Model Britain announces the Establishment of Its New Advisory Board - 20 February 2026

Model Britain has formally transitioned from concept to structured delivery with the convening of its inaugural Advisory Board. This milestone establishes the governance framework for a project set to become one of the UK’s most ambitious cultural and educational attractions.

Model Britain’s vision is to Explore, Imagine, Inspire. The project will be a large-scale, permanent indoor miniature attraction celebrating British history, innovation, and landscapes. Developed at substantial national scale, it is designed to operate at significant visitor capacity and to offer an immersive experience that blends excitement with deep educational value for children and adults alike.

The attraction will include a structured education programme aligned to national curriculum themes, supporting history, geography, design and technology, and STEM learning for school groups nationwide. The project enters development at a time of renewed national focus on the UK’s experience economy and regional tourism growth, positioning Model Britain to contribute meaningfully to both cultural and economic priorities.

And the number is.......? 

How to contact us. You can call The Sarah Hope Line on 0343 222 5678, Monday-Friday 08:00-18:00 (call charges may apply). A voicemail service operates outside of these times. You can also reach us by email at SHL @ tfl.gov.uk

Surely if you'd purchased an advance single for (for example) London to Penzance from the GWR website and the train was cancelled, there's no reason for GWR not to automatically pay delay/repay as there is no way you could have got to your destination without incurring at least an hour's delay?

Sarah Hope helpline for TfL injured into 10th year


Sarah Hope set up the service to support people 'on the hardest days of their lives'

A helpline for people injured in or affected by incidents on Transport for London (TfL) services has marked its 10th anniversary.

Sarah Hope set up the support service following a bus crash in 2007 in Richmond, south-west London, which killed her mother Elizabeth Panton, 65, and injured her and her daughter Pollyanna.

More than 600 individuals and families have used the Sarah Hope line over the past decade, according to TfL.

"I just wanted there to be kindness, because for us in the system, there was no kindness," Hope said.

Hope has said previously that the first time she received an apology over the crash that killed her mother was in 2014, seven years on. She said: "The Sarah Hope Line has stood beside people on the hardest days of their lives...every call reminds us that behind every incident is a real person and a family who deserve to be heard."

Nevgul Bicakci, a Sarah Hope Line user whose daughter was killed in a bus crash in 2024, said: "I think for victims it's a huge thing because basically you are a number…but you just want to be heard. You want to feel like someone is there to [say]…don't worry, your daughter is not a number for us and we understand what you are going through. And I felt it with Sarah Hope Line."

The Sarah Hope Line involves a team of nine providing tailored emotional and practical support, such as financial help or trauma counselling.

To mark the anniversary, TfL, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Sarah Hope attended a commemorative event on 16 February. Khan said: "The Sarah Hope Line has provided vital support to Londoners affected by serious incidents on our transport network over the past decade, and I want to thank Sarah for her strong campaigning which made this service a reality."

16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:18 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

Well, that all went horribly wrong: England 21-42 Ireland. 

Bearing in mind the way things are going at Twickenham (7-22 at half time, and still going downhill), they may be asking themselves whether it was worth getting there. 

Chris from England.

No reason ... other than that I started putting the OTD data set together with the slightly unusual, then searched on the dates that were missing to see what I could dig out in the more conventional.   Guess Charlie came out tops!

I will add Trevithick to my data set ...

I understand that that is the idea eventually, yes - in that payment will be automatic eventually, eventually - which says to me that you'll book yourself onto a train before boarding so they know the train(s) you have caught. That's the only way I can see in order to be auto-payout.

Lines have now re-opened but passengers from Reading for the Six Nations were being advised to go to London Paddington, cross to London Waterloo and get to Twickenham that way.

Will one of the benefits of GBR be that all applications for compensation when things have gone pear shaped will be to a single place and this complexity will be no longer?

In our most ambitious instalment yet, today we’re launching Five and the Dragon Quest - the latest chapter in our Famous Five: Adventures Start Here campaign at Great Western Railway (GWR).  The story draws on the myths and legends that have shaped the South West and Wales for generations, reimagined for a modern audience and rooted firmly in the places our railway connects every day.
 
The 60-second hero film, directed by Oscar and BAFTA-winning animator Peter Baynton, debuts on ITV this evening, and sits at the centre of a fully integrated approach across cinema, TV, VOD, radio, out-of-home and social. Each channel has a clear role – building awareness and distinctiveness while driving leisure demand across our network.
 
