17:34 London Paddington to Hereford due 20:25 has been cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

One dead after bus carrying British tourists crashes in Canary Islands, officials say


The bus pictured after falling down a ravine in San Sebastián de La Gomera

A man has died and 27 others have been injured after a bus carrying British tourists in La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, crashed into a ravine, local emergency services have said.

The vehicle fell from a height of 10m near the San Sebastián de La Gomera, according to Spanish news outlet El Mundo.

There were 28 people on board, emergency services 112 Canarias said in a post on X, including 27 British tourists and one driver.

It said the injured people have been taken to hospital, with three in a serious condition.

Most have been taken to Hospital Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, on the east of the island, while two seriously injured people have been helicoptered to hospitals in neighbouring Tenerife, 112 Canarias said.

A medical helicopter and five ambulances were deployed to the scene, it added.

The bus was travelling on the GM-2 road before crashing in to the ravine.

It's a mountainous road with sharp turns, and an image shared by the emergency services appears to show it crashing near a hairpin bend.





Head of emergency operations in La Gomera Héctor Cabrera told public broadcaster TVE the bus passengers "were staying at a resort" on the island.

President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, offered his "support to the victims and their families".

13:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 14:25

An additional bus service has been planned to operate as shown 13:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 14:25.

New initiative to 'transform' canal towpath access


The River Kennet in Newbury

A new initiative is set to improve access to a waterside and the surrounding areas, says a council.

West Berkshire Council, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, the Canal and River Trust and Greenham Trust are working in partnership to develop and deliver access improvements to the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The long-term initiative, called "Reimagining the Kennet & Avon Waterside", will aim to create "a safe, traffic free, high-quality walking and cycling route" along the canal.

The council says the initial phase will see "significant" investment between Newbury Football Ground and Goldwell Park, with planned improvements including an upgrade to a 220-metre section of existing Nation Cycle Network path.

Other improvements include remedial works to the towpath and bank between Town Bridge and Victoria Park, as well as signing, lining and related works on Northcroft Lane between the town centre and Goldwell Park.

The proposed improvements will add to schemes already delivered in the district, according to the council.

The partnership also aims to upgrade other waterside sections in Newbury, Thatcham, and Calcot.

Justin Pemberton, West Berkshire Council's executive member for community engagement, economic development and regeneration, devolution and local government reorganisation, said: "Our canals are an important part of Newbury's identity. They bring people together, support wildlife, and create valuable green spaces for everyone to enjoy. The work we are carrying out along the canal is helping to protect this historic environment, improve access, and keep the area safe and welcoming."

The Greenham Trust says the "ambitious" project aims to transform how people experience the canal and ensure its free access "to all for many years to come".

Tourism worries after delay to new Harry Potter train season


The Jacobite steam train and the Glenfinnan Viaduct appeared in the Harry Potter films

The operators of a train famous for its role as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films have warned of a delay to the start of its new season.

West Coast Railways' (WRC) Jacobite steam train operates on the iconic West Highland Line from Fort William to Mallaig. It has sought a safety exemption to use old-style Mark 1 carriages that are popular with its customers, but the application needs to be reviewed by the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Business group West Highland Chamber said the rail journey was a "vital economic engine" for the area and added it had already received reports of some visitors cancelling accommodation due to "uncertainty" around the new season.

WRC said it had not sold tickets or set a start date for the new season. In the past the service usually started running in March or April.

WCR supplied film-maker Warner Bros with the locomotive and carriages for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter film series. The West Highland Line's historic Glenfinnan Viaduct also featured.

The rail journey has been described as one of the world's most scenic, and is popular with railway enthusiasts as well as film fans.

WCR was in a long-running dispute with the ORR about having to install central locking on its Mark 1 carriages to prevent passengers from opening doors when the train is moving.

Boss James Shuttleworth told BBC Scotland News the system would be installed, but this would take time and it had applied for an exemption to use the carriages meantime. He said exemptions had been successfully secured in the past, with stewards manually locking doors.

Shuttleworth said for a few seasons it had used more modern Mark 2 carriages, which have central locking. But he said a decision had been made not use them this season because of their reduced capacity, and that they also require a diesel locomotive at the back to provide power to an air conditioning system.

He said using Mark 2s had resulted in lost income, and customer feedback showed a preference for the Mark 1 carriages.

Shuttleworth said details on the start of the new season would be released as soon as they were available.

The ORR said no agreement had been reached on an exemption and the application was being reviewed.

West Highland Chamber said it recognised that the Jacobite steam train had played an important part in the local hospitality and retail sectors for many years.

A spokesperson said: "The Jacobite steam service is more than just a rail journey; it is a vital economic engine for the West Highlands. While we are encouraged by the news that West Coast Railways is working toward a 2026 start date with their traditional Mark 1 rolling stock, we cannot ignore the impact that uncertainty has already had on our business community.

"We have already seen reports of cancellations across local accommodation providers due to the initial lack of clarity. Therefore, while a delayed start is not the ideal scenario, it is a far better outcome than a total suspension of service, and we welcome the progress being made on safety upgrades."

