Passengers 'stranded' at locked train station


Passengers on a late-night train to Newry could not exit the locked station - Image © Anne Greer

Translink has apologised after rail passengers were left stranded on a platform when a late-night train arrived into a station that was already shut for the night.

A group of about 30 customers were stuck on the platform at Newry Train Station for more than 45 minutes in the early hours of Saturday.

One of the passengers, Anne Greer, told BBC News NI it raised safety questions for the public transport company as the customers had no safe way to exit the station.

Translink said the firm was "looking into the incident" but added its train crew "remained with the passengers to ensure their safety while the issue was resolved".

The train was among a number of extra late-night services which are running to and from Belfast during the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Music Festival of Ireland).  It was scheduled to leave Belfast at 23:59 BST on Friday and it arrived in Newry at about 01:20 BST on Saturday.

"To our surprise the entire station was closed, so we couldn't exit," Greer said.  "So we're all trapped on the platforms for over 40 minutes."

She said the train crew "helped as much as they could, but there was nothing they could do.  They were completely gobsmacked as to why they've arrived into a completely closed and locked train station."

Greer said she and other passengers tried to contact Translink but they could only find phone numbers for call centres which had also already closed for the day.  She argued it should be a "learning point" for health and safety as she felt there was no safe escape if there had been an injury or any kind of emergency.  "If something had happened.. the only options we had were the tracks in front of us, which obviously nobody was going to try walking on."

Shortly before 02:00 a worker arrived at the station and opened the doors to let passengers out.

(BBC article continues)

But part of me looks at certain services and worries about why they exist in the first place - in this case, the train really should be doing the job

Yellow card to TG, for mentioning barbeque anywhere other than on 'the lighter side'. 

A minor up side (for the airport) is that the charge to access the place is that high, will they possibly make a little money from people coming and going as a result of the disruption.

Mark

TfL defends pigeon culls 'when other methods fail'

Transport for London (TfL) has defended the practice of shooting pigeons on its stations with air rifles as necessary to "maintain a safe, clean environment for those using or working on our property".

It comes after freedom of information requests revealed that hundreds of the birds had been culled by TfL contractor Mitie in the past two years.  The transport body said its contractors ensured compliance with health and safety standards while avoiding animal cruelty.

Michael Britton, founder of London Bird Rescue, called the culls "an incredibly archaic, barbaric and unintelligent approach to wildlife management".

According to information gathered by wildlife group Manchester Pigeon Rehab, there were more than 120 organised shootings at Tube depots and stations between March 2024 and March 2026, and 655 birds were killed.

TfL said pigeon waste "carries risks of bacteria and insects, while nesting and waste material creates fire hazards and structural damage".

A TfL spokesperson said: "Our approach is focused on prevention, and the avoidance of animal cruelty is taken very seriously.  We continue to invest in preventative measures as our primary approach, exhausting all appropriate non-lethal methods, and have significantly increased our mitigations on stations and in depots as part of this work.

"Unfortunately, in a small number of cases, preventative measures are not always successful or effective, creating an unsafe environment.  When this is the case, we work with our suppliers to ensure that the removal of pigeons, or their nests, is undertaken with consideration and only ever as a last resort when other deterrents have failed."

Contractors use air rifles to shoot the pigeons, usually in the early hours when the Tube system is closed to passengers.

Britton said culling "has been proven to be an ineffective long-term solution, particularly at open-air sites, and, conversely, can actually increase population numbers".

He added: "Many companies and corporations have adopted a far more successful 'no-kill' approach, by making necessary modifications to infrastructure and utilising effective, humane deterrents such as 'anti-perch' slopes.  In countries with a more proactive and intelligent stance, such as France, Germany and Switzerland, the use of dovecotes has been proven to be a fantastic solution.  I would strongly urge TfL to immediately revise their wildlife management strategy and adopt a non-lethal policy."

All wild birds in the UK, including pigeons, are protected by legislation that makes it illegal to kill or injure them or damage their nests.  But the government issues licences allowing authorised individuals or pest controllers to control feral pigeons for reasons such as preventing serious disease or protecting public health and safety.

