'Significant' bank holiday travel delays expected



Commuters across the West Country are being warned of "significant" travel disruption over the bank holiday weekend.

Passengers on CrossCountry trains are being urged to carefully consider travel times due to on-going strikes with all services cancelled on Saturday 23 August and a reduced service running from 0800–1600 BST on Monday 25 August.

Managing Director of CrossCountry, Shiona Rolfe, said the Rail and Maritime Unions (RMT) decision to strike on Saturday and Monday left the company "disappointed for our passengers".

Meanwhile, the RAC has warned motorists of long delays on the roads with millions of additional journeys being taken over the August bank holiday period.



Ms Rolfe said CrossCountry understood the "inevitable disruption" a rail strike would cause over the bank holiday, assuring users they were in talks with the RMT to "try and reach an agreement".  There will be no CrossCountry service between Birmingham, Reading and the South Coast, and no service between Leicester, Cambridge and Stansted Airport with only a very limited service to the South West and north of York.

Network Rail joined CrossCountry in urging passengers to check ahead of travelling over the weekend with the providers current engineering projects potentially affecting rail travel.

Transport company Inrix predicts the M5 between Bristol and Devon to have the most severe holiday traffic, with junction 15, north of Bristol, to junction 23 (Bridgwater) likely to see delays of more than 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday.

Nick Mullender, RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader, said: "With this bank holiday being the last opportunity to enjoy a long weekend before Christmas, our study shows a real eagerness to get out and about with nearly 18 million drivers planning getaway trips.  More traffic on the roads will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns, especially if the sun makes an appearance and people decide on the day to visit popular destinations," he added. They are expecting roads to airports and coastal getaways to be "extremely busy," he added.

15:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 16:35

Facilities on the 15:00 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads due 16:35.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 9. Service full and standing. First class is declassified. Catering is not available. There are no reservations on this service.

17:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 18:38

Facilities on the 17:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 18:38.
Will be formed of 10 coaches instead of 5. Reservations have been applied.

A new partnership aims to make an airport more accessible by providing adapted aviation opportunities for those with disabilities.

Flynqy Pilot Training, Aerobility and Cornwall Airport Newquay said they wanted to make the airport a "hub for accessible flight training, trial flights and aviation experiences for the disabled community in the South West".

Aerobility said making aviation more inclusive was an essential part of its ongoing commitment to accessibility.

Andrew Boomer, operations director at Cornwall Airport Newquay, said: "We are proud to welcome this partnership between Aerobility and Flynqy Pilot Training to Cornwall Airport Newquay."

Flynqy Pilot Training, a flight training school based at Cornwall Airport Newquay, has worked on introducing adaptations to aircraft with accessibility modifications tailored for those with limb differences and reduced mobility.

Aerobility said these adaptations would allow more people to experience the "freedom" and "confidence" flying could bring. It added the team would undergo specialist training to ensure "safe and dignified access" to aircraft for those who needed assistance.

Zara Dinnacombe and George Weller, who recently took over as directors of Flynqy Pilot Training in April 2025, said they wanted to bring "inclusive aviation opportunities to our local community all year round".  They added: "Aerobility is an inspiring and passionate charity dedicated to making a difference to the lives of people living with disabilities, allowing them to try something new and empowering them to realise their true capabilities."

Al Rosser, Aerobility's chief flying instructor, said the partnership "allows us to reach even more people who can benefit from the euphoric power of flight. We're really excited to help make aviation accessible to people living with a disability in the South West."

A British Airways flight attendant was found naked in an onboard toilet while under the influence of drugs, a court has heard.

Haden Pentecost, 41, was working on a flight from California to London when he started to become agitated and was described as "sweating" and "babbling".

A blood test later revealed Pentecost had methamphetamine and amphetamines in his system.

Pentecost, who has been sacked, pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court to performing an aviation function while impaired by drugs.

The court heard Pentecost had to be stood down by his manager when he failed to help with any pre-flight safety checks.

After complaining of cramps and saying he had to change his clothes, he locked himself in one of the toilets - where a colleague later found him naked and oblivious to the fact, the court was told.

He had dilated pupils, a high heart rate, and had to be checked every 20 minutes until the plane arrived at Heathrow. Paramedics then took Pentecost to hospital.

Pentecost, of Basingstoke, was granted bail and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court at a later date.

British Airways has been approached by the BBC for comment.

Erm ... where's Melksham?   

CfN 

Awful journalism yet again. What has the BBC become? (don't answer that!)

Sooo, first gen DMU heating... how'd it work?

Mark

I would ... suspect ... that there may be a burst-out of quite a few 175s from Wolverton just-in-time - perhaps the security there compared to Laira will allow them to enter traffic smart and with only official paintwork.   Having said which, I would suspect that the powers-that-be view of acceptable overcrowding may differ from the public view.   I remember back at about the time this forum started, an FGW manager who had transferred from Wessex Trains explained to me the very high cost of adding a carriage to a peak train for just a single morning journey when declining for FGW to do anything to alleviate the problem.  Bad old days, perhaps ...

21 August 2025 – Alstom, a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has signed a Technical Support and Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA) with Great Western Railway (GWR) to assist the introduction of 26 Class 175 trains into service across the South West England.

Under the eight-year agreement, valued at approximately £75 million, Alstom will deliver ongoing maintenance support from GWR’s Laira depot in Plymouth. The contract supports more than 15 roles, including engineers, material planners and administrators, as well as many more in Alstom’s wider supply chain.

OK, it's a long time ago, but I visited Torbay a lot from 1999 to 2005 and services to Exmouth were notorious for being overcrowded, especially during term-time.

Video from one Geoff Marshall here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87nt9m5MPc

Some of the footage has a noticeable orange flicker reflecting from the interior surfaces of the train, looking for all the world like light escaping from a firebox.

That it's not just fogging the image rather rules out strong magnetic fields interfering with the camera's CCD - perhaps it's tongues of plasma licking the exterior of the train.

Mark

Oh, happy memories of first generation DMU heating!

Years ago I remember Wessex trains used their class 31 and mk2 rakes to run a Bristol tm to Minehead service I think on behalf of butlins, I'm sure i saw a butlins express headboard on one the fragonset class 31s ?

Anyone remember how often it ran ?

Door fault?  Aircon intake fault - filling passenger cabin with diesel exhaust?