Ah. I would have expected those sockets to have protection so that they are unable to deliver currents unacceptable to them. (More than a bit hazy on how this would be done in an appropriate way though).

Geologist here: but if you like fancy and rare rocks, when in Fuerteventura visit the seaside village of Ajuy on the west cost if you can. It is a special area where rocks of the Jurassic aged, Atlantic Ocean floor rocks and the Earth's mantle have been brought to the surface and outcrop in the bay and its surrounds. Even if fancy rocks aren't your sort, there is a lovely tapas bar there on the beach.

Airlines can cancel flights in advance over fuel shortages under new plans

Airlines will be able to cancel flights weeks in advance, without losing valuable take off and landing slots at busy airports, if they face fuel shortages this summer.

New contingency plans have been drawn up by the government to let carriers plan ahead, helping to avoid disruptive last-minute cancellations for passengers.

The proposals would allow airlines to merge flights on routes with multiple trips to the same destination on the same day, meaning passengers could be moved from their original booking to a similar one to save fuel.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was confident most people travelling this summer would have a similar experience to last year.

Travel journalist Simon Calder told the BBC the aim was "prioritise holiday flights over business departures."

Wasn't there a suggestion that the DfT were waiting for [the Scots] to do the hard work ...

A football fan who was filmed cooking strips of steak with hair straighteners on a train to London could have blown the electric circuit for everyone on board the carriage, GWR has warned.

Tony Goodman, 52, was spotted onboard the 10.19am Great Western Railway service to Paddington at the weekend as he was heading to watch his West Ham team play Everton at the London Stadium.

In a video shared with CornwallLive he can be seen plugging a pair of hair straighteners into the train socket beneath his seat and using them as a makeshift grill for the marinated steak.

Describing the stunt, in which he butters slices of sourdough ready for the fresh meat, he said it was "the greatest triumph of train cooking you've ever seen".

Footage shows Tony calmly preparing the sandwich at a table seat, slicing open Lidl sourdough rolls and layering them with mayo and grated mozzarella.

This thread will be 3 years old this month.

Some talk and rumours .... yes

Order placed and trains in build .... nope

Current status after 3 years : not even an invitation to tender

Is it just me, or does it seem to anyone else also think, that any new trains will not be in 2020s, and could be (at least) half a decade away

Heritage railway buys its volunteers' favourite pub


The Royal Oak has been a regular meeting place for staff and volunteers of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

A pub which closed suddenly two years ago has reopened after a nearby heritage railway bought it.

The Royal Oak in Haworth has long been popular with visitors to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and other Bronte Country attractions. It was a popular meeting place for enthusiasts who volunteer on the line, and they have now taken over its running.

Sam MacDougall, one of the volunteers, said: "We were all dismayed when it closed so suddenly. Ever since our railway reopened in 1968, The Royal Oak was a favourite watering hole."


The downstairs bar has been decorated with a railway theme - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

Under its previous ownership, the pub's snug was decorated with railway memorabilia and photographs, and the reopened Royal Oak will have a railway-themed downstairs bar.

MacDougall added: "We see our railway as part of Haworth and the wider Worth Valley community, so reopening The Royal Oak as a community pub is a way of giving something back to the village, without whose support we would not be here."

The pub was once tied to Websters Brewery of Halifax and passed into private hands before shutting in 2024.

Volunteers behind the takeover said the building has always been "more than a pub" for the railway community.


Volunteers from the neighbouring Keighley and Worth Valley Railway have taken over trade - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

The upper floor, which was formerly used as living accommodation, has now become office space for the railway.

The line, which runs between Keighley and Oxenhope, closed as a main route in 1962, before it was taken over by a preservation society in 1968.

"Haworth village and the railway have really missed it, so this is a really exciting project. It does mean an awful lot."

Grade II-listed bridge to reopen after repairs


The bridge supports more than 10,000 locomotive movements every year - Image © NYMR

A Grade II-listed bridge on a heritage railway line is due to reopen after essential restoration work to its stonework and arches.

