway and to the public. Our volunteers are now making steady progress and bringing this remarkable engine back to life."

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Fran Hartley is co-leader of the KWVR restoration project

No 5775, a six-wheeled pannier tank engine, operated across south Wales on Great Western Railway routes before being withdrawn by British Railways in 1963.

It was sold to London Transport where it became L89 and worked on engineering and maintenance trains across the capital. In 1970 the engine was saved for preservation and moved to the KWVR.

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The No 5775 steam engine has not steamed since 1999 and is now in parts

It was repainted in the fictional livery of the Great Northern and Southern Railway for its film role. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1999 in need of a major overhaul and spent many years in storage before returning to the charity's Haworth base for assessment.

Earlier this week the first tranche of a £5m pot of government money to upgrade the KWVR was released by Bradford Council, which administers the funding. The original funding was announced as part of a £19.8m Levelling Up deal for Keighley in 2023.

The charity's chairman, Matt Stroh, said: "We've worked closely with the team at Bradford Council and this is a great way to start the new year. We are delighted to be moving forward with these transformative plans. It will serve as the foundation for securing further investment, driving tourism, creating local jobs, and enhancing community pride."

The £50,000 released will pay for a feasibility study, including the appointment of a project manager, covering infrastructure upgrades, signalling improvements, track restoration, and facility enhancements.

It was posted elsewhere last night by somebody inside GWR that Max 4 car trains can visit Paignton due to signalling constraints following the derailment.
Cross country only use 4 car to Paignton, that is why GWR Iet are the only ones that don’t use the north crossover. They’re the only booked trains longer than 4 car.

Thanks to this thread I discover I'm hazy about where the national rail system ends in that part of the world and where the heritage rail begins.

Also, not entirely convinced that the national rail system should reconcile to having Paignton as the terminus of that line - there should at the least be an appropriate scale park and ride at Churston. Oh, & shared use for the Brixham branch trackbed as far as the edge of Brixham deserves priority funds at a national level.

Mark

PS Ah, something stirs: https://brixhamrailwaytrail.org.uk/

It was posted elsewhere last night by somebody inside GWR that Max 4 car trains can visit Paignton due to signalling constraints following the derailment.
Cross country only use 4 car to Paignton, that is why GWR Iet are the only ones that don’t use the north crossover. They’re the only booked trains longer than 4 car.

175007 out in public use today on 2C49 12.42 Plymouth - Penzance and 2P24 15.15 Penzance - Plymouth

Thanks to this thread I discover I'm hazy about where the national rail system ends in that part of the world and where the heritage rail begins.

If it's south of Sands Road level crossing then it should not affect the length of train to four cars. Except for GWR IET's most trains including Cross Country use  a shunt move via the north crossover to get from platform 1 to 2.

If is a problem for 9 car trains they would probably be diverted to Plymouth to reverse or kept at Newton Abbot for a an hour and half. Been done before.

(TfL are blaming an OLHE problem, could quite conceivably be both I guess given the state of the infrastructure)

If it's south of Sands Road level crossing then it should not affect the length of train to four cars. Except for GWR IET's most trains including Cross Country use  a shunt move via the north crossover to get from platform 1 to 2.

If is a problem for 9 car trains they would probably be diverted to Plymouth to reverse or kept at Newton Abbot for a an hour and half. Been done before.

So long will it take to sort that out?

Nothing from Wolverton in the past two hours. Maybe they have gone to get some clear cello tape. Perhaps the tide is in at Dawlish when the train is due?