From RailUser Express ("RUX may be forwarded, or items copied") January 2026

Dear Graham,

We promised to keep you updated on the impact of recent storms on the rail network. We're very grateful for the patience of our customers and communities over the past week as we've dealt with substantial flooding and damage to the railway, and the resulting impact on our train services.

Currently, the Barnstaple, Okehampton, Newquay and Looe lines remain closed. All four of these routes have substantial damage due to flooding and landslips. Our teams are working very hard each day to get these lines safely reopened as quickly as possible, but in some cases have not yet been able to assess damage because flood levels are too high and the flow of water is too fast.

As it stands, we hope that the Barnstaple and Okehampton lines will reopen for passenger services on Tuesday 3rd February, though this is subject to change. We are now able to run an hourly all stations replacement bus, an hourly direct Barnstaple-Exeter replacement bus, and a two-hourly Okehampton to Exeter replacement bus. Capacity is limited so we're asking customers to consider if their journey is necessary before setting off. Full details including ticket acceptance on local buses is available here and our team are updating journey planners as soon as possible.

The Par-Newquay line also remains closed due to flooding, and we anticipate rail services will not start again until Monday 2nd February at the earliest. Replacement buses are in operation, running from St Austell instead of Par, and we also have ticket acceptance on local buses.

Finally, the Looe line also remains closed due to damage caused by storms and flooding. This closure is expected to last until next week at the earliest and again we have replacement buses and local ticket acceptance in place.

Customers should continue to check their journeys at www.gwr.com/check or through our social media channels. With flooding still in place and saturated ground, it is possible that further rain will result in more disruption and we will of course keep you updated.

Any help you can give to share this amongst your networks would be much appreciated, and if there's any questions you may have please do not hesitate to let us know.

Transport for London has ruled out reviving a "lost" London Underground station which shut due to a lack of passengers. Commuters in Ongar, Essex want Central line services which currently terminate in Essex to be extended to the previous terminal which was axed in 1994.

Passenger numbers had dropped throughout previous decades until just 85 people a day were using it. London Regional Transport, which ran the Central line until TfL took ownership in 2003, was losing so much money the Ongar stationmaster remarked it would be cheaper to buy each passenger an Austin 7 car rather than keep it open.

However, local leaders are now calling on TfL to reinstate the line to help Epping Forest District Council keep pace with Government housebuilding targets. Speaking at a committee meeting on Tuesday (January 27), Ongar councillor Tom Bromwich said: “We're looking at a different reality.

Thinking of where in the Coffeeshop area people would like to send (in a positive way) the Inspiration Train. Not sure what it needs by way of length of platform face and of course it needs not to bring the network to a halt... Parkend?

Mark

Hmmm. I wouldn't describe a Hastings Diesel as able to 'glide'.... [Image from here is not available to guests] [Image from here is not available to guests] [Image from here is not available to guests]

Community Rail Network is excited to announce the shortlisted entries for the 2026 Community Rail Awards.

The Awards, now in their 21st year, recognise the vital work carried out by community rail partnerships, station friends and other community groups working to connect communities with railways and stations. 

Organised by Community Rail Network, the Awards recognise a diverse array of projects that support stronger, greener, more inclusive communities, served and connected by their railways and the wider sustainable transport network.

The winners will be announced at a high-profile awards ceremony in Derby on Thursday 19 March 2026, supported by headline partners East Midlands Railway.

RAILFUTURE WESSEX

Rf Wessex hopes that when every TOC in the south is operating under the GBR brand, some of the direct links that were lost with privatisation could be restored: Brighton - Southampton trains extended to Bournemouth; Waterloo – Salisbury to Bristol, and some Reading - Basingstoke shuttles to Salisbury. There must be many other examples around Britain, where direct connections could be restored once the accurate division of fares income is no longer an issue.

As of December 2025, the government announced a new fund for local bus services, the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG). Somerset Council has been awarded £4.3 million for each of the next three years. Through the Somerset Bus Partnership, we have submitted a request for £150k to cover the entire cost of the pilot service for the first six months and to add a buffer to ensure the trial lasts for at least 12 months (see details of funding requirements below).
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The decision on the allocation of these funds is due shortly. If you get an opportunity to talk to your local councillor in the coming days, expressing your support can only help.

Due to flooding between Exeter St Davids and Crediton all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Exeter Central and Barnstaple via Exeter St Davids have been cancelled.

If your journey is essential, limited rail replacement services are now operating between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple only, due to road conditions we are unable to serve intermediate stations. As this is so limited and due to the conditions of the roads, these will be roughly every 2 hours at approximately half past every even hour from Barnstaple (e.g. 10:30, 12:30). - this is a direct service to Exeter st David’s no stops

Very good idea,although hoped the time table would be flexible so if the train is running late,
the bus would still wait a reasonable time to connect for the journey to Glastonbury

The obvious to me with a local concentration of identical stock are the Thames Valley branches to Windsor, Marlow and Henley.

Bus driver sacked after chasing and punching thief

A London bus driver who chased a thief and punched him unconscious has been sacked, following a tribunal.

