Faresaver are running a shuttle bus between the site and Chippenham station, timetabled as 30 mins; £10 for a single:
https://womad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WOMAD-W1-2026-PUBLIC.pdf

Thanks for that - really informative and well spotted.

Also, I'd not reallsed that bridge heights and the fit beneath them were approached in a way that reminds me of... did anyone when very small have that child's puzzle that consisted of a plastic drum with a lid with various shaped holes in it - and a set of plastic shapes that needed to be pushed rather firmly through their respective apertures?

With those minimum clearance tolerances it rather sounds as though a combination of a vehicle that just passes beneath a bridge and a piece of debris on the road could precipitate a bridge strike. Now reading the notes and slides again to see if it's really the case that the notes say the clearance as signed is more than the bridge provides.

Mark

At least 27 dead and 83 missing after passenger ferry capsizes off Guyana


A search and rescue operation for dozens of missing people continued on Sunday - Image © Prime Minister Mark Phillips / Facebook

At least 27 people have drowned after a passenger ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana on Saturday night local time.

Sixty-nine people aboard the MV Barima had been rescued, Prime Minister Mark Phillips told reporters on Monday, adding 83 more remained missing.

Divers continue to search the site where the vessel capsized and people who believe their loved ones may have been on board the stricken vessel have been asked to contact the authorities.  "Our focus again is on finding people," said Phillips. "We still have hope."

An investigation into the tragedy had been launched, he said earlier.  "Let me be absolutely clear: where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law," he said.

Guyana's Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, expressed his anger at a news conference on Sunday, accusing those who operated the ferry of trying to "cheat the system".  The official registry had listed 133 as being on board the ferry, but Phillips said on Monday he was now "confident" there were 179 people.  Edghill also said the ferry's captain and at least one crew member had tested positive for cannabis.

"We have zero tolerance for members of the crew drinking or smoking while at work. And for us to have positive tests from the captain... this is serious," the minister said.  He added the captain and several of his crew had been taken into police custody.

(BBC article continues)

And what is a TASC??

. A fire has broken out at Paignton Station, affecting signalling and surrounding infrastructure. Local news sources report that the fire is now out, but due to the nature of the damage, we will not be running trains on this route today. Please kindly note, Paignton station remains closed to the public.

It's worth scrolling to the bottom of the councillors update and clicking on the two links (meeting minutes / meeting slides), they give a good insight to the saga.

Firefighters are tackling a major fire at Paignton railway station, with train services cancelled and roads closed across the town centre.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was called to the station at about 05:45 BST, and seven fire crews are currently tackling the blaze.

Great Western Railway said the line was blocked due to the fire, and passengers should expect disruption to services.
The operator said trains had been cancelled or suspended between Newton Abbot and Paignton. It added Torre, Torquay and Paignton stations would not be served and that the disruption was expected to continue until at least 14:00 BST.

A marmoset monkey has been rescued by animal welfare officers after being found abandoned inside a laundry bag on a bus in north-west London.

The female primate was discovered by a driver on the route 302 bus when it arrived at Kensal Rise on Friday morning, the RSPCA said.

Saturday to Friday:
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.
Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.

Saturday to Friday:
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.

Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.

Swindon and Cricklade Railway has said its Diesel Service to Farfield Lane could not go ahead on Sunday.

The company has said the “reduced service” took place, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

"The Diesel Service to Farfield lane has been cancelled.

“A replacement Wickham Trolley service will be departing from Blunsdon and making regular trips to Swindon Mouldon Hill only. The TASC will also be available for rides."

We are sorry about this train being delayed.  This is because the train is late

But it is dark, so pictures from our base for the next couple of days will have to wait until the morning.

I asked Ministers why so many trains due to reach Cheltenham are instead terminating at Gloucester. After hearing concerns from local people, I’d already found out the facts from Ministers, which reveal a significant number of trains bound for our town don’t make it as far as Cheltenham Spa station.

Regular travellers on this route are all too aware of the frustrating turnaround time at Gloucester, but being ejected from the train entirely and told to wait for the next service or take a taxi is even worse.

While the Minister could not give me an immediate answer, I will be following up with the Department to find out what is going wrong and how it can be fixed.

