After being frozen for over a decade, from Sunday 2 March 2025 the price of most Railcards will change to £35 for a 1-year Railcard and £80 for a 3-year Railcard. The price of the Disabled Persons Railcard will stay the same, at £20 for a 1-year card and £54 for a 3-year card.

I think there'a a bit of truth in both arguments.  There's no doubt Parkway struggles at times even with its four platforms and two goods loops, as so much has to get routed through the flat junction immediately west of the station.  You don't want to make that worse, especially if those trains are starting/terminating there and taking up valuable platform space whilst they do.

Cold snap grips UK as -20C possible overnight

Wintry weather is tightening its grip in many parts of the UK, with sub-zero temperatures expected to plunge even lower overnight and more snow forecast in some places.

Forecasters predict the coldest nights of the year over the next two days, and temperatures are expected to fall as low as -20C in some places that endured heavy snowfall at the weekend.

A fresh amber warning for snow has come into force in the South West, with yellow snow and ice warnings also in place for other parts of the UK into Thursday.

There are also 75 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 148 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England.  One flood warning and four flood alerts are in force in Wales. There are no severe flood warnings in place, which indicate a danger to life or significant disruption.  Looking ahead, the flooding and warnings are expected to reduce with no significant rain predicted in the areas experiencing flooding.

An amber cold health alert - the second-highest level - covering all regions of England is in place until midday on Sunday.  The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), warns the freezing conditions are likely to result in a rise in deaths, particularly among older and vulnerable people, and an increase in demand for health services.  They are different to weather warnings and provide early warning to healthcare providers, and suggest actions such as actively monitoring individuals at a high risk.

Dr Agostinho Sousa from the UKHSA said it was vital to check in on vulnerable people who could be "more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures".

Some people are entitled to cold weather payments to help with fuel bills. Eleven thousand people in England are estimated to have received the top-up since November ...



An amber warning for snow covering Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset is set to last until 21:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Isolated yellow snow and ice warnings spanning Wednesday and Thursday are in place across the UK, including parts of Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands, although their coverage is not as wide as in recent days.

Yellow warnings have also been issued for Wales and other parts of South West England from 03:00 GMT until 12:00 GMT on Thursday.

Rain will spread across the far south of England but there will be some snow over Exmoor and Dartmoor, perhaps as much as 10cm (4in) on Wednesday.

Snow may also fall over mainly higher ground later on Wednesday in south-east England.  The focus will switch to how far temperatures are likely to fall, particularly during the night.

Temperatures on Tuesday night widely fell below freezing, with most of the UK waking up on Wednesday to a frost.  The lowest temperature overnight was in Scotland with -7C at Tulloch Bridge. But with -6.9C in Katesbridge, it was Northern Ireland's coldest night of the winter so far.

Across England, the temperature fell to -8.4C in Shap, Cumbria, but even in southern England it was -6.1C at Benson, Oxfordshire.

In Wales, the lowest temperature was -3.8C in Bala, Gwynedd.

The wintry conditions have caused significant disruption across the UK since snow swept many parts of the country at the weekend.

Hundreds of schools were closed in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including schools in Yorkshire, Merseyside, the Midlands and Aberdeenshire.

Extensive flooding caused some local roads to remain shut on Wednesday in Lincolnshire, while Northern Rail also confirmed no services would stop at Gathurst station near Wigan.

Most flights are running again after they were temporarily halted at airports in Liverpool, Bristol, Aberdeen and Manchester - but operators have warned some delays are still likely.

Bitter cold is expected in many parts of the UK in the coming days, with the likelihood of sharp overnight frosts.  Temperatures are expected to drop well below freezing on Wednesday and Thursday night, with forecasters expecting many parts of the UK to experience a hard frost and lows of between -3C and -10C.

In places that are still experiencing snow cover, it could be as cold as -14C to -16C on Wednesday night, and on Thursday the Pennines and snow fields of Scotland could register temperatures as low as -16C to -20C.  That would actually be far colder than was experienced at the weekend when a low of -13.3 C was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.  It is also significantly lower than anything seen last winter when a particularly bitter night in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands saw a mark of -14C being recorded.

The last time the UK had any temperature below -20C was in February 2021 when Braemar in Aberdeenshire was measured at -23C.

Maybe I'm wrong, but my understanding wasn't that they couldn't. More that they didn't want to given it may give people the wrong idea since these services will form the Henbury services in time meaning they couldn't simply be extended to Parkway from Filton like now. Basically giving a worse service now to avoid the obvious negative reaction when they'd have to cut it from Parkway again in the future.

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:08/01/2025 11:19

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:08/01/2025 11:19

Passengers causing a disturbance that early in the morning. I wonder what that was all about?

The 0650 rep-bus was a bit later this morning and didn't make it to Chippenham in time to catch the 0711 Penzance service. No great loss however as the latter has been cancelled 'because of passengers causing a disturbance on the train'

Means the 0734 Weston is going to be packed though...

