I'm pretty certain that I've heard talk of a service to and from Swansea over the years.... perhaps from Ilfracombe?  Whether there would be sufficient customers for the service.....well, there's been nothing happening so far.
I would venture that any service further east would find it difficult to demonstrate cost or time savings over existing road and rail options.

Rail Avent carries an article about an experiment in Switzerland placing solar panels down the middle of railway lines.  It's hoped that success would generate enough power for 300,000 households or 30% of the power needed for public transport.

Article link below.

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2025/04/switch-on-for-worlds-first-on-track-solar-power.html

Well that was predictably quick.  Woolston-Hamble-Bursledon....along Southampton Water.   It didn't disappoint and with several stations along the way you can trim your walk according to time/energy level.  Some decent watering holes too.... particularly impressed by The Jolly Sailor, a few minutes from Bursledon Station and tucked away right by the estuary.

Nice day for a 'station to station' day out... nice station building too...but where is it?

Better late than never I say.  I've dusted off the cobwebs from the wallet and made a modest donation to their fund raising appeal.

4.  Plym Valley railway perchance?

That rather explains the lack of progress that I saw when I visited the site a month or two back.  It seems that even miniature railways have their fair share of the bureaucracy that the "big" railways enjoy.
Still, it looks like there'll be a bit more to see next time I pootle down there.

Yesterday, had I not been wary of the enteral threat of potential delays down the line, I might have chanced the latest train out of Okehampton that would have got me to Totnes in time for the last "virtual branch line" bus to Kingsbridge and Salcombe.  Good job that I didn't chance it as a bridge strike delayed trains  from Exeter sufficiently to have made that last bus a near impossibility.

Sadly not completed yet but a sure fire sign of the work progressing steadily from one end to the other.

The wraps continue to come off Bristol Temple Meads canopy restoration.  These two pictures taken this morning.

Witness the mysterious yet awesome power of the Coffee Shop forum.

There's a current infestation of third rate local news reporters who describe nearly every building they report on as 'iconic' when what they really mean is 'well known ' or 'prominent'.
Similarly, a lot of journos don't seem to to know what an epicenter actually is....or it's corresponding hypocentre for that matter as well.

Events at WECA^» (West of England Combined Authority - about) have taken something of a turn this evening regarding the current Metro Mayor.  This arrest is likely to have an effect on the continuing debates but by how much remains to be seen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czx48gq0y77o

YTL have submitted a planning application for "Station Square"  next to the arenal station which includes one of those CGI^▸ (Computer-Generated Imagery) images of how it probably won't look when it's built.
The proposals include provision for permanent and temporary 'pop up' food and drink offerings, occasional markets as well a bike parking provision (apparently for 100 bikes which seems very well short of excessive to me).  Here's the link to the article in question.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/brabazon-public-square-plans-unveiled-10079624

A solution to capacity issues on the London Underground.