An estimated £20,000 penalty in terms of fuel costs but will hopefully rescue a lot of bookings.

Mark

Serious profit being made per trip then!

£500 per room per night is definitely Bath pricing

(ok that is over Christmas, and it is a nice place - recently changed hands I believe https://beechfieldhouse.co.uk/offers/christmas-2025/ )

Cut/paste is very handy for organisations like GWR when it comes to dealing with these matters.

Due to a safety inspection of the track at Honeybourne the line towards Oxford is blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford may be cancelled, delayed or diverted.
Customer Advice
A section of track near Homeybourne is closed for a safety inspection. Unfortunately this means we are currently unable to run our service between Worcester and Oxford. We are currently arranging plans for customers affected on the route. In some cases it may be possible to divert trains between Worcester Shrub Hill and Reading, but stations along the way will not be served. On board staff will inform customers of the route they will take, and potential journey times.
Last Updated:27/08/2025 17:56

16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 19:29 will no longer call at Didcot Parkway but will call additionally at Radley.
It is being delayed at Honeybourne.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.
Last Updated:27/08/2025 17:40

17:26 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 19:52 was terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.
Last Updated:27/08/2025 17:38

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will no longer call at Worcestershire Parkway Hl, Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton-In-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury, Hanborough and Oxford.
It will be delayed between Worcester Shrub Hill and Didcot Parkway.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track.
Last Updated:27/08/2025 17:58

There's one that's located less than a mile (as the crow flies, anyway) from Melksham station which at one time had "near Bath" as a strapline on their website, and no mention at all of Melksham...

No-one - it's going to be free  . ... of course, it means "free at the point of use" and there's some potential sense in that.   

I have noted in Luxembourg and in certain places in Norway that there is no charge for the use of public transport, and at places in France and Germany where some services are free or you are assumed to have a ticket where loading and unloading speed, so transit time and staffing levels can be notably reduced.

We are a long way from the underground going barrier free and people not even having to swipe a card as they get on buses, but it has its attractions.

Yes: Ellie, Customer Service Advisor, is doing her best to defend the indefensible. 

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby given speeding fine

August: The yellow box is gone but not forgotten

A yellow box junction which was hailed as the biggest in the UK and Ireland has been removed from a County Londonderry town.

The 40m-long yellow markings in Maghera were painted in June, then reduced in size in July, and now have disappeared completely. However, a yellow box is expected to make a comeback in the autumn, when resurfacing work in the town is completed.

Mid Ulster Councillor Denise Johnston said she wants a meeting with the Department for Infrastructure over what she described as "a waste" of public money. Questions have been asked about the cost of the work, and why the lines were painted in June if resurfacing work was planned in August.

SDLP councillor Denise Johnston told BBC Radio Foyle: "It just doesn't make sense and it's not a good use of public money. I do get the importance of a yellow box - a yellow box will be necessary there - but … if you know you're going to resurface the road two or three months later, why would you do it?"  She said many people in Maghera had been left "bemused and confused".


July: The beginning of the end

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI), which is in charge of roads in Northern Ireland, said the costs could not be released as they were "commercially sensitive".

Explaining the changes which have taken place, a DfI spokesperson said: "The department implemented the yellow box markings at this location to assist with the ease of Translink bus movements to and from the main bus stop on St Lurachs Road.

"The extent of the markings was reviewed following initial installation and subsequently reduced in length to improve traffic flow. The yellow box marking will be reinstated upon completion of the resurfacing on Hall Street."


June: The yellow box in all its glory

Maghera, with its population of fewer than 5,000 people, was dubbed the "small town with the big yellow box" after the first appearance of the markings in June.

The extra-large box stretched along a busy junction frequently used by buses, lorries and cars. After complaints, the box was scaled back but it took a while as the distinctive yellow markings are not easily removed.

Public realm improvements have been taking place in the town for the past year. As well as installing new street furniture and widening footpaths, the project tried to tackle traffic flow issues.

I would argue that Ayton Castle is rather more in England than Scotland. 'Scottish Borders', maybe - but Berwick-upon-Tweed is in England. 

I guess it's fairly standard, but it is nicely put - all is forgiven

The estate features a narrow gauge railway – which runs through part of the grounds – complete with platform, ticket office, engine shed and joiner’s shop.