I've recently had the misfortune to become old enough to qualify for one of these, and have been making use of it. I had been looking forward to being challenged at the ticket barriers and on board, supporting my belief that I don't look anything like old enough to have one But so far that hasn't happened.

Means the 0734 Weston is going to be packed though...

My own suggested walking route is perhaps rather more speculative. 

The south Devon Kingsbridge branch line never reached the coast as far as Salcombe, but if it had, there would have been opportunities for some fantastic coastal walks, towards Dartmouth.

Even from Kingsbridge on the estuary, walking due east to Slapton Sands, there are still some stunning views of Devon countryside to be enjoyed.

“So there’s lessons learned everywhere – the main one being from Network Rail’s point of view that they probably shouldn’t have taken on the project themselves.

"It should have been escalated and perhaps managed by the Department [of Transport] directly."

Mine was Chippenham ... and I found myself wondering if punching a hole in a ticket these days is a way of signalling to other staff "awkward customer".  Staff are usually excellent, but this was the exception.   I do recall a more thorough check of my FOSS that usual at Southampton Central too - same person perhaps - but then utterly helpful there on other occasions.

The FOSS ticket is a bargain if you want to do what it allows, and I wonder if s minority of staff resent the really good price you've got your travel at.   I've found the same attitude on occasions with my Interrail pass.

The Office of Rail and Road is asking for views on a new annual assessment, to be launched in 2025, that will rate the performance of how train companies provide assistance to disabled passengers.

ORR said the new assessment of train operators’ and Network Rail’s performance in delivering passenger assistance will strengthen the regulator’s ability to hold operators to account for poor performance.

It will also highlight good practice to share across the industry, and drive improvements in the provision of the service for passengers. Feedback from passengers, including what ORR gets from its regular passenger surveys, has highlighted that assistance needs to be delivered more reliably.

ORR has proposed that operators be assessed on two core areas: their actual delivery of assistance and their capability to improve. They will be measured across several factors, against three levels of performance - Upper, Middle and Lower – with a potential further assessment of whether an operator’s performance is improving or worsening.

More detail of the proposals are in the consultation document. They were developed through a process of informal engagement with disabled people’s organisations, industry bodies and other regulators.

The consultation will close at 17:00 on Friday 14 February 2025. Responses can be sent by online form, by email to ATP@orr.gov.uk, or by post to: Assistance Benchmarking Consultation, Office of Rail and Road, 25 Cabot Square, London, E14 4QZ.

https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-consultations/benchmarking-operators-performance-rail-passenger-assistance

Call for evidence: Review of train operators’ revenue protection policies

We are carrying out an independent review of train operators’ revenue protection practices, including the use of penalty fares and prosecutions.

We'd like to hear from you if, for whatever reason, you boarded a train without a ticket, or with an invalid ticket, (or were told by rail staff this was the case), and as a result you:

were required to buy a new ticket for your journey or pay an additional fare
were required to pay a penalty fare, which included the cost of a new ticket
faced prosecution by the train operator
faced another action by the train operator
You should be aged 16 years or over to take part.

Ways to respond
Respond online.
If it is not possible for you to submit evidence online, you can also read the list of questions and write to:
Revenue Protection Review
Office of Rail and Road
25 Cabot Square
London E14 4QZ

If you are planning to write to us, please only send copies of any supporting documents and not the originals. You can redact personal data before posting. We are unable to return documents.   

Please send your response by 17 January 2025.

More about the review
In November 2024 the Secretary of State for Transport wrote to ORR and asked us to conduct this review. You can find more details on the review's scope, timeline and governance in the terms of reference. We will provide a final report to the Secretary of State no later than 15 May 2025. Our report will look to make recommendations on any areas for change and improvement.

You may also find it useful to read our guide which explains more about the process and the information we are seeking. /.... continues at link

Anyone looking to change their train ticket will now be able to do so cheaper, after Northern and Seatfrog slashed the price of making a switch.

Since March 2023, anyone travelling on an Advance Purchase ticket with Northern has been able to change their train using Seatfrog if their travel plans changed.

It used to cost £2.50 to change a train, but that charge has now been slashed to just £1.50. The reduced price will be on offer until the end of March 2025.

People looking to swap an Advance Purchase ticket to another train on the same day should visit: trainswap.seatfrog.com.

Swaps can be processed from one day before the original departure date, up until just 15 mins before their original train was due to leave the station.

Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “We want our customers to travel for the best possible price – and railcard discounts aside, Advance Purchase tickets offer the very cheapest fares on our network.

“However, Advance Purchase tickets come with strict restrictions on travel dates and times.

“As such, Seatfrog offers a valuable service to our customers whose ‘on the day’ plans change – and we welcome the opportunity to lower the price for people needing to make a switch.”

Northern launched its partnership with Seatfrog in April 2023.

