What will stop is tax payers money paying the bubbly and canopies at the share holders meeting  Grin

The Cowley branch is set to reopen as a result of the multi-billion-pound EIT facility being developed at Oxford Science Park. The project is expected to create up to 7,000 jobs, and EIT has also helped fund the reopening.

Interestingly, the push for the scheme came from the Treasury rather than the Department for Transport. The DfT had previously stated that there was no further funding available for rail improvements, so the announcement of the reopening came as a surprise to many industry observers. I suspect there was a conversation between Ellison and the Government regarding transport links to Oxford Science Park, given the scale of the investment being made there and whether those investments would continue.

But I agree that the line to Marchwood line should be an ideal candidate to reopen given the housing growth in that area and the difficult of traveling by car/bus to Southampton.

Disabled woman 'forced' to use stairs on Megabus


The megabus service at Bristol Airport has one row of accessible seats behind the driver

A woman with mobility issues said she was told she had to climb up the stairs on a bus because the driver did not want anyone to sit near him.

Jenny Rowe, 77, was getting a Megabus coach from Bristol Airport to Wellington, Somerset, after a cruise holiday. She has mobility issues, including problems with her spine, and has had a hip operation.

The coaches have a single row of seats behind the driver, with all other seats up a flight of stairs. Rowe said the driver told her to sit upstairs or "get off", which was an "awful" experience that ruined her holiday.

The company has apologised and said it would refund her ticket.

Rowe struggles to walk, which led to airport staff taking her by wheelchair from the terminal right to the bus stop. "I paid for my ticket and as I went to get on the bus I said: 'Can I get on to the seats behind the driver?' He said: 'No, I don't have anybody talking to me, I'm not having it. You either go up those stairs or you get off'. I can't do stairs. It's so painful to do stairs. I got to the top, absolutely in tears."

Rowe, from Wellington in Somerset, added: "Everybody on the bus was looking at me, I felt like I was two inches high."

Jet Gates, a disability campaigner said Rowe's story is "heartbreaking".  "We see it so much - disabled people being in situations where they feel humiliated and treated like a piece of luggage," Gates added. She said the situation was "completely unacceptable" and there was a reason the seats exist on the bus. "It puts her in a situation where she's severely vulnerable," Gates said. "It's 2026, we need to stop treating disabled people like this, we are humans. That is the main element to take away from this. There is more empathy to be had."

A spokesperson for Megabus Falcon, which runs the Plymouth-bound service, said: "We are very sorry for the level of service this customer received during her journey. It's clear that the service she received on this occasion did not meet our usual standards. We are addressing the issue privately with the driver involved as well as reinforcing among all employees our high expectations around customer service and, in particular, supporting customers with additional mobility requirements."

Spitfire crash death was accident, Oxfordshire coroner rules


The Spitfire was attempting to take off from Enstone Airfield near Chipping Norton - Image © AAIB

A former commercial pilot died after losing control of a replica Spitfire during takeoff, an inquest has found.

Peter Hughes, 71, died when the plane crashed and caught fire at Enstone Airfield near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire on 28 July 2024.

At an inquest earlier this week, a jury inquest at Oxford Coroner's Court ruled Hughes' death had been an accident caused by the ensuing fire. The hearing found that the plane had crashed after losing control soon after it had taken off, with the reason for this not being ascertained.

Hughes had been the only passenger in the model Spitfire, and no one else was injured in the incident.

The replica of the Second World War fighter plane had been built in 2013.

An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded last year that the plane had pivoted to the left during takeoff, before flipping over and crashing. It found no technical defects which would have affected the controllability of the aircraft.

The AAIB report said CCTV and witness reports showed the aircraft "pitched up sharply and then rolled rapidly to the left" towards the edge of the runway. The left wingtip struck the the ground and the plane flipped over and caught fire, fatally injuring Hughes. The report said "no definitive cause" was established for the loss of control.

In a statement released after his crash, Hughes' family said they were "devastated" by his death. "Pete was an extremely good man who was deeply generous in so many ways; his love, his time, energy and spirit, and was an integral part of the numerous communities that he held dear," the family added.

The crash was the second involving a replica Spitfire from the airfield within 10 months. In 2023 Trevor Bailey, 68, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, died flying a replica Spitfire near Enstone.

Who designed a round room with two great pillars in the middle of the presentation area

Alexander also clarified on the BBC that nationalisation won't bring lower fares, given the amount of taxpayer subsidy still being ploughed into the railways.

Motability withdraws compulsory black boxes after criticism from drivers

Motability drivers will no longer need to have a black box fitted to their vehicles following criticism from users affected by the rule changes.

The Motability scheme - where certain disability benefits can be exchanged for a lease on a vehicle - had made the black boxes compulsory for new leaseholders, and all drivers aged under 30, in April.

Motability boss Andrew Miller said the "Drive Smart" programme was introduced to help reduce accidents and manage insurance costs, but had been paused amid concerns and "anxiety" from users. He said drivers reported the app was inconsistent, did not understand their driving adaptations and that the rules and guidelines were confusing and restrictive.