Security guard, 26, falls from 75mph train in Germany after 'brutal' attack by passenger during ticket check

A security guard has suffered serious injuries after he was allegedly "brutally" attacked by a passenger on a train during a ticket check.

The incident involved a 26-year-old man who fell from a train travelling at 120km/h (75mph), resulting in severe head injuries. The attack took place when the rail worker fell against a train door during a physical altercation with a 36-year-old passenger, Bild reports.

The incident took place near Ettlingen-Bruchhausen in the west of Germany on a regional train operated by Deutsche Bahn, the country's national rail company. The train was travelling between Offenburg to Karlsruhe when the fight occurred on Friday evening.

The altercation reportedly started after the passenger, a German national, was asked for his ticket. A verbal argument then started, which resulted in two security guards being called to assist the ticket inspectors.

A physical fight then occurred between the passenger, who was allegedly drunk, and the 26-year-old Bulgarian security guard, who fell through a door which opened when he was pushed into it. The security guard was pushed with such force against the door that a section of the entrance steps allegedly broke off.

It is understood that train drivers are normally notified when a door has opened while the train is running, immediately triggering an emergency stop. This is not believed to have happened on Friday.

An investigation has now been launched into the incident, which is being treated as high priority. The 36-year-old suspect was arrested onboard and charged, but it is unclear on suspicion of what offences.

The security worker was found by emergency services near the tracks, about 1.25miles from where the train eventually stopped. A similar incident took place in February, when a train conductor died after an attack by a fare evading passenger in Rhineland-Palatinate, also in western Germany.

The 26-year-old perpetrator was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter.

Intercity rail travellers face potential disruption this summer across Great Britain’s three north-south mainlines, with drivers voting on strike action on two lines and timetables slashed on the other owing to malfunctioning trains.

East Midlands Railway announced it will cancel hundreds of services in the coming weeks from its intercity timetable on the Midland mainline, because of continued problems with its fleet of Hitachi trains.

The train drivers’ union Aslef has called a strike ballot on LNER, which runs trains between London and Scotland, after a pay deal fell through. Drivers are already voting whether to strike over pay at Avanti West Coast.

EMR is cancelling about 20 fast trains a day between London, Sheffield and Nottingham, while others will also be short-formed and are likely to be crowded. Its new class 810 fleet, previously labelled Auroras when their launch was heralded less than a year ago, have suffered from what EMR has called “performance and reliability issues”.

The operator also criticised Hitachi’s maintenance of the existing fleet that the Auroras were due to replace, the class 222 trains, which it said had “significantly impacted upon EMR’s ability to run a consistent intercity service”.

Will Rogers, the managing director of EMR, said: “The performance of the class 810 fleet has fallen below the levels we and our customers expect, and it is necessary to introduce a temporary reduced timetable while we work with the manufacturer, Hitachi Rail, to improve consistency in service.

“We are sorry for the significant disruption and inconvenience these issues have caused our customers, and we are committed to restoring the reliable service they rightly expect.”

A Hitachi Rail spokesperson said it continued to “work closely with all industry partners ... implementing improvements and supporting the transition”.

The bi-mode trains, which run on diesel and electricity, have been introduced into service this year after a three-year delay.

Investigations into the fatal Bedford rail crash last month are still trying to ascertain what caused one of EMR’s new Aurora trains to stop on the mainline, apparently due to a fault with the automatic warning system, before being struck by another EMR train that had passed a red light.

Train drivers on the two other intercity mainlines running north from London could all be on strike by late August, after Aslef called a ballot on LNER on Friday.

Dave Calfe, the union’s general secretary, said: “The company’s failure to make a suitable offer is unacceptable and that’s why we are balloting our members for industrial action.”

The union said the Department for Transport had refused to sign off a pay deal agreed at the state-owned East Coast operator.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We have given LNER approval for a fair and affordable deal. We know how frustrating disruption can be for passengers and strongly encourage the union to continue engaging constructively with LNER to reach a solution.”

Two weeks ago Aslef announced a similar vote at Avanti West Coast over frustrated pay negotiations. The union has not renewed a rest-day working agreement, leading to some cancellations.

There is a large gap on school day afternoons from Truro though.
This should help out while the trains are unreliable.