16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06
 
16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:06 is being delayed at Melksham and is now expected to be 11 minutes late.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Fourteen treated after 'chemical smell' at Farringdon station


Emergency services were called to a suspected gas leak earlier after passengers reported feeling unwell - Image © Luke Wooding

Fourteen Elizabeth line passengers have received medical treatment – and two have been taken to hospital – after a "smell of chemicals" was reported on a platform at London's Farringdon station.

The station was evacuated and closed but reopened at 11:35 BST after London Fire Brigade (LFB) checked the area and found no elevated readings for any chemical substances.

The British Transport Police (BTP) initially said the closure was due to a "suspected gas leak".

Emergency services were called to the scene, including armed police officers.

The Elizabeth line is now running with severe delays, Transport for London said.

LFB said: "Crews attended and carried out a sweep of the area to check for no elevated readings of any chemical substances. No elevated readings were detected. Fourteen people were treated at the scene with two of those people taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service as a precaution."

Two fire engines, two fire rescue units and specialist officers were deployed and the scene was declared safe by 11:35, the brigade added.

BTP said it believed a "small number of people potentially came into contact with an unknown substance". It said armed police attended the scene as part of the response by the emergency services, which is "typical during a significant incident and should not cause undue concern to the public in this case".

Trainee driver crashes bus into River Seine


The local transport authority said drug and alcohol tests taken by the trainee had come back negative - Image © Reuters

A trainee drove a bus into the River Seine after hitting a parked car and veering off the road on Thursday morning, officials have said.

The local transport authority told the BBC the driver was nearing the end of her "practical learning" during the incident in Juvisy-sur-Orge, some 20km (12 miles) south of Paris.

Drug and alcohol tests have come back negative, a spokesperson said, and the cause of the incident is currently unknown.

L'Esson prefecture said all four passengers on board had been rescued from the water, where more than 90 firefighters, divers and police took part in a recovery operation.

A spokesperson for Île-de-France Mobilités said the driver was accompanied by a "lead driver" and two passengers. Its president has ordered an internal investigation into the incident, it added.

Local politician Claire Lejeune wrote on X that the bus fell into the Seine "with four people on board, including a trainee driver" and thanked emergency services for their response.


The French river brigade was among the agencies to respond to the incident - Image © Reuters

Juvisy-sur-Orge Mayor Lamia Bensara Reda said the driver had "lost control" of the vehicle near a station close to the riverbank, "before plunging into the Seine and dragging a parked car" with it. "Everyone was quickly rescued and, thankfully, is safe and sound," she added in a post on Facebook.

L'Esson prefecture said the number of casualties was still being finalised.


The bus could still be seen in the river as of 11:00 local time, AFP reported - Image © Reuters

An eyewitness told French news agency AFP the bus missed a right turn near the river and instead "went straight on and dragged a car down with it".

Bystanders rushed to the scene and life rings were thrown out before emergency services arrived, 55-year-old Elisabeth said.

Another witness, 19-year-old Amine, said it felt as though "every firefighter in the department was there".

AFP reported that several rescue boats, a drone and helicopters were deployed as part of the recovery effort.

The local government shared a video at around 14:00 of the bus being pulled out of the river, and said the car had also been been retrieved.

Woman and child in near miss at level crossing

Network Rail has issued a safety plea after a woman and young child were filmed ducking under a level crossing as the barriers were closing in Derbyshire.

The footage, shared on social media, shows the pair dashing across railway tracks as the warning lights flash and the barriers begin to lower at Tutbury and Hatton Station, on the Derbyshire-Staffordshire border at 15:22 on Saturday.

Brandon Roberts, who filmed the video whilst trainspotting, said he was in "disbelief" at what he saw.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "This kind of behaviour is deeply concerning and could have had tragic consequences."

They added: "Level crossing barriers and warning lights are there for good reason. Ignoring them not only endangers those taking this action, but also puts train passengers, railway staff and other members of the public at risk too. One poor decision can change lives forever."

Depends on the day. Once MK-OXF EWR is open, then it'd simply be two changes, from May 18th.

MKC - OXF
OXF - BRI
BRI - EXD

If theyu went today -

MKC - EUS
PAD - EXD

17:05 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:24 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on a train earlier.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on a train earlier.

Disruption has been reported between Bristol Temple Meads and Chippenham.

Train services may be delayed after leaving due to a speed restriction because of high track temperatures.

I notice that BP have made bumper profits ... have to wonder where the extra income goes.


A barrel of oil is 159 litres. So at £1.85 / litre (diesel at the place up the road) you are looking at £294 ( = almost $400) per barrel - that's 3.5 times price at the pump that it costs on the world market.    Put the other way round, the world price is still only 50p per litre, marked up in Melksham to £1.85 ...

Facilities on the 08:18 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:26.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9. Service full and standing from Oxford. First class is declassified. There are no reservations on this service.

'… and seeing how the residents feel after a while”

I can save RF some time there. They'll continue to be reduced or ex-users of the bus services and will have poorer life opportunities as a result. Some may become 'Disgruntled voters'. Good that the MD of Go-Ahead has met with residents and is moved to investigate suitable vehicles for the route. I hope he comes up with something. Difficult to imagine that they wouldn't be useful elsewhere too - nearest to Mousehole I'm thinking of the 16 Penzance to St Ives via... lanes... that used to use an Optare** too.

Mark

** Apologies if it wasn't and I'm simply calling all small buses 'Optares'...

The crude oil price has now reached $125 ! No significant shortages as yet.
If this carries on, I perceive some risk of shortages, of transport fuel and also of natural gas.

7 pints per day will provide all the B6 needed.  This is excellent news