16:23 Westbury to Swindon due 17:05
17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19

17:35 Swindon to Westbury due 18:19 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.

I'm a bit confused. Isn't this shuttle bus just taking passengers from one platform to the other, for those who cannot manage the stairs? We had heavy luggage to carry, and it was a long walk around via the road.

It was quiet ... and a bit nasty with sand blowing unpleasantly on the north beach in January and passenger numbers were very well indeed within the capacity of the 2 carriage train.

Do visitors not go to St Ives in the winter as well? We went there in March, and had this shuttle service existed then, our experience would have been much improved.

Four people have died after a mountain cable car cabin crashed to the ground near Naples in southern Italy, emergency services say.

Another person was "extremely seriously injured" in the crash at Mount Faito and was being airlifted to hospital, officials said.

Italian media outlets reported that one of the cables supporting a cabin higher up the mountain had snapped while the cable car was traversing the valley.

The president of the region, Vincenzo De Luca, said the victims were all tourists. De Luca added that poor weather conditions including fog, wind and rain were making it difficult for rescue workers to reach the area where the cabin had crashed, at a high altitude.

Italian media had earlier on Thursday reported that the cable car had come to a halt and several people had been rescued from a second cabin which had stopped further down the valley.

The mayor of Castellammare di Stabia - where the cable car was located - said they believed a traction cable had snapped. "The emergency brake downstream worked but clearly not the one on the cabin that was about to reach the the top of the hill," he told Italian media. He added that there had been regular safety checks on the cable car line.

Do visitors not go to St Ives in the winter as well? We went there in March, and had this shuttle service existed then, our experience would have been much improved.

Train passengers were left "distressed" and "confused" when the driver of a packed train encouraged them to get off at a station for some fresh air – only to leave without them.

Trevor Greenfield, 74, and his wife, Eileen, 68, were among the group of eight passengers stranded at Swindon, having boarded the train from London Paddington to Carmarthen. "People were distressed, confused and flabbergasted," said Mr Greenfield, from Barry in Vale of Glamorgan. "It's worrying and disappointing that the driver made no announcement that the train was leaving."

Great Western Railways apologised for the inconvenience caused.

Mr and Mrs Greenfield boarded the train from London to south Wales on 10 April, but found it packed with passengers because two earlier trains had been cancelled. They had to stand with 10 others in hot and cramped conditions for about an hour until the train stopped at Swindon and was delayed for about 15 minutes.

Mr Greenfield said the driver announced he would arrange for the train guard to open the door so they could get off and get some fresh air during the wait. He said a group of eight people got off and stood about a metre from the train, waiting to be told when to get back on.

But at about 17:30 BST, with no announcement made, the doors of the train closed and it started moving. "As a group, we were horrified and in shock that it was pulling away. People started shouting and waving in panic to the guard who was some distance away," Mr Greenfield said.

The couple had also left their suitcase – containing clothes, medication and valuables for a four-day break in London – on the train. They were eventually able to get a train from Swindon to Cardiff, where their daughter drove from Barry to pick them up, and they were reunited with their luggage.

Mr Greenfield has lodged a formal complaint with GWR, describing it as a "long, stressful and worrying day".

Another passenger, Liam Svensen, 23, said the incident had been "disappointing and unacceptable. There was no announcement whatsoever to tell us to get back on the train. It was very out of order," he said.  He added that had his work colleague not got back on to the train before it pulled away, he could have lost £3,500 worth of work tools.

A spokesperson for GWR said: "We'd like to apologise to customers affected by the disruption last Thursday afternoon. To help keep the journey moving, the 16:18 Paddington to Carmarthen train made an unscheduled stop at Swindon to allow a relief driver to board. During the stop, the doors were opened. Our station and on board teams carried out the necessary checks before the train was safely dispatched. We understand that some customers did not re-board the train during this time, and we're really sorry for the inconvenience this caused."

To be fair, some transport hubs do provide prominent information to the effect: 'New here? Here's where to find the buses and here's information on the fares system.'

13:14 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57

13:14 Swindon to Westbury due 13:57 has been delayed at Swindon and is now 20 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

14:18 Westbury to Swindon due 15:00

14:18 Westbury to Swindon due 15:00 will be starting late from Westbury and is expected to be 5 minutes late.
This is due to a points failure.

Lifts still not commissioned. Bus from down side to upside/branch has been booked for the summer season.

Driver critical as fire engine and buses crash

A bus driver is in a critical condition after a "major collision" between a fire engine and two guided buses.

It happened on the B1050 Station Road at the junction with the Busway in Northstowe, near Cambridge, shortly after 14:00 BST on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old woman, from Gedney Hill near Spalding, Lincolnshire, received serious injuries and remained in hospital, Cambridgeshire Police said. Ten other people taken to hospital had minor injuries, the force added.

A fire engine had been responding to an incident travelling north when it crashed with a single-decker Stagecoach bus travelling towards St Ives. A similar bus travelling in the opposite direction was also involved.

