Yes, IF you can persuade many of the foreign airlines to put on flights from these regions, as well as London.

They won't, because it's one plane load generally. Occasionally, two, and then Manchester sometimes gets one.

Ideally you would do the job properly and run them to Crewe and onwards.

Through this application, GC is seeking to provide more direct rail connectivity to areas which we consider underserved, and provide passengers with an additional option for environmentally friendly transport to London Gatwick Airport from the Midlands and North East of England, when compared to driving, or coach travel.

The new services will bring the benefits of competition, as experienced on the East Coast Mainline (ECML), to the cross- country route, which between the ECML and South East of England has no competition to the fare setter, other than premium fares via London.

This application will support the continued expansion of GC to the benefit of passengers, in particular introducing direct rail connectivity between the South Coast and the Northeast of England, where GC has a long track record of supporting underserved communities, while also growing overall revenue and patronage on rail services. In addition, this new proposed route will also directly connect England’s second most populous city, Birmingham and surrounding areas to the second busiest airport in the UK, which in 2024 served 43.2 million passengers, and whose stated goal is to serve 80 million passengers annually by the late 2030s with the project to open a second runway currently underway.

GC has already had discussions with London Gatwick, who welcome this application and are excited about the opportunities it creates for more direct connectivity to the airport. It also re- connects Birmingham with the largest British conurbation without a current direct rail service, in Brighton and Hove.

This application is made considering the implementation of the East Coast Mainline (ECML) Event Steering Group (ESG) timetable in December 2025, our timetable also makes updates and considers the May 2026 timetable.

 These new direct GC services provide rail journey times between the Southeast and Birmingham/Oxford, which compete favourably with the fastest current rail journey times (e.g. Gatwick Airport – Birmingham GC 3h 00, compared to 2h 40), which involve at least one interchange, usually including a change between London termini. Direct journey times are also comparable with average road journey times (c3h 00 for Gatwick Airport – Birmingham by car, and 4h 00 by coach), without the added uncertainty from the use of the congested M25. This is particularly true of poorly served stations for these routes, such as Guildford (Guildford – Birmingham GC 2h 14, against current rail 2h 30 via Reading, or 2h 45 by car).

On longer journeys from the Southeast to the Northeast, the GC proposed direct journey times also compare favourably with car and coach journey times, although they are slower than the premium- priced services requiring a cross-London interchange. For example, beyond Derby, coach services to Gatwick Airport require an interchange, which means the current cost-effective solution takes, for example, from York 8 hours by coach and 5 hours by car, compared to the direct proposed 5 hours by GC.

I am sure you are thinking of an additional pair of lines for anyone wanting to go from Old Oak Common tp Solihull

It took even me a while, but I have now found it for you, Kernow Otter: see https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=15910.0

That topic was originally specific to Wetherspoons at railway stations, but it did indeed expand to cover 'public houses near the railways' generally.

Can't for the life of me find what I recall was a specific thread on 'pubs near stations' ...

Hospice charity 'disappointed' after its miniature railway targeted by vandals


The attraction in Inverness is popular throughout the summer - Image © Highland Hospice

A charity which operates the UK's most northerly public miniature railway says it is considering installing CCTV after repeated vandalism.

The Ness Islands miniature railway in Whin Park, Inverness, has had its track and points system damaged.

Highland Hospice, which has operated the attraction since 2019, said it was "disappointed" it had been targeted twice in a short period of time.  All profits from the railway go to the charity, which provides palliative and end of life care to patients across the region.

The miniature railway has been a popular attraction for local and visiting families in many years.  Having been first established in 1983, the trains run half a mile through the park by the River Ness. It is named after the adjacent Ness Islands in the river.

Recently there have been repeated instances of vandalism to the site, which is looked after by volunteers, most recently the points system was damaged and had to be replaced.

This is not the first time the attraction has been targeted. In 2019, the route of the train had to be diverted after the Victorian Footbridge it goes over sustained significant damage.

Andrew Leaver, from Highland Hospice said: "The young people came across and started stamping on all the timbers, broke up the timbers and we had to re-route the train."  He said on other occasions tracks had been "ripped up" for "no apparent reason".

Leaver added: "I just think its a real shame that people don't have something better to do.  Maybe we should be trying to find things that give people more creativity and more opportunity to enjoy themselves."

09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:35

09:48 Westbury to Swindon due 10:35 is being delayed between Trowbridge and Melksham.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.