Returning to Plymouth for a moment, if I may?


My home city, too.

From grahame's pictures: 6. Saltram House.  A quite large National Trust property, absolutely beautiful.  I used to live fairly near it, so our family went for many walks around the grounds and gardens.

As children, we were shown the 'secret door' in the Library by our guide: I could probably show you the hidden release catch now, if I were there, such was the fun we had finding it. 

Chris from Plymouth. 

Returning to Plymouth for a moment, if I may?


My home city, too.

[snip]

Chris from Plymouth. 

I visited today ... two HST power cars ... seems a bit like overkill ...

From the Swindon Advertiser




I would hope that Peter Hendy already knew hw had a strong leisure customer base ... that the DfT's research told him and them a bit more than that. 

God's own City!

Hope you enjoyed Plymouth!

It is signposted from the railway station.

Might this have something to connect it with the Midland Blue Pullman I wonder.

Network Rail has stockpiled a year’s worth of rails in case of British Steel disruption

Reserves would give six months to find alternative supply if Scunthorpe blast furnaces are switched off

Network Rail has built up a stockpile of rails to last as long as a year in case of disruption in the supply from British Steel’s Scunthorpe works.

The company, which manages Britain’s railway tracks, has been stockpiling rails over the past 12 months as British Steel started to contemplate the closure of its two blast furnaces. The rails are stored at depots around the country.

British Steel’s Chinese owner, Jingye, last month announced plans to close the blast furnaces, putting 2,700 jobs at risk and threatening the UK supply of long products such as rails and construction beams.

The UK government on Saturday stepped in to take control of the Scunthorpe factory with emergency legislation. It made the move, just short of nationalisation, because it was concerned that the UK would lose the ability to produce steel from iron ore in its last blast furnaces. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, has directed British Steel to buy the raw materials needed to keep running, after Jingye decided to end production.

Many of the products made at Scunthorpe are readily available from other European suppliers. However, more than 80% of Britain’s rails come from the Lincolnshire plant. The stockpile would give Network Rail about six months to seek an alternative seller if the Scunthorpe blast furnaces are switched off, because of lead times in receiving orders from other sources.

Network Rail started considering the stockpile after Jingye announced in late 2023 that it was looking at replacing the blast furnaces with much cleaner electric arc furnaces. British Steel opened a new facility in November in Scunthorpe that will be able to store 25,000 tonnes of rails.

Network Rail already has flexible contracts with Austria’s Voestalpine and Germany’s Saarstahl that could fill the gap in supply if British Steel were to shut its blast furnaces before electric versions are up and running. Installing new electric arc furnaces, which do not rely on polluting coal, could take several years.

British Steel has said electric arc furnaces are suitable to make rails and other long products produced in Scunthorpe, although the conditions in the furnace need to be tightly controlled to avoid impurities. Network Rail has previously tested rails made in an electric arc furnace by Saarstahl.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We do not expect the announcement to have any impact on the continued delivery of reliable rail services for passengers and freight users.

“We are continuing to work with government and our suppliers, and we have comprehensive contingency plans in place to ensure the continued supply of rail needed to fulfil our operational needs.”

Londoners living with disabilities and chronic health conditions say they have struggled to use a Transport for London (TfL) scheme while travelling, with one even threatened by another passenger.

The "Please Offer Me A Seat" badge and card scheme, which marks its eighth anniversary this month, is designed to help those with disabilities and health conditions by signalling, external to other passengers they should give up their seat if needed.

But Eliza Rain, 28, who has a chronic pain condition, said when using the badge they were often challenged and one passenger "threatened to push me off the train because I'd asked for their seat".

A TfL spokesperson encouraged passengers to give up their seat to someone who asks where possible, even if the person asking isn't wearing a badge.

Swindon, the other week, the guy on the barrier didn't know whether the buses had moved to their new locations. In one way there was no reason he should have known, mind. (The new location being arguably better, but also, arguably less functional as an interchange and also further from the station.)

07:45 Westbury to Swindon due 08:34
08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26

08:45 Swindon to Westbury due 09:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a broken down train.