Mark Hehir, who told the hearing he was seen as a "hero" by the public, was driving the 206 bus for Metroline, which runs between Wembley and Maida Vale in north-west London, when a man stole a passenger's necklace.

Hehir gave chase and retrieved the necklace, but said the man returned to the bus to confront him, and threw "the first punch". The tribunal heard Hehir responded in self defence and then restrained the man for almost "half an hour".

Metroline told the hearing the man had returned to the bus to apologise and that Hehir had used an "excessive use of force". The men were both arrested, however Hehir was subsequently released and told he would face no further police action.

The day after the incident on 25 June 2024, Hehir was suspended from duty and told to attend an investigation.

At a disciplinary hearing, he was told the allegations included "bringing the company into disrepute by physically assaulting a passenger" and that he also "failed to protect his and his passengers' safety by leaving the bus unattended with engine running and chasing an assailant".

Hehir told the hearing that "he had acted instinctively in running after the (man)" and that he had left the doors open and the handbrake on.

The hearing was shown a note from a detective which said "the claimant had used force which was proportionate and necessary in the circumstances in the defence of himself and the female passenger".

Operations manager Alina Gioroc, who had heard the disciplinary case, told the tribunal she believed "that the (man) returned towards the bus with the clear intention to apologise and shake hands with the female passenger".

Gioroc continued: "When the (man) intended to shake hands with the claimant, the claimant pushed the (man) away rather than stepping away himself, and the (man) had not been aggressive until this point."

She found the restraining of the man for almost half an hour to be an "excessive use of force and disproportionate", the tribunal heard.

Gioroc concluded that each allegation was found and decided the claimant should be dismissed without notice for gross misconduct.

A tribunal held in Watford upheld Hehir's dismissal and said that the "genuine belief of the disciplinary and appeal managers that the claimant was guilty of gross misconduct was held on reasonable grounds and was within the band of reasonable responses open to an employer in the circumstances".

We’ve all been there. You reserve a seat on the quiet carriage and suddenly a man is watching football out loud or a gang of women crack open M&S tinnies.

But have you ever had someone preach the word of Jesus as you try and relax during your two hour journey?

A young woman, named Tessy on her X account, recorded herself quoting verses from the New Testament to her fellow passengers on the Avanti West Coast service.

She can be heard saying: ‘Hello everyone, I know this is a quiet zone so I’m just going to take two minutes.

‘I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and he came to die for you. And he says: “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

[Image from here is not available to guests]
Tessy preparing to preach to the carriage (Picture: X/@nubianqueentess)

‘If you haven’t accepted Jesus into your life today you can call him and say Jesus, I want you in my life. And he will come. He will come into your heart, he will fill your heart with love.’

In typical British fashion, no one dared be deemed rude enough to interrupt her speech. But the footage does show an obvious attempt to avoid eye contact with Tessy at all costs.

Fellow Christians have been quick to praise her for her bravery, calling her ‘inspiring’.

One person commented: ‘Quiet zone section and you still stood up to share the gospel! Truly inspiring! This gospel of the Kingdom, must be preached EVERYWHERE….That’s our driving force!’

Another added: ‘On these same British trains, you see drunkards shouting, beggars going from carriage to carriage asking for money, football hooligans singing, etc, but you’re angry that she’s telling people Jesus loves them?’

But the majority of comments were quick to ask Tessy to ‘never do this again’.

‘You can’t win the heart of people because you’ve already irritated them. They are in the quiet zone for a reason,’ one wrote.

Another said: ‘Faith is personal; disrespecting others’ peace isn’t holy—it’s performative.’

What are the (written and unwritten) rules of travelling in the quiet carriage?

On the Avanti West Coast website, ‘Quiet Coaches’ are described as a place where passengers can sit ‘without being disturbed’.

The site states: ‘Need a quiet break away from the bustle of train travel? On our Pendolino trains, you’ll find our designated Quiet Coaches in Coach A.

‘Here, you can unwind, catch up on work or enjoy a rest without being disturbed.’

This tends to mean no playing music out loud, and no having a screaming contest with your travel companions.

But even this seems like a lot for some people to process, so Metro took a look at some of the unwritten social rules for sitting in a quiet coach.

The unwritten rules of travelling by train in the quiet coach

- Food choices – anything that has a strong smell, is hot or particularly crunchy can wait to be eaten when you are not in a confined moving metal box.
- Phone calls and Facetimes – just don’t do them. Elsewhere on a train will be more acceptable, but a quiet coach is for minimal movement of mouths.
- Children – controversial, but if you have a child who is not old enough to remain reliably quiet, they are not old enough to graduate into the quiet coach. If they can only play on their iPads with their volume on high, that is also a sign to sit elsewhere.
- Snoring – if you fall asleep knowing you have sleep apnea, prepare for fellow passengers to get irritated.
- Wearing headphones – this is a must if you plan on listening to music or watching a show while travelling. Absolutely no one cares about your football team’s latest loss, so don’t force us to learn about it.