South Western Railway cancels trains into London amid staff shortages caused by Covid 

South Western Railway has plunged festive travel plans into more disarray after cancelling trains into London amid staff shortages caused by Covid.  The rail firm said it would only run services between the Tier 2 areas of Exeter and Basingstoke, but not to the capital, which is under the harshest of restrictions, up to and … Read more

Trains cancelled as major outbreak of Covid-19 sweeps through GWR sparking fears of Christmas chaos

Trains get cancelled as major outbreak of Covid-19 virus sweeps through rail company sparking fears of Christmas chaos for passengers One in four of GWR’s Plymouth-based train drivers due to work over Christmas are either ill or self isolating after a colleague tested positive for coronavirus  More than 50 staff are out of action but … Read more

Crossrail stations will welcome first trains in three months’ time

Crossrail stations will welcome first trains in three months’ time when engineers test tracks – but bosses insist £18.7bn line WILL open in first half of 2022 (£4bn over budget and two years late) Mark Wilde, Chief Executive of Crossrail, offered progress report for the project He said he was aiming for Crossrail to be … Read more

Christmas UK: Can you sing carols and when will trains be running?

As Britons plan their festive travel and look forward to spending time with their families after months apart, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas for many. But questions remain over how busy trains will be and whether the roads will be jammed over the period when three households can bubble next month.  … Read more

Labour demands higher rail fares are axed over Christmas to stop off-peak trains being packed 

Labour demands higher rail fares are axed over Christmas to stop off-peak trains being packed Travel restrictions lifted from December 23 to 27 sparking fears of virus spread   Labour calls to suspend higher fares over the five days to reduce overcrowding  Two million people travel by rail each year between Christmas and New Year  By … Read more

Government may run extra trains and suspend engineering work

The Government is considering putting on extra trains and may suspend engineering work as Britons hit the railways for their Christmas bubble.  Ministers are understood to be concerned about a demand for rail travel following the five-day rule over Christmas which allows up to three households to mix.  Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has reportedly urged … Read more

Rail firms to slash timetables to cut costs as a FIFTH of commuters will not use trains indefinitely

Rail firms plan to slash timetables in the new year to cut costs amid fears a FIFTH of commuters will abandon trains indefinitely More than a fifth of passengers are not expected to return to regular rail use Passenger numbers have been slashed since the start of the covid pandemic The Department for Transport has … Read more

UK lockdown: Tubes, trains and roads are rammed on first day of new shutdown

What lockdown? Tubes, trains and roads are rammed on first day of four-week national shutdown – as London is clogged with 255 miles of rush-hour traffic jams By Mark Duell for MailOnline Published: 08:04 GMT, 5 November 2020 | Updated: 08:04 GMT, 5 November 2020 Advertisement Rush-hour traffic remained high across England today as the … Read more

Scientist trains magpies to exchange bottle caps for food using high-tech bird feeder 

Bird-brained scheme: Scientist trains magpies to exchange bottle caps for food using high-tech bird feeder A computer scientist trained magpies to trade bottle caps for food Hans Forsberg built a birdbox that uses a Raspberry Pi system and sensors Birds drop a bottle cap through a hole and sensors activate the feeder The feeder releases … Read more

Strictly’s Jacqui Smith says her body is ‘in agony’ as she trains for ‘bouncy’ Samba

Strictly’s Jacqui Smith says her body is ‘in agony’ as she comes back fighting with a ‘bouncy’ Samba after scoring the bottom of the leader board By Natasha Hooper For Mailonline Published: 12:18 GMT, 30 October 2020 | Updated: 12:18 GMT, 30 October 2020 She made her debut on Strictly Come Dancing last weekend. But Jacqui … Read more