Eleven people were taken to Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital, including the driver of the second bus.

Det Insp Garry Webb said no arrests had been made. "This was a major collision which has seen numerous people left injured," he said. "I would like to hear from anyone who has yet to speak to officers about the collision."

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said three firefighters were on board the engine. Two received minor injuries and one of them was taken to hospital for a precautionary check, but has since been released.

The road and Busway have since reopened.

(Article continues)

Really is time for some stirring on this, major embarassment for someone, surely some resolution could bave been sorted by now. Last I heard it was power supply issues but .....

A man from Devon said a "total mistake" left him upset as he lost a treasured item that belonged to his late wife.

Clive Angior, 81, from Plympton, said he was heading home on a bus from Royal Parade in Plymouth city centre when he inadvertently showed his wife's bus pass instead of his own.

He said he carried the pass for sentimental reasons but the "driver seized it" and would not return it.

Stagecoach South West said that "if a concession pass is identified as expired, their current process is that drivers retain the pass and return to the local authority in that area". However, Mr Angior has been given a copy of its photograph.

Mr Angior said he and his wife Maureen were married for 38 years before she died in 2023. He added that he carried her old bus pass with him in his pocket as a "permanent reminder of her" as "they used to travel on the bus together".

He said he accidently placed his wife's pass on the vehicle's card reader instead of his own.  "The driver immediately spotted that it had expired and said he was seizing the pass as its now council property," he said.

Mr Angior added that he used his own pass and continued with the journey but asked several times if he could have his wife's pass back but was told no. He said he told the driver that it was "really important" to him and asked if he could make an "exception" to the rule but the driver refused.

Stagecoach said they "understand the sentimental value of the pass" and contacted the council in an "attempt to reunite it with the passenger."

Plymouth City Council added that it contacted Mr Angior directly and said it could not provide him with the original pass as it was likely "destroyed or lost."  The authority agreed to send a copy of the photo that was on the pass.

Mr Angior said he "accepted the fact he wouldn't get the pass back" but was "very happy with the compromise" that was reached.

13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:24 will be terminated at Reading.
This is due to a fault on this train.
Last Updated:17/04/2025 10:22

14:53 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:04 will be delayed at Reading.
This is due to a points failure.
Last Updated:17/04/2025 15:13

From the BBC:

Business owner 'willing to go to jail' over rates

An Oxford business owner said he could be willing to go to jail after he and other traders boycotted paying their business rates because of ongoing disruption on a key route.

Botley Road has been closed since April 2023 as part of Network Rail's ongoing £161m project to upgrade Oxford Station and is expected to reopen in August 2026.

Five businesses affected by the closure stopped paying their business rates and say they will not pay them until they get further financial support.

Tom Rainey, who runs The Porter House restaurant and hotel and The Punter pub, said it was "shocking" that businesses were being charged the full amount in business rates. He said it would "not take much brains" to create some form of exemption.

Business rates are collected by Oxford City Council on behalf of the government, which set the rates and keep most of the income. Decisions over changes to business rate charges are made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).

The council says it has supported businesses in applying for hardship funding.

However, Mr Rainey said he had applied to city council's hardship fund and received no response from the authority since November. He then found he would have to go to the VOA first to apply for relief, but his application was refused. Despite making two appeals to VOA's decision, he has still not heard anything.

"We are just passed around in this vicious circle because no-one actually cares," Mr Rainey said. "I find it more stomach-wrenching that we are actually paying business rates than the money we are losing. Oxford City Council is giving us absolutely nothing, and the VOA is just a waiting game. They are hiding behind bureaucracy. Not one person has offered us anything, and therefore we believe the only option is to make a stand."

The city council has not acted yet but Mr Rainey said he expected them to produce paperwork within the next few weeks. "Knowing the city council, they will have us in the magistrates' court by May." he added. While he admitted it was "a bit extreme", he said: "If I end up with a jail term, then I would accept that".

The group of traders, who are part of the Botley Road Independent Traders Association (BRITA), include The Porter House, The Punter, First Stop Spannerworks, The Westgate Hotel and Pack & Send.

Zack Iqbal, owner of First Stop Spannerworks, said he would take part in the boycott to "highlight the strain that Botley Road businesses are under".

An Oxford City Council spokesperson said: "The council understands the seriously negative impact that the long-term disruption of Botley Road is having on local businesses and is committed to doing what it can to help, within the limits of its powers. The council is responsible for collecting business rates on behalf of the government, which then retains the majority of the income. The rate is also set by central government. Decisions on changes to business rate charges are made by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) through an independent process, with each case assessed on its own merits."

A VOA spokesperson said: "We cannot comment on individual cases. If there has been a change to a property or its surrounding area, a business can report this to us, and we will assess if the rateable value should be reduced. We encourage any business who thinks that their rateable value is too high to let us know using our online service."