Investigation continues into fatal helicopter crash


The remains of the helicopter were taken away on Tuesday

An investigation into how a helicopter came to crash in a field on the Isle of Wight is continuing, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has said.

Justyna Czoska, 52, Wojciech Kowalkowski, 49, and 54-year-old Simon Hewitt were killed when the aircraft came down near Shanklin on Monday morning.

A spokesperson for the AAIB previously said they were gathering physical evidence from the accident site and interviewing witnesses.

The wreckage was removed from the crash site on Tuesday.

The spokesperson added the investigation was likely to take 12 months.


Justyna Czoska, Wojtek Kowalkowski and pilot Simon Hewitt (right) died in the crash on the Isle of Wight

A spokesman for operator Northumbria Helicopters previously said G-OCLV - a Robinson R44 II - had departed from Sandown Airport at approximately 09:00 BST on Monday. It said the aircraft was "carrying four passengers on board including the pilot, and was undertaking a flying lesson".

Witnesses reported the aircraft spiralling before crashing in a field alongside the A3020 at 09:20. One person was airlifted to the major trauma centre at University Hospital Southampton, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said. The other three people on board died.

Ms Czoska and Mr Kowalkowski were both from Banbury in Oxfordshire, while Mr Hewitt was from Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire.

Ms Czoska's family described her as "beautiful, funny, talkative, optimistic and kind", and said she was "always wanting to make those around her happy. She was our best friend, we miss the sound of her voice, we will miss her forever," they said.

Mr Kowalkowski's family said he was "the father of two loving children", with Ms Czoska's daughter saying: "He always made me happy and always made my mum happy."

Mr Hewitt's partner and family said they were "absolutely broken", describing him as "the most wonderful, intelligent, kind man and father".

Northumbria Helicopters said in a statement that its "devoted pilot" Captain Simon Hewitt would be "truly missed".

So yesterday I had 2 consecutive journey options to work cancelled; today it's 2 consecutive journey options from work 

Thank you for contacting Great Western Railway regarding your journeys from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads.

We are working extremely hard to provide a punctual and reliable service. Therefore, it is very disappointing that you have been affected by disruption to our services recently.

I understand your frustration regarding this matter, and I would like to assure you that any disruption to our services is logged and investigated both internally and externally afterwards. We have teams dedicated to identifying trends in this respect and if there are recurring issues that arise as a result, we will work to apply the necessary changes. I can assure you, therefore, that any recurring problems will be on our radar, but I do apologise once again for the stress and frustration caused

As you are aware, I do advise that you submit a Delay Repay claim, for future journeys, I do advise you pre-purchase your tickets for your journeys to ensure that the correct amount of compensation is awarded for the length of delay you had encountered.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get back in touch with me.

Thank you again for contacting Great Western Railway.

Yours sincerely,

Ellie

Customer Service Advisor

The UK - or perhaps I should say England? - seems to be very good at providing reasons why things can't happen.

Many so-called heritage railways here are in some sort of financial difficulty at the moment. There's a recent thread on https://www.railforums.co.uk/ on this topic. It's rather dismal reading; contributors suggestions seem to include retrenchement - fewer operating days or trimmed timetables - and more drift away from being a genuine heritage railway towards some sort of sedate fairground ride "experience".

Another thread discusses main-line links. Again:,dismal reading: not worth the effort. Few passengers for the cost and effort etc. ( I have to say in this context that the main line railway hasn't helped -a thought that I may develop later).

When Grahame mentioned the Mollibahn (another line to the coast), I started to wonder about its business model. Its summer timetable (which runs until 2nd November) starts at 0640, with a nearly hourly service until the last train arrives back at 19:24. Seven days a week, I believe; and the railway's PDF timetable shows connecting train services.

We stopped doing the lottery many, many years ago

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in China has undergone a five-day testing process ahead of the scheduled opening in late September.

The load test is the final step before it is considered safe to welcome traffic. A testing team drove 96 trucks onto designated points to test the bridge's structural integrity.

Rising 625m (2,083ft) above a river in Guizhou province, the bridge will upon completion set the record for both the world's tallest bridge and largest span bridge built in a mountainous area.