That rather reminds me of at least two occasions, many years ago now, on which I (inadvertently, honest!) flooded the coffee machine at grahame's hotel, in breaks during meetings there.  I was just trying to 'top up' my preferred cappuccino into my existing mug, rather than using a fresh one for the measured dispense.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham refuses to back third runway at Heathrow

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has refused to say whether he backs a third runway at Heathrow after it emerged that the expansion of the London airport could be delayed by up to four years.

Burnham - who, as Mayor of Greater Manchester, opposed the project - told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: "I think principally, it's a matter for London and Londoners."  He added: "I think we ought to hear the voice of people there first. It's not right for me to just jump straight in on the back of the consultation."

Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves had championed the runway to boost the economy, with a schedule to open by 2035 but Heathrow indicated on Saturday it may not be operational before 2039.

As Manchester's mayor, Burnham had been against the project over concerns that it would delay investment in transport for the north. When he took office, he said he was "open-minded" about the scheme.

As he prepared for his first annual Labour Party conference as prime minister, Burnham said: "There's a consultion but there are different views and you have to take those views seriously in coming to a decision."

In response, Heathrow said: "We agree with the prime minister that local voices must be heard. We know from consistent polling over the last decade that communities support our plans for expansion and support is only growing over time."

The project, estimated to cost £33bn, has attracted opposition from environmental campaigners and local resident groups as well as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

A third runway would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers and rerouting a section of the M25 motorway through a tunnel.  But it is estimated it would create 100,000 jobs and provide a major boost to the UK economy.

The number of flights from the site, currently capped at 480,000 a year, could go up to 720,000, or nearly 2,000 a day on average.

A new runway has been backed by the unions Unite and the GMB.

Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary said: "A third runway at Heathrow is essential and we need to get going with it.  This is more than just infrastructure. It's about investing in the workforce, securing the future of good, unionised jobs and a guaranteed market for UK steel."

Earlier this weekend, Heathrow conceded that meeting the original deadline would be increasingly difficult without further steps to simplify the planning process.  It said it hoped to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway "within a decade".

The Department for Transport said the timeline had "always been ambitious" and it would continue to work with stakeholders "at pace" on the matter.

Hmm. 

That rather reminds me of at least two occasions, many years ago now, on which I (inadvertently, honest!) flooded the coffee machine at grahame's hotel, in breaks during meetings there.  I was just trying to 'top up' my preferred cappuccino into my existing mug, rather than using a fresh one for the measured dispense.

However, it all worked out rather well in the end: despite my mistakes, I am now an admin on this forum. Sorry about that.     

CfN. 

New Barrhead railway station welcomes first passengers


The new Balgray station has opened in Barrhead - Image © Network Rail

A new railway station in East Renfrewshire has opened its platforms to passengers.

The £18.3m Balgray station in Barrhead connects people in the town with Glasgow city centre, with the first train arriving about 08:50.  Services will run every 30 minutes between Balgray and Glasgow Central, stopping at the likes of Whitecraigs, Mount Florida and Cathcart.

The station should also make it easier for visitors to reach local attractions, including nearby Dams to Darnley Country Park.  An 80-space car park with electric vehicle charging points has been created alongside the station, while new walking routes link to homes and local paths.

Liam Sumpter, managing director of Network Rail Scotland, said the new station would make "a real difference to everyday life" for locals.  "The community has been at the heart of this project in the lead up to opening day, and we hope Balgray continues to be a valued part of the area for years to come, helping people connect with the places and opportunities that matter most to them," he said.

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail's managing director, said the station will make it easier for people to travel for work and leisure.  "It will play an important part in encouraging more people to choose rail, as an alternative to travelling by car, helping to reduce congestion on our roads," she said.  "Balgray is a great example of how investment in the railway can better connect growing communities and we're proud to be a part of delivering a station what will serve this area for generations to come."

Funding for the station came as part of the Glasgow City Region city deal, with £7.87m each from the UK and Scottish governments and £2.57m from East Renfrewshire Council.

