You can never simply walk up & get on - even without luggage.

That woud certainly explain why the DfT now refuses to countenance upgrading the Aylesbury Vale parkway to EWR line then, if they can't allow trains via PRR from EWR

Isle of Sark (Channel Islands). 

just wondering if there any countries in the World that don't require a driving licence

Not sure if this is the correct thread...

A woman who was attacked on a Tube train in central London has said she was then left standing on a platform for a "harrowing" 30 minutes because no one answered the emergency calls she made from a help point.

Sally Wynter said she had been left traumatised after being punched by a stranger on a busy Victoria line train on 27 March, but her attacker was able to get away because she could not raise the alarm.

Ms Wynter has written to Sir Sadiq Khan - who has overall responsibility for the Tube network - describing the intercom system as a failure and urging him to "fix it now".

City Hall has apologised, saying it was unacceptable her calls were not answered and an investigation had begun.

Ms Wynter told BBC London that as her train had approached Green Park station at about 16:30 GMT, she "suddenly felt a punch to the right side of my right arm.  I was pushed into the glass by a stranger that I hadn't seen before," she said, adding her attacker then got off the train.

When she got off the Tube at the next stop, Oxford Circus, she was "in shock" and pressed the emergency button on the platform's intercom "at least four times", expecting a member of staff to respond and then try to stop the assailant.  She said when she received no response, she had tried to contact British Transport Police (BTP), but could not get an urgent response.  She then called 999 and was re-directed to BTP, but gave up and left, she added.

BTP said officers attended the station after being made aware of the incident and conducted a search for the victim.  As they could not find her at the station, a telephone statement was arranged for later in the evening.  The force added that a man from south London was later arrested and bailed in connection with the assault.



It was later reported to police that a child had been attacked at Green Park station shortly after the assault on Ms Wynter, by a man of the same description.  Ms Wynter said she believed it was the same attacker and the second assault could have been prevented if her calls had been answered.

Help points, which include a fire alarm and buttons to call for assistance and for in an emergency, are installed across the Tube network.

Ms Wynter said her situation highlighted that the system failed to help passengers in need, which she said was "very dangerous".  "There's a variety of reasons people use these points and it's quite clear to me that the way these help points are set up is antiquated - these systems don't integrate properly into the campaign around what people should do."  She added: "I was lucky in the sense that I was away from my attacker but it could have been so much worse.  It's an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. "



In a letter to Ms Wynter, London's Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said passengers on TfL's network "deserved to feel safe" and have "confidence that if things do go wrong, help is always available".  Mr Dance added he was "deeply saddened" about what happened and invited Ms Wynter for a meeting.

In a statement, TfL said: "We are investigating as a matter of urgency why Ms Wynter did not get the help she should have and have reached out to her to offer support."

Man shot dead by police at railway station named



A man shot dead by police officers at Milton Keynes railway station has been named.

David Joyce, 38, was from the city and was killed on Tuesday after police responded to reports of a man with a gun at the station. It later emerged he was carrying a knife.

Thames Valley Police said a single shot was fired by an officer and Mr Joyce was given first aid, but died at the scene.  The force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which named Mr Joyce and is carrying out an investigation into the case.

The IOPC said Mr Joyce was formally identified at a post-mortem examination on Thursday morning. The provisional cause of his death was a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The watchdog said it had already viewed a "substantial amount" of CCTV and police body-worn camera footage of the incident.  It said it had "established that, at around 13:04 BST, the man was just outside the railway station main entrance with a knife in his hand, and ran towards officers".  Shortly afterwards, Mr Joyce was shot at close range.



The investigation team said all officers who attended the scene were being treated as witnesses.

Derrick Campbell, the IOPC director, said: "Given a man has died after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions and decisions taken by the police.  We have obtained details of some members of the public who witnessed the incident who we will be contacting.  However, we know there were many people near the station around the time of the shooting and we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the incident or has footage of it."

