... I am loving roaming around Scotland with you this evening.

Cold health alert issued as temperatures fall across the UK


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During Monday night temperatures dipped as low as -7.2C (19F) in the Highlands and Tuesday night could bring similar figures across parts of eastern Scotland.

Although earlier warnings for snow and ice expired on Tuesday morning, the Met Office warned commuters to remain vigilant due to the risk of black ice and slippery conditions.
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Exc: Ministers are considering plans to scale back “delay repay” refunds for late running trains.

Insiders say the move will be presented as a way to standardise differing compensation schemes, as the government’s nationalisation drive ramps up.

But ideas under consideration include “levelling down” to LNER levels - meaning no money back for delays of up to 29 minutes.

Taken together with plans for automating compensation means it is hoped the cost would be revenue neutral.

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be starting late from Gloucester.
This is due to trespassers on the railway.

Five injured as Swiss train derails in heavy snow


The derailment happened near the village of Goppenstein - which is under an avalanche warning

Five people have been injured after a train derailed in southern Switzerland, in an incident that could have been caused by an avalanche, police say.

The derailment happened near the village of Goppenstein - which is under an avalanche warning - around 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT), officials said. All 29 passengers have been rescued, while one of the injured was sent to hospital, police said.

Switzerland has experienced heavy rain and snow in recent days, and the country's Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research says the avalanche risk is very high across the alps.

"According to initial findings, an avalanche may have crossed the tracks shortly before the train passed," police stated, adding that the public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation. "Five people were injured. One of them was taken to hospital," police added.

The regional commuter train was on its way from Spiez to Brig when it derailed.

Goppenstein, a key hub for road and rail transport, sits at the exit of the Lotschberg rail tunnel. The train derailed as it was exiting the tunnel, police said.

The region is under its second highest avalanche warning - level four of five. Heavy snow also resulted in 50 people being evacuated from the village of Orsieres, near the French border.

Skiers have been warned by authorities to stay on the marked slopes, and those walking in the mountains should also check avalanche bulletins before setting off.

Last month, a German man was killed in an avalanche, and four other people were injured, as they were cross-country skiing in the Swiss alps.

Dual nationals face scramble for UK passports as new rules come into force

When Jelena returns home from a "holiday of a lifetime" travelling around South America later this year, she faces being told she can no longer enter the UK.

The British-Latvian dual national is among those who say they have been caught out by upcoming changes to passport rules for dual nationals, which are due to kick in on 25 February.

Entry requirements for dual nationals are being overhauled as part of sweeping changes to the immigration system the government says will streamline and modernise the UK border.

But for Jelena, who has lived in the UK for 16 years, the changes are a "betrayal", and others in the same situation have told BBC News the prospect of being denied entry is causing anger and concern.

Here are how the new rules will work - and why Jelena and others like her are furious about it.

Under the existing rules, a British dual national - whose other nationality is from a country not subject to a UK visa requirement - could travel to the UK using their foreign passport. But from 25 February that will no longer be the case.

Instead, they will need to show either a British passport, or a new digital version of the certificate of entitlement to attach to their second nationality passport - and without one of them, they could face being denied the right to travel back to the UK.

Neither British passports or certificates of entitlement are automatically issued to people who obtain citizenship, which means some dual nationals have never applied for them, even if they have lived in the UK for decades.

Both documents take several weeks to obtain and there are costs too. A British passport costs around £100 for an adult, while the certificate of entitlement costs £589.

These new rules for dual nationals are linked to the roll out of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system this month, a major immigration reform which will require visitors to the UK who do not have a visa to apply for a £16 entry document before arriving.

Dual nationals cannot apply for an ETA and must meet the new documentation requirements instead, with checks now carried out by airlines when departing en route back to the UK.

The new rules do not apply to Irish passport holders but other EU citizens will be affected.

According to the latest census in 2021, 1.2% of UK-born residents were UK-other dual citizens (587,600) and 6.5% of non-UK-born residents were UK-other dual citizens (648,700).

The government has said the reforms bring the UK's immigration system into line with countries like the US and Australia. But critics say the looming deadline and a lack of communication around the changes have left people scrambling to apply for new documents, with dual nationals who are out of the country on holiday or visiting family facing the prospect of being stranded until they can acquire a passport or the certificate.

(BBC article continues)

Snow and heavy rain forecast as Met Office warning issued

A weather warning for heavy rain has been issued for England's south coast - with the prospect of snow also possible.

The Met Office said the rain could lead to some flooding and disruption to travel from 06:00 GMT on Wednesday to 08:00 on Thursday.  Forecasters said areas affected by the warning included Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

During the weather warning, the Met Office said "some snow" could fall over higher ground, mainly on Wednesday night. "Strong east to north-easterly winds will accompany the rain and or snow which could exacerbate impacts in places," forecasters added.

The Met Office said 10-20mm (0.4-0.8 inches) of rain was "expected quite widely", with a few places forecast to get up to 30mm (1.2 inches) along with as much as 50mm (two inches) possible over Dartmoor.

A separate weather warning for snow has been issued from 16:00 on Wednesday until 06:00 on Thursday for parts of Wales and central England by the Met Office.

Believe it or not... after 25 years, it's finished! Now including Scotland.

(Or, at least, as "finished" as these things ever are. I have no doubt there are omissions and mistakes but I also have no doubt people will tell me about them.  )

The seat frames are the same as fitted in standard class to the IETs, but the cushioning appears to be superior from your photos (and presumably more expensive). Seeing videos of the recently refurbished Cross-Country Voyager, which has been fitted with new seats throughout, upgraded cushions could be a cheaper more cost-effective option for improving the IETs, and maybe wouldn’t have to wait until they were over twenty years old? Indeed, it could even be presented as a GBR-inspired enhancement!

We can but hope….

Is that a more comfortable seat, or ride, or both?

Class 197 far more comfortable that the IETs (sorry)

I'd be inclined to go with the retailer for the initial financial claim, but also raise it with TfW from POV of fixing the underlying issue – either the published information is wrong or the bus operator wasn't applying the rules correctly.

What a refreshing contrast to what has gone before, and the attitude over here since 2016......

No greenway and no railway as Rosslare to Waterford route ignored – ‘Nothing is going to happen here in the next five years’

Taunton, Melksham, Blaenau Festiniog