Bridge 42, at Grosmont, is North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR)'s "hardest working" structure and supports around 10,000 locomotive movement every year, the company said.

The bridge, built in around 1846, will reopen on 23 May, with the full line from Pickering to Whitby opening for the season from 1 June, it has been announced.

A NYMR spokesperson said: "After 180 years of faithful service, Bridge 42 now needs urgent repairs to keep trains running safely into the future."

The bridge's reopening date had to be pushed back from the May bank holiday weekend after the train company discovered more work needed to be done.

Laura Strangeway, CEO of the NYMR, added: "Work to prop Bridge 42 continues at pace and substantial progress has been made. However, initial excavation work and test results have shown that further work is needed than initially anticipated, which has extended the programme of works."

A full repair programme will take place over the closed season during the winter of 2026/27, which will restore the bridge to its "long-term structural integrity and ensure its preservation for future generations", Strangeway said.


The new reopening date for the bridge is 23 May - Image © NYMR

As a registered charity, the NYMR said it relied on its supporters to fund projects of the scale that require specialist materials, skilled contractors, and careful working in a sensitive environment.

Strangeway added: "The NYMR is much more than a tourist attraction - it is a vital heritage, economic, and community asset that boosts the regional economy, protects railway heritage, and supports local livelihoods."

Police escort for Paddington statue dumped in Southampton park


Paddington was "given a police escort" after he was found in the park, said officers - Image © Hampshire Constabulary

A statue of Paddington bear that was targeted by vandals has been taken from his bench again, days after being reinstalled.

The sculpture of the children's character was temporarily removed from Southampton's Guildhall Square in April, when the bench it had been sitting on was destroyed, before being put back in place last week. But in the early hours of Sunday, police were called to assist after it was reported missing.

Hampshire Constabulary said officers found Paddington abandoned but intact, in nearby East Park.

In a Facebook post, Southampton police said: "He was recovered safely and, as you can see, was given a police escort while arrangements were made for his return. Thankfully, he was found in one piece - and he certainly needed a marmalade sandwich after his ordeal.

"While we know Paddington is a much-loved character and this may raise a smile, damage to public property is a serious offence. The statue brings joy to residents, visitors, families and businesses in the city centre, and it is disappointing to see him targeted again so soon after recent repairs. Please look after Paddington. He is a bear of very good standing in our city."

(BBC article continues)

10:38 Weymouth to Swindon due 12:57
13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45

Facilities on the 13:32 Swindon to Weymouth due 15:45.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

Why is Liverpool Lime Street closed over bank holiday?


Overground train services will not run into or out of the station - Image © Network Rail

No trains are going to run in and out of Liverpool Lime Street station on Sunday and bank Hholiday Monday due to repair work, Network Rail has said.

It said: "Liverpool Lime Street will be closed to overground services on Sunday 3 May and the morning of Monday 4 May for journey-improving upgrades."

The transport company added: "Engineering teams will be replacing ageing signalling infrastructure in the Edge Hill area with modern equipment, as well as maintenance of overhead power lines and track points."

Passengers travelling into the city will have access to replacement bus services, and Merseyrail trains will be running as normal.

Paul Owen, Liverpool area director for Network Rail, said: "We would like to thank passengers for their patience while this vital work takes place. Replacing older signalling infrastructure with new equipment will reduce disruption on the railway and create smoother, more reliable journeys."

He urged people who were planning on travelling to or from Liverpool during the closure, to check with their train operators or on the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest information.

The station was closed for two months eight years ago for a full refurbishment.

Winslow residents form action group to get station open


Winslow station remains fenced off despite it being handed over to the operator Chiltern Railways more than a year ago - Image © Amy Holmes/BBC

Campaigners pushing for the opening of a new railway station that was completed more than a year ago have started an action group to get it up and running.