The DfT explicitly ruled out ‘cross-country type’ services via EWR, this was done before the TWA process got going, and is mentioned in the TWA inspector’s report.  The same section of the report included removing through services from EWR into Marylebone via Princes Risbrough and High Wycombe. 

Track workers avoided being struck by a train by two seconds after they unintentionally went to the wrong location, an investigation has found.

The Y197 Northern train was travelling at 78mph (125km/h) from Chesterfield towards Nottingham, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

A report said the near miss happened about 2.4 miles (3.9km) north of Alfreton railway station at 07:26 GMT on 27 November 2024.

Investigators said: "The near miss occurred because the controller of site safety (COSS) unintentionally blocked a section of line at Codnor Park Junction, while the group were on site at Morton Junction."

The RAIB said when the line blockage was being arranged, neither the signaller nor the COSS had realised the group was not at the location that was to be blocked by the protecting signals.

The COSS, a role which ensures safe practice for work on or near railway tracks, reported they had "unknowingly used a safe work pack (SWP) for a different location" to where the work group was actually located.

A SWP is a plan to ensure a safe system of work is in place before work begins.



As the train approached and sounded its horn, the COSS and two track workers who were standing on the track moved clear of the path of the approaching train with two seconds to spare.

The report said the workers were "obscured from the driver's view" until about five seconds before the train reached them.  This was due to the train approaching them around a curve and because of the poor visibility caused by low light and heavy rain, the report added.

The COSS reported the near miss to the signaller at 07:28. The driver instructor supervising a trainee driver reported the near miss to the signaller when they arrived at Alfreton railway station one minute later.  At 07:31, the signaller rang the COSS to lift the line blockage using the details that had been previously agreed. It was at this point that the COSS realised that the signal numbers used related to Codnor Park Junction, not Morton Junction.

RAIB investigators said: "The near miss occurred because the COSS unintentionally blocked a section of line at Codnor Park Junction, while the group were on site at Morton Junction, around seven miles (11.3 km) to the north, on the same route.

"This meant that the section of track the group was accessing was still open to rail traffic, placing them at risk of being struck.  Had the COSS used the SWP for this briefing, they would almost certainly have realised that the incorrect pack was being used before the group went on to the track.  The COSS gave protecting signal numbers and a named location, both of which were repeated back by the signaller. Despite this, the discrepancy between the protecting signals and the location was not noticed by the signaller, who granted the line blockage."

The workers - which comprised the COSS and five track staff - were employed by Network Rail as local maintenance staff.

A Network Rail spokesperson added: "After the near miss at Morton Junction in November, an investigation was carried out, resulting in a number of actions and recommendations for improvement.  A safety stand-down was held, with front-line staff being involved in discussions about the lessons learned.  The safety of our colleagues, passengers and train crew is our top priority."

The DfT explicitly ruled out ‘cross-country type’ services via EWR.
**snip**

I wrote to my MSP and asked her to raise it with Fiona Hyslop, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport. Here is the response that I received from the Cabinet Secretary a couple of days ago.

Re: Altnabreac Station

Thank you for your e-mail dated 10 March 2025 on behalf of your constituent regarding Altnabreac railway station.

The temporary closure of the station is regrettable but necessary to guarantee the safety and security of railway staff and passengers. However, I am glad to inform you that there has been progress on its reopening which I will outline below.

Network Rail has confirmed that they plan to install tactile paving on the platform at Altnabreac railway station on the night of 28 March 2025 and will shortly write to local residents to notify them of these works. Following this, ScotRail has confirmed to my Officials at Transport Scotland that they plan to carry out the works required to allow services to resume which includes the installation of a new help-point and reinstatement of the Station furniture on 30 March 2025.

These works are safety critical and are a necessary pre requisite to any further progress towards re-opening the station. Notwithstanding previous issues, the British Transport Police will work in collaboration with industry partners to ensure safe access to the station for these works to be carried out.

When it is safe to do so, the station will be re-opened. Appropriate communication and marketing will beundertaken in advance of this date by Scotland’s Railway.