The project was delivered ahead of schedule and within budget.

One of the interesting "first impression" things an interviewer gets is to whether the interviewee has read (and followed) directions in the invite for interview.  I never did it, but I can quite imagine asking in the call for interview for someone to arrive with a drink for [him/her] and for the interviewer (mine is a long Americano without milk or sugar, medium strength).  A key marker at interview is whether any directions / suggestions have been noted and followed.

This has been the subject of a long discussion on RailUK.  The points made include:

• It is owned by HAL who make a profit from it so why would they want to close it?

My personal view, again. 

In a previous employment (financial services, office based), I did a bit of recruitment interviewing of applicants.  If any of them had turned up with a takeaway coffee, I would have been startled, thinking "they're not taking this seriously".


CfN. 

Back in the day when I was recruiting for an IT consultancy I would have been horrified if an interviwee had turned with a take away coffee.
I am also surprised by some of the comments in the article (and elsewhere).  If the job market is tight then I would expect an applicant to work towards meeting the expectations of the interviewer who is probably older with their own expectations.

US President Donald Trump said those arrested were "looking to do big damage", adding: "We had them under view for a long time, and we got them."

A resident, after three suspicious vehicles were seen in the village in the early hours of Sunday morning:

“Evidently, they phoned the airbase police, who didn’t answer the phone,” he said of the person who reported the sighting. “It just rang out so she dialled 999.”

I think the authopr is a member here? Good man is Graham!

16:48 Bristol Temple Meads to Castle Cary due 18:02
18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34
19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25

19:43 Swindon to Westbury due 20:25 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

Thousands of Sussex homes without water and roads closed after burst pipe


Areas of Crawley are flooded and about 9,000 homes have water supply issues - Image © Eddie Mitchell

Thousands of homes in parts of West Sussex have water supply issues and a number of roads have flooded after what police are describing as a "significant" leak.

Roads around the Southgate Roundabout in Crawley have been closed on Sunday morning due to the burst water pipe, Sussex Police said.

Southern Water said around 9,000 customers were impacted and it was setting up bottled water stations.  A company spokesperson said: "Our teams are on site and working as quickly and safely as possible to repair the burst and restore supplies."

The company said customers were experiencing a loss of water supply or low pressure in the following areas - Woolborough Road, Holmcroft, Southgate, Tilgate and Furnace Green.  It reported at 12:00 BST that supplies had returned to some homes.

The Southern Water spokesperson added: "Restoring water to customers as quickly as possible remains our highest priority."

John Boulton, who is 82, and his partner are without water.  He said: "It's pretty disgusting, really - we pay so much for the water supply."

Boulton said he had just paid £22 for bottled water in a shop.

(BBC article continues)

Reports are coming in of a "major incident" at RAF Fairford.
Suspects have been detained, and several charged with offences under the explosives act.
A number of residents have been evacuated.

There seems no likelihood of direct consequences for food or fuel supplies, but it another example of the threats that we face, that could have wider consequences.

suggested viewing "The fourth protocol"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fourth_Protocol_(film)

As I understand it, the current track layout means that HEx paths can't just be used for more Lizzie trains instead, other than for (little needed) non-stop trains to Paddington only. HEx runs on the fast lines into Paddington main line station so taking them away wouldn't help access to the slow lines or the Lizzie core; trying to use the paths for a different purpose might well just add more conflicting moves and make things worse. It might I suppose give a bit more resilience for fast GWR trains. No doubt Heathrow's owners would have cried foul if a different layout had been proposed with an unspoken aim of eventually reducing/removing HEx.

Is something wrong in the Pool of London this morning - Waverley hasn't left yet?

Cruise cancelled as Tower Bridge cannot give a time scale for the repair.
We are all getting off again

10:52 Westbury to Swindon due 11:35

10:52 Westbury to Swindon due 11:35 is being delayed between Trowbridge and Melksham.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.