175 units to enter passenger service ... Monday 15th December to Friday  19th December
2C26 1340 Plymouth Penzance
2P21 1552 Penzance Plymouth will be a pair of 2 car 175 units.

The other 2 Castle Class HST diagrams will be covered by other DMU's.
One of former the Castle Class HST diagrams will be covered by using the DMU of Looe branch which is shut due to a week long engineering block

Dirty diesel trains are still running through Bath, polluting our heritage city.  As we look to improve our railways, we must include ways to make them cleaner and greener.  We need a bold, ambitious electrification plan to deliver this

The new IET trains have modern diesel engines, and most of the HST's are now phased out, so not sure what the issue is with diesels polluting Bath

You can taste the Portsmouth to Cardiff diesels as they go past

Electric, Hydrogen powered and Solar powered trains are options for Great British Railways....

Bring back steam locomotives then !

So you also suggest electrifying the branch lines with routes going through Bath or closing them because that isn't economically viable?

Doh, Bath residents did all they could to stop the wires going through their beloved city.

Maybe you could also help with the increased pollution in the surrounding towns and villages that Bath caused with its “clean zone” - any ideas there? In reality, the problem has just been pushed out of bath and onto everyone else.
The UK already emits less than many developed countries. Until we have grid generation to support more electrification, we have to accept a small amount of pollution as the price to pay for public transport.
Currently the tax burden on the payer is higher than ever, and people are at breaking point - more tax won’t help and removing some trains won’t help either.
I think you need to reconsider this statement and avenue because it sounds utterly tone deaf and out of touch with the public.

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04

21:45 Penzance to London Paddington due 05:04 will be started from Plymouth.
It will no longer call at Penzance, St Erth, Camborne, Redruth, Truro, St Austell, Par, Bodmin Parkway and Liskeard.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

Additional Information
Owing to a signalling fault we are unable to operate this evenings Sleeper service between Penzance and London Paddington.

We have arranged for this service to be operated by one of our regular Intercity Express Trains, starting from Truro, which will offer a Standard and First Class seating service only. There will be no accommodation facilities.

I have booked ... for Saturday 13th December

Nah - Swiss Cottage, more like.

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:24 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Last Updated:12/12/2025 04:12

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading
Due to urgent repairs to the track between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 09:00 12/12.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
Following a safety inspection of the track today in the London area some lines are currently closed.
-
What are we doing about it?
-
We are working with Network Rail to be able to return running the normal timetable as soon as safely possible.
We have stopped running trains in the area until safety staff on at the scene to investigate.
The safety of customers is our top priority and we will restore the service as soon as it is safe to do so.
-
What are my options?
-
We are sorry for the delay to your journey today. Below are the current options available to you:
-
Option 1: Use the National Rail Enquiries real-time journey planner to check if a journey by rail is currently possible. If you are at a station please check the live departure boards or speak to a member of station staff.
-
Option 2: Chiltern Railways are conveying passengers between Oxford and London Marylebone in both directions until further notice.
Elizabeth line are conveying passengers between Reading and London Paddington in both directions until further notice.
South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Reading and London Waterloo in both directions until further notice.
South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central in both directions until further notice.
London Underground are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.
-
Option 3: Replacement transport provided by us such as a buses, coaches or taxis, have not been requested at this time. We will continue to monitor the need for this as the situation develops and provide updates here.
-
Option 4: If you can, you might want to consider postponing your journey until our service returns to normal.
-
Let us help you:
-
As a result we will have to reduce the number of train movements through the area. This will mean that local train services between London Paddington and Newbury will only operate between Reading and Newbury, in both directions. Customers travelling to / from Newbury, Thatcham & Theale from / to London Paddington will need (in most cases) to change trains at Reading.

In addition, local train services which would normally operate between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway, and return, will only operate between Reading and Didcot Parkway. Customers travelling to / from Didcot Parkway / Cholsey / Goring & Streatley / Pangbourne / Tilehurst from / to London Paddington (and intermediate stations between London Paddington and Reading) will need to change trains at Reading. Didcot Parkway will continue to have main line services running to / from London Paddington.

Twyford, Maidenhead and Slough stations will see a considerable reduction in the frequency of train services and GWR ticket holders should utilise Elizabeth Line services instead where no GWR services are available. Note that at London Paddington the Elizabeth Line services operate to and from platforms A & B which are accessed through the entrances alongside platform 1 of the main terminus.
-
If you're already travelling when disruption happens, we'll get you where you need to go. If you miss the last train of the day due to cancellation or because another train was delayed, we wont leave you stranded.
-
If you require help, further information or would like to provide feedback, to help us improve in the future:
Speak to staff at the station or on the train. Use the Customer Help Point on the platform.
Message us on X @GWRHelp, Facebook Messenger @gwruk, Instagram @gwruk or WhatsApp 07890 608043. Our team is available daily between 06:00 and 23:00 Monday to Friday and 07:00 to 23:00 Saturday and Sunday.
Call our Customer Support team on 03457 000 125, who are available between 06:00 and 23:00, or National Rail Enquiries on 03457 484 950, who are available 24 hours a day.
-
Delay Repay:
-
If you arrive at your destination 15 or more minutes late because your GWR train was delayed or cancelled, you can apply for Delay Repay compensation. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
-
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
Last Updated:12/12/2025 05:29

2. Angel

Stuffed Victorian dog returns to Slough train station home


Station Jim has been a feature of Slough station since the 19th Century

An iconic stuffed dog has been lovingly restored and returned to the train station platform which has been his home for more than a century.