Winslow lies on the East West Rail (EWR) line between Oxford and Milton Keynes, but passenger services are yet to start, despite Chiltern Railways being appointed to run them in March 2025.

Sue North, who owns The Farm Deli in the town, said: "People have got to be held to account", adding: "If I was running my business this way, I couldn't survive."

A spokesperson for Chiltern Railways said: "There is work to finish to prepare the trains, on Winslow station and the operating arrangements for the route." They added: "We will provide updates as soon as we are able to."

Passenger trains were scheduled to run between Oxford and Milton Keynes for the first time in nearly 60 years by the end of December 2025, but there was currently no official timeline for when that will happen.

One reason for the delay is a standoff between the operator and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) over how many staff will be on the trains. The RMT, which has been approached for comment, said Chiltern Railways wanted drivers to open and close the doors at stations, without guards, but the union cited safety concerns for wanting two members of staff on board.

But Diana Blamires, of the new action group, said: "We are seeing a row of fences and the station behind it that we cannot access. We hear freight trains rumbling through the night so people are wondering why they cannot do the same with passenger services."

The station's ticket machines are fully functioning, and a Chiltern Railways spokesperson said: "Since being announced as operator of the first stage of EWR we have been working at pace to get everything ready for services to begin. Significant progress has been made, including hiring and training 44 train drivers, the creation of a new facility (for staff) at Bletchley, and the fit out of a new modern station with step-free access at Winslow."

But deli owner Sue North said: "To have invested that amount of money and then not open, it just would not be feasible for me and my business."

East West Rail also said platforms would now have to be extended at the station due to demand generated by the Universal theme park being built just 20 miles away in Bedford, which would see a need for five-car trains instead of four.

Natalie Wheble, the EWR director of external affairs, said: "We absolutely understand the frustration people in Winslow feel about the delay. Chiltern Railways has been working hard alongside the Department of Transport and industry colleagues to finalise arrangements so passenger services can begin as soon as possible."

Kam Gupta, who runs Chutney Jacks restaurant, says businesses in the town have been excited about the station opening. However, he said the lorries used during its development had "broken all the roads and we deliver curries but had many bust tyres because of the potholes". He added: "If the station was open everything would be forgotten and everybody hunky-dory again."

Bradley Cooper, who runs the Legends cafe, said he was concerned the station was still costing money, despite being unopened. "When you drive past overnight and see how much light and electricity is being used it really is annoying even though lots of people say it is solar power," he said. "Too much money has been spent on it for it not to open, but it would not surprise me if they flattened it and put houses there."


Winslow's new station is still not open despite its completion a year ago - Image © Andy Dyke

Whilst I obviously get and wouldn't disagree with your point about the TransWilts being a line that meets a natural travel flow, I wouldn't want it to be misread as "build it and they will automatically come".

Having gained a lot of experience (both as part of my day job and as a CRP volunteer) going door to door talking to residents along the TransWilts corridor and trying to persuade them to use public transport, I can tell you that, while there is obviously a huge amount of goodwill regarding what we are all collectively trying to achieve, it can be a battle in certain areas (predominantly parts of Chippenham & Trowbridge but also certain areas of the mainly-benign Melksham too) where people have become so used to using their cars as a default option.

This is where I would tend to agree with Claire Perry - due in no small part to our collective graft on the ground, we have manage to persuade an impressive number of people who are not by nature inclined towards public transport to honour us with their trust and patronage over the first year. However, the real challenge will be for both us and the service itself to prove worthy of retaining that trust and patronage, and continuing to attract & keep more passengers on that basis, over the medium to long term.

Anyone reading this should be in no doubt whatsoever of our determination to make it so - There is certainly no complacency here.

An interactive map to visualise travel within the UK, allowing users to mark areas as lived, stayed, visited, stopped, passed through, or never been. The selected areas are filled with corresponding colours, and the UK 'level' is dynamically updated. The map supports persistence via local storage and offers the option to download and share with others.