Nine years on, this creative platform continues to demonstrate that long-term creative investment delivers significant commercial return. It was recently recognised by the Advertising Planning Group (APG) for Long Term Thinking and shortlisted in the Sustained Success category at the Effie UK Awards.
 
This only happens because of the people behind it – colleagues across Great Western Railway, particularly Helen da Costa Chloë Ravat Amy Davies Dan Panes and our partners at adam&eveDDB, Mindshare UK and VCCP Roar.

From Thomas Lydon GWR

Key GWR App Changes (Feb 2026):

Log-in Required: A full password reset is necessary.

Ticket Loss Warning: Existing bookings made before the change may not appear in the new app; users are advised to have their booking references ready.

Reduced Booking Capability: Only one journey (single or return) can be booked per transaction initially.

PAYG Updates: Pay-as-you-go customers must confirm bank card details to continue usage.

Functionality: While some features are reduced, the app still supports mobile e-tickets and live, seat-location guidance.

It is recommended to check the app and web updates closely, as some functionality may be limited during the transition

From the Daily Record


One hopes that there will be exceptions for people joining at Achnashellach, Beasdale, Culrain, ... or ticket machine that will accept cash and cards installed at those stations.

ScotRail to charge ticket dodgers £10 minimum fare



ScotRail is to charge ticket dodgers a minimum £10 fare in a bid to crack down on people deliberately boarding a train without paying.

The charge will be more than the standard fare ticket on most shorter journeys.

It would see someone travelling from Bishopbriggs to Glasgow Queen Street paying £7 above the £3 pre-bought charge.

It will not apply where the cost of the ticket is already more than £10, but passengers will still have to buy before they board to qualify for any other discounted rail travel.

ScotRail estimates fare evasion costs the state-owned railway more than £11m each year.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail's customer operations director, said the move was aimed at "ensuring fairness for honest, fare-paying ScotRail passengers". He added: "Every pound lost through fraudulent travel is money that would have been reinvested into the railway, and we will take robust action to deal with those purposely avoiding payment. With more staff in place across the network, increased checks at stations, and the use of enhanced data analysis, we are reducing instances of ticket fraud year-on-year."

Exclusions to the £10 minimum fare charge will be:

- For customers who hold a national entitlement card

- If a ticket office in a station is closed

- If a station doesn't have a ticket office or ticket vending machine (TVM)

- If a customer has a registered disability that prevents them from using TVMs

Staff will have the discretion to issue the minimum fare depending on the customer's circumstances

Customers who can only pay with cash would obtain a "promise to pay" ticket from a TVM and then purchase a ticket from on-train staff.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "While around 95% of passengers already travel with a valid ticket, it is only right that ScotRail can take action against those who seek to avoid doing so."

ScotRail say "a period of education" for passengers will be launched from 1 April before the full scheme is rolled out in July.

ScotRail to crack down on fare dodgers by introducing £10 minimum fare

"The introduction of a minimum fare will target the small number of customers who don’t buy a ticket before they travel."

Been into Bristol from Bradford on Avon twice this week, at peak hours to connect to other services.

On all 4 trains, lots of people standing and the middle seats of the 3s in use.  All were services to/from Salisbury and formed of 3coach 16x turbo.

From my limited sample size appears these particular trains (0703 Salisbury-Bristol and 1701 Severn Beach - Salisbury) need to be lengthened to 4car, but as the 175 introduction in Devon and Cornwall seems to have stalled, where can they get stock from?

In a way I am glad that railway is getting busier, but not if DfT are still stuck in covid mindset and cannot enhance services, so get uncomfortable journey.

Four hurt after double-decker bus topples over



Four people have been taken to hospital after a double-decker bus veered off a road and rolled on to its side.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said officers were called just before 07:50 GMT to reports of a vehicle leaving the road at Marshcombe Shute, Brading, Isle of Wight.

The bus operator Southern Vectis confirmed there were three passengers as well as the driver on-board at the time and police said they sustained minor injuries. All four have been taken to St Mary's Hospital in Newport.

Officers have closed the road up to the junction with the B3395 and have advised drivers to take alternative routes.

"The circumstances behind this incident are currently unclear, and we are working with police as they begin their investigation.

"Our focus, right now, is on the wellbeing of the driver and passengers on-board," Richard Tyldsley, Southern Vectis general manager, said.