The black boxes were designed to track and regularly rate a user's driving habits, such as speed and braking, where repeated poor ratings could have seen drivers removed from the Motability scheme altogether.

Now those who were enrolled with the Drive Smart programme will be taken off it from 22 May, Motability said.

The changes had been criticised by actor and disability rights campaigner Keron Day, who thanked Motability bosses for "recognising the seriousness of the issues for disabled people's lives."

Day, who appeared in the hit Netflix show Sex Education, has cerebral palsy and uses a specially adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). The car has a steering aid and indicators on the floor, as well as buttons for lights, wipers, gears and the handbrake.

He campaigned alongside West Cornwall MP Andrew George to reverse the decision for compulsory black boxes. The pair met Motability bosses to discuss the issue last week.

Motability CEO Andrew Miller said: "Drive Smart was introduced to help reduce accidents, improve driving and, in turn, manage insurance costs, while keeping all the scheme's insurance features in place. But we have listened carefully to customer feedback and recognise that the experience was not where it needed to be. That is why we have decided to pause Drive Smart while we work with customers to understand how it can be improved."

Black boxes monitor driving habits and can provide a weekly rating graded using a traffic light colour scheme. A green rating could mean cheaper insurance, but more than four red ratings over a period of 12 months could see drivers removed from the Motability scheme.

George and Day had criticised Motability for imposing an "invasive telematics tracking technology" without proper consultation or adequate safeguards in place. George said: "I must congratulate Motability CEOs for listening and being prepared to change policy when confronted with the impact this scheme has had on thousands of disabled people. Keron and I are keen that they make some major changes before deciding how they will better manage the difficult insurance challenges faced by the scheme."

Motability said it would continue to review the programme and was also creating a new customer panel to allow users to help shape how Drive Smart develops.

Is it me or does this conflate two separate issues?

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man to produce a conversion lead to convert the electrical supply wiring from an HST power car to that at the other end to match the electrical supply wiring from a class 57.

I am old enough to remember when "square" pin plugs were introduced. My dad produced conversion leads with a round pin plug at one end and a "square" plug at the other when we moved from a council prefab to a new house.

Rail firms brought under single leadership team


c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia will have a single leadership team - Image © c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia

Railway firms in the East of England have been aligned under one leadership team as part of the government's nationalisation project.

Greater Anglia, c2c and Network Rail Anglia said the new structure would help deliver more reliable rail journeys for passengers.

The two operators serve passengers in London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, while Network Rail Anglia looks after the infrastructure.

"This is all part of our mission to build a passenger-focused railway that supports jobs, growth and homes," said Rail Minister Lord Hendy.

Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said the leadership team meant his firm could "plan better, respond faster".

"Over time, that means better co-ordination during disruption, more effective planning of engineering work and a more consistent experience for customers and communities across the region," said Burles.

The government said the move mirrored the approach taken by publicly-owned South Eastern Railway and South Western Railway. There would be no immediate changes to services, branding or the way customers travelled, a spokesperson said.

The government has promised to take ownership of all rail operators by October 2027, under the umbrella of Great British Railways. Greater Anglia and c2c were among the first to be brought under its control.

Chris from Cornwall (well, nearly: I was born in Devonport).

Direct trains to run from Swindon to Oxford if line is made safer


The GWR service would mean passengers would no longer need to change at Didcot Parkway - Image © Aled Thomas

A direct daily rail service between Swindon and Oxford has been given the green light as long as some level crossings on the line are made safer.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved an application from Great Western Railway (GWR) to run a two-hourly service between Bristol, Swindon and Oxford on weekdays and Saturdays from 17 May. An ORR spokesman said the service has been approved provided Network Rail brings in "reasonably practicable level crossing safety measures" on the route.

A GWR spokesman, said it understands customers will be "disappointed" the service has not been "fully" reinstated but it will continue to work with Network Rail to "understand what more can be done".

Currently there are no direct services between Swindon and Oxford, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Passengers have to change at Didcot Parkway or Reading to travel between the two stations. A direct service would shave more than 10 minutes off the current fastest weekday journey time to under 30 minutes.

The ORR said after analysing the "impact on punctuality and reliability" as well as level crossing safety, it had approved the service "subject" to certain conditions. "Network Rail will undertake a performance review of the two-hourly service before deciding on a long-term view on GWR's proposal to run hourly services," it said.

A GWR spokesman said customers will be disappointed the ORR "has not been able to approve proposals to fully reinstate services - at this stage as hoped. We will continue working closely with Network Rail and industry partners to understand what more can be done to introduce additional services as quickly and safely as possible," he said.

The proposals came after a trial saw limited weekend services run between Swindon and Oxford in 2024.

Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said it was "outstanding news for Swindon".

"Shortening the time needed to get to Oxford will be massive for people who regularly travel and take pressure off the A420," he said. "This will help us attract even more jobs and growth to the town."

Conservative leader Gary Sumner, said it was "positive news" for the town. "I will be very interested to see the take-up of the service," he said. "Anything that adds to connectivity is to be welcomed, but as usual, it's having reasonably priced fares which are the key to the service being sustainable."