In May 2023, Seatfrog released research that highlighted the £93 million cost that people incur re-booking new seats after missing their pre-booked journeys in the North of England.

Northern has invested in the largest network of digital ticket infrastructure of any train operator in the UK, making it easier than ever to buy a ticket via its app, website or one of more than 600 ticket vending machines across the network.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

TransPennine's Mk 5A stock is currently in storage
Beacon Rail has been moving Mk 5 coaches to Wolverton in preparations for their assessment for use by Chiltern Railways.

The 150th anniversary of a train crash has been marked with a service in Shipton-on-Cherwell.

The service, held on Christmas Eve, commemorated the Hampton Gay train disaster of December 24, 1874.

A train from London which was heading to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Birkenhead was so popular with Christmas travellers that extra carriages were added at Oxford.

As the train gathered speed, one of the carriage wheels disintegrated, just as the train was crossing a bridge over the River Cherwell.

The carriage derailed, causing the train to break apart, with several carriages plunging into the river.

The crash, which occurred between Shipton-on-Cherwell and Hampton Gay, resulted in extensive damage and the highest number of fatalities from a train crash in Great Britain at the time, with 34 people losing their lives.

Contemporary accounts recall villagers from both Shipton-on-Cherwell and Hampton Gay rushing to the scene to assist survivors.

The disaster, which occurred between the two villages, prompted changes in train carriage design and improvements in railway communication systems.

The Christmas Eve service was attended by residents of both communities and led by the Reverends Gareth Miller and Oliver Petter.

Carols were sung and there was a reading giving details of the crash and its effects.

The bells of both churches were tolled 34 times, simultaneously, in memory of those who died.

Minister and rail boss to visit Oxford road shut since 2023

The Rail Minister and boss of Network Rail will face angry traders when they visit Oxford's Botley Road later this month.

It is now over 600 days since the main route into Oxford was closed in April 2023 for a £161m scheme to upgrade Oxford rail station.

Last year a completion date was given of October but that has since been postponed indefinitely due to complex pipework. Work was previously waylaid by the discovery of a historic arch.

Oxford MP Layla Moran has confirmed that Lord Hendy and Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines will come to Oxford on January 25.

Businesses have already said they are planning a protest to coincide with the visit.

Ms Moran, MP for Oxford West, who had a meeting with the pair in December, said they told her the latest hold up was caused by Thames Water.

"I mean, we really do have a Mexican stand-off of incompetence here," she said.

“What’s happened was Thames Water took 18 months to get back to them to do these exploratory works for the piping. It wasn’t just the rail arch that was the problem.

"They also found that the re-routing of the water and sewage and all that was going to be more complex – fine. But it then took Thames Water a long, long time to come back and start to do that work.

“They have been doing that work over the Christmas break. They are now analysing it, and I was told that on the 25th by then, if not before, we should have a final, definitive completion date."

But she told BBC Radio Oxford: "I mean you know, those sighing at the radio saying, we’ve heard that before, I completely agree with them. We’ve just got to keep the pressure up.”

She said she wanted them to meet businesses and residents to "hear from the people who have been so badly affected by this, what it has done to them, their day to day lives, their livelihoods."

She said she did have some sympathy as it is a very complex project, involving several different firms, and she welcomed improvements on the railway especially as the scheme is a key part of East West Rail.

"We want East West Rail – we want it electrified, that’s a separate campaign – but that’s good for the country, it’s good for Oxford, it’s good for our local economy and it’s good for the station.

“No one, even those worse affected, no one is saying we shouldn’t have done this," she said.

But she added: "I think there is now an acknowledgement that it has been mismanaged.

"And in fact in the meeting we had together Network Rail basically admitted they’d not really done a project like this before.

“They’d cut a few corners at the beginning and not done the exploratory works, hoping that would save time.

"Well, anyone who’s done any massive construction project knows well, you do your exploratory work before you begin so you then come up with a plan that’s actually going to be able to be executed.

“They didn’t do that and they didn’t appreciate the complexity right from the off.

"But that was because they chose not to do those works that would have told them that in order, perhaps, to save money and time.

“So there’s lessons learned everywhere – the main one being from Network Rail’s point of view that they probably shouldn’t have taken on the project themselves.

"It should have been escalated and perhaps managed by the Department [of Transport] directly."

She said there has been "some movement in our discussions" about various aspects of the project.

To give "a hint of the complexity" she said: "In order to get this done at some point they are going to have to shut all rail services that go along that line. Now that’s a really key line, not just for passengers but also for freight.

"In order to achieve that normally it takes months and months and months of planning. What they’ve assured is that when they have to do that closure they are going to expedite it, and that that is going to be absolutely prioritised – which was not the case before.

"Before they were trying to fit it in with everything else.

“They are trying.”

Network Rail said it is continuing to meet businesses and has been running a campaign to support them.