TfL said "humane bird dispatchers are used to make the process as swift as possible without causing unnecessary pain to the animal".

GWR having a vandalism field day today?


08:59 Plymouth to Newquay due 10:48
08:59 Plymouth to Newquay due 10:48 will be cancelled.
This is due to vandalism on a train.
(Not from Par Chapel sidings)!

 

Airport disruption a 'shambles' as flights restart


People were left trapped at the airport on Friday evening - Image © Paul Smith

Disruption because of a runway defect at Bristol Airport continues, as flights start to depart.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on Friday evening after the decision was made to close the runway shortly after 18:00 BST. All flights were suspended until 08:00 on Saturday.

Flights have since restarted amid delayed take offs and diversions.

In a short statement on the airport website, a spokesperson said: "There will be some disruption to some flights today. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

(BBC article continues)

Airport disruption a 'shambles' as flights restart

Disruption because of a runway defect at Bristol Airport continues, as flights start to depart.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on Friday evening after the decision was made to close the runway shortly after 18:00 BST. All flights were suspended until 08:00 on Saturday.

Flights have since restarted amid delayed take offs and diversions.

In a short statement on the airport website, a spokesperson said: "There will be some disruption to some flights today. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Loganair will shut down its Southampton Airport base in October, less than a year after it began operations there in January.

The airline will also cut flights between Southampton and Manchester on August 20.

.....First in the west (well, almost!) - Oxford, 29th October 2026. to Fareham, 16th March 2027.  Via Truro, Malvern and Salisbury.

Fair comment, GBM. 

However, in the spirit of Boardmasters, celebrating music in Cornwall, I'm going to 'bump' this topic.

From YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ATKNWwX4Ig&list=RDMM&index=24 - 3:37 minutes of musical celebration.

CfN. 

How long does it take for signals to fail red? Seconds.

It took 90 of those for the backups to kick in. That's too long for all signals just to change again back to what they were before interruption.

Then something else blew which may not directly be owing to the initial power failure & needed investigation.

After all that, all they could do was switch it off & on again & do a full reset. Now all staff & stock is out of place.

Surprisingly, if the GWR app is to be believed, the 17:36 appears to have seats as it approaches Castle Cary.



The preceding 17:03 to Penzance seems to only be congested in first class.

Six-hour train services between London and Stirling running with no toilets


Trains have been stopping for longer at stations so passengers can use the toilets on platforms - Image © Alstom/Ian Nightingale

A train operator is running services lasting more than five-and-a-half hours despite having no toilets available on board.

The Lumo trains run on the West Coast Main Line, covering the new 417-mile (671km) route between Stirling and London Euston.

Lumo, which is owned by FirstGroup, first warned about a "fault" with the toilets on a service from Stirling to Crewe on Saturday.  Some services have since been stopping for longer at stations such as Preston to allow passengers to get off and use toilets on platforms.

A Lumo spokesperson said: "We have been experiencing some issues with the reliability of some of our toilet facilities onboard our West Coast services."  They added that they were working closely with rail company Alstom, which refurbished the carriages used by Lumo, to "rectify the issue".

An Alstom spokesperson said: "We recognise that this falls short of the standard fare-paying passengers should expect, particularly on long-distance services.  Working closely with Lumo, we are reviewing the entire fleet position to reduce the risk of repeat failures, improve overnight servicing checks, and ensure toilet availability is restored and maintained wherever possible on the operator's West Coast route."

The 06:11 departure from London Euston on Friday, which was affected, ran with a 58-minute delay and terminated at Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.  Passengers were told their tickets would be accepted on ScotRail services.

Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Olly Glover posted on social media: "Is Lumo attempting to become the Ryanair of the rails?"

Train operators in Britain are not legally required to provide onboard toilets.

Lumo operates its West Coast services with refurbished Class 222 Meridian trains. These are also used by East Midlands Railway, which has also suffered toilet faults with its fleet.

Lumo also runs services on the East Coast Main Line, connecting London King's Cross with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Falkirk. It operates on an open access basis, meaning it sets its own fares, takes on all revenue risk and receives no taxpayer-funded subsidies. It is not affected by the government's renationalisation of all remaining franchised train services in Britain.