Station Jim was born in 1894 and arrived at Slough as a three-month-old mongrel puppy, where he would collect donations for Great Western Railway (GWR) widows and orphans. Following his death in 1896, the beloved Victorian mascot was preserved, along with his collection box, and he was put on display at platform 5 in Slough Railway Station.

The taxidermy pooch was recently removed for some much-needed TLC but has now returned in all his glory. The restoration was a team effort by GWR, Museums Partnership Reading, Arts Council England and the Aldama Foundation, which helps conservation projects.

Conservator Simon Moore said he gave Station Jim a "considerable makeover" after he spotted damage to areas including his fur, eyes and claws. "It feels really good [to have restored Jim] because not many stations have a feature like this which is really charming and a nice story with it as well," he added.

Anna Jones, programme manager for Museums Partnership Reading, said Jim is "a bit of a railway legend". She said he was placed in a new cabinet after having dust removed, and his fur, nose and claws treated. "He will hopefully be preserved and be on the platform for at least another 100 years," she said.


(Left to right) Joe Graham, from GWR, Anna Jones, from Museums Partnership Reading, and Tim Knox, from the Aldama Foundation, unveiled Station Jim

and we have lots of warning about

But I don't remember seeing this previously (before Monday); is it a new service?

Ryanair plane at Stansted Airport was badly damaged in crash near runway



A commercial aircraft suffered "significant damage" when it smashed into an airport fence with 181 passengers onboard, an investigation has revealed.

The Ryanair plane was being moved by a tug driving instructor who was advising a trainee at London Stansted Airport in Essex on 21 August 2024. The Boeing 737 was being pulled to the airport's apron - where planes await runway departure slots - by the ground vehicle known as a tug.

Changes to ground markings had been made since the incident, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in a report.

The tug was initially driven by a trainee, who handed control over to her instructor after a mistake. The instructor "continued to reassure and advise the trainee" while performing a manoeuvre, "looking at her while doing so", the report added.

But the plane's nosewheel moved beyond the tug release point (TRP) ground markings - where it was meant to stop - resulting in the aircraft striking a blast barrier. This damaged the rear of the plane, which also had six crew onboard and was bound for Venice in Italy, but caused no injuries.


The rear of the aircraft suffered significant damage in the crash

Following the crash, the instructor successfully passed drug and alcohol tests. The man explained he was "focusing on speaking to the trainee" when he drove past the TRP, the report said. He added the markings were "not very prominent" and were "obscured" underneath the plane.

The trainee said she did not say anything when her instructor failed to stop as she was "assuming he must have known what he was doing", the report stated.

The manoeuvre was carried out by workers for Blue Handling, a ground handling team from facility management provider ABM that serves Ryanair at Stansted. ABM was approached for a comment by PA Media.

Since the accident, the airport doubled the length of TRPs from 50cm (19.6ins) to 1m (3.2ft), and painted them on both sides of centre lines.

While waiting for that at Chippenham (due 17:50) an empty IET passed through heading west at full tilt. I thought it might have been the reason for the delay, but the 17:35 was still parked at Swindon for a while after that.

Network Rail says sorry for £27m station lift woes

Network Rail has apologised for the problems faced at a station which recently underwent a £27m redevelopment.

A new southern entrance to Sunderland station was opened in December 2023 with Network Rail saying at the time that "finishing touches" would be applied in the next few months.

But Labour MP Lewis Atkinson said there had been prolonged periods where escalators, lifts, doors and toilets in the entrance "were not functional" and had called for a public apology from the rail body.

Network Rail has now apologised for the "frustration and inconvenience" caused to locals and said it had conducted an internal review into the issues faced.

Atkinson had previously said that the station was managed by train company Northern but that many of the maintenance problems affecting the entrance had been the responsibility of Network Rail. He said it had taken Network Rail 21 months to make lift repairs and put in a working escalator at the station.

Responding to Atkinson, Network Rail said it recognised its performance with the site's lifts and escalators had been "far below" the level expected. In a letter, Lila Tachtsi, director for engineering and asset management for Northern Rail's Eastern region, said it had taken "too long" to get to a point where the facilities were being regularly maintained. She said there were "clearly lessons for us to learn" about future projects and that an internal review had been conducted.

Some of the changes put in place following the review include ensuring better communication between its projects team and its escalators and lifts team.

The station was branded an "embarrassment" in October by the city council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Paul Edgeworth.

Only one business, a coffee shop, has opened at the southern entrance since its redevelopment.

Bit different nowadays..........

Wait, What? What is Trump Doing Now about US citizenship.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 is now before the U.S. Congress. It will fundamentally change how the United States treats dual (or multiple) nationality.

What the Bill Actually Says. Will I Lose My U.S. Citizenship?

The bill makes it unlawful to hold U.S. citizenship at the same time as any foreign citizenship. If you voluntarily acquire a foreign citizenship after the law’s effective date, you will face the relinquisment of your U.S. citizenship. Further, if you are currently a dual citizen, the law requires renouncement of either U.S. Citizenship or your foreign citizenship no later than one year after enactment. The bill is a proposal (not law). Congress is considering the action. If successful, the law will face significant constitutional and practical hurdles.