The spokesperson added that the chamber hoped to work collaboratively with WCR during this and future seasons.

12:17 Westbury to Swindon due 12:59
13:14 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57

13:14 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train earlier today.

Borders Railway extension business case due by late 2027


The Borders Railway opened in September 2015

An outline business case for extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle should be delivered by late next year.

Funding for a feasibility study into taking the line past its current Tweedbank terminus was confirmed more than a year ago and campaigners have voiced frustration at the amount of time the process is taking.

A report to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) said it was hoped that consultants could be appointed by early next month.

It said the business case process would take about 18 months to complete although it said it would be working with everyone involved to see if timescales could be reduced.

The Borders Railway between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank was officially opened in September 2015.

There have been repeated calls since then to extend it on to Carlisle.

Both the Scottish and UK governments agreed to share the cost of a £10m feasibility study in 2021 as part of the Borderlands Growth Deal.

Turner and Townsend were appointed as senior project manager in March last year.

Consultancy work to support the strategic outline business case (SOBC) is currently out to tender with appointments expected next month.

That work has been estimated to cost about £1m to complete in order to deliver an "extremely robust" case.

A report will be brought back to the council to confirm the appointment of consultants and a dedicated web page is under development on the council website to provide regular updates on progress.

8 becomes 17 in May as the enhanced Newquay service begins.

Departures from Newquay for Par are currently at 07:19, 09:24, 11:24, 13:24, 15:24, 17:24, 19:24 and 21:12.

From the timetable change they become:  07:19, 08:22, 09:20, 10:28, 11:30, 12:17, 13:25, 14:27, 15:36, 16:18, 17:27, 18:22, 19:20, 20:28 and 21:12.  In addition there's two summer trains on weekdays to London at 11:08 and 14:52...correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they only run (or not run as the case often was) at weekends last year?

Lorry tips on side after striking Newport, Essex railway bridge


Emergency services attended the scene of the crash in Newport, Essex

A lorry was left leaning on its side after it struck a low bridge that carries the railway line to London.

Cambridge Road in Newport, Essex, was closed overnight, after the incident was reported shortly after 00:00 BST.

Images released by the fire service showed the lorry partially propped up by the side pillar of the bridge after it tried to drive under. The bridge has a height restriction of 4.3m (14ft, 3in).

Railway services have been running as normal during the morning commute.


Engineers were called to assess the bridge, but trains were operating normally through the area on Friday morning

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 is being delayed between Salisbury and Warminster.
This is due to a fault on a train in front of this one.

The BBC have now amended their article, with an explanation:


I was wondering about that claim, It will take 7 minutes to get to the cricket ground

08:18 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.

Oxford Street pedestrianisation gets go-ahead from Sadiq Khan with traffic ban this summer

Buses, taxis and cyclists will be banned from western section of Oxford Street from summer 2026

The part-pedestrianisation of Oxford Street has been formally approved by Sir Sadiq Khan – with traffic due to be banned from this summer.

The London mayor authorised the changes on Thursday morning, paving the way for Transport for London to make the nation’s most famous high street traffic-free between Selfridges and Ikea.

Sir Sadiq decided not to make any changes to the draft plans that went out to public consultation last November, despite hundreds of respondents opposing the changes, which will increase congestion on side roads and require 15 bus routes to be curtailed or diverted.

The mayor believes the pedestrianisation scheme – which will include a ban on cyclists – will boost Oxford Street’s attractiveness to shoppers, visitors and tourists.

(The Standard article continues)

NI group wins grant to develop self-driving buses


The grant is part of a government scheme for self-driving feasibility studies

Ballymena-based Wrightbus and Queen's University are part of a consortium which has won government funding to help develop self-driving buses.

It is part of a government scheme which has awarded grants of up to £250,000 to self-driving feasibility studies.

Other projects include studies into autonomous freight vehicles and driverless shuttle operations across NHS sites.

Limited self-driving bus experiments have already been carried out in several cities around the UK.

That included the Harlander, a self-driving minibus which operated on a short route in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

The Wrightbus feasibility study is not aimed at getting a fully self-driving vehicle on the road immediately.

Instead it will take a "phased, evidence-driven approach to test what works" and use that to make it safer and easier to introduce self-driving passenger services in the future.

Dr Andy Harris, head of research and data analytics at Wrightbus, said it was about developing a "credible, commercial business case for the future of autonomous public transport".

A number of companies are aiming to have self-driving taxis on UK roads by the end of this year.

Waymo, a US firm, said it hopes to be operating a robotaxi service in London by September.

The firm, which is owned by Google-parent Alphabet, already has vehicles mapping the city's streets with a safety driver at the wheel.

Now pushed out to 1100

"The problem affects 2 of the four lines between London Paddington and Reading, so we are having to reduce the train service through the area to avoid congestion. Local stopping services between London Paddington and Newbury will only run between Reading and Newbury. Most longer distance intercity services will continue to run between London Paddington and Reading, but may be subject to delay.
We are working with Network Rail to be able to return to running our normal timetable as soon as possible".
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