Oooh look, a chance to bash the London government and get my name in the paper, along with my "angry" photo.

£2.5bn "confirmed" for extension through to Cambridge, apparently: https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3lrdl3pd6kk24

As reported in this article, the incident has prompted Network Rail to apply for closure of this crossing.

June 2025:

11 June – Chancellor’s Spending Review: The Portishead line is a comparatively small project so would probably not merit mention. The project has been waiting since last summer for the Chancellor’s spending review to complete. The Dept. for Transport capital expenditure budget has been increased by 3.9%, so PRG’s view is that there is now no reason why the DfT can’t sign off the funding for Portishead. We should have clarity very soon and confirmation that the funding is all now released and construction can start.

4 June: The Government announcement on 4 June of £750m investment in transport for the West of England does not relate to the reopening of the Portishead line. The new funding is part of a five-year funding allocation from 2027/28 to 2031/32.

Do you have difficulties getting a taxi in the evenings or peak times?

Our bus service makes no sense in terms of frequency.

Railfuture comments on Eurostar announcement. Planning new trains to Germany and Switzerland:

It looks as if Eurostar has finally decided to expand. The Eurostar 50 new trains order has been around for a while but without stated commitment to run from Britain.

The "concentrate in the core, high fares" strategy is fine in the short run if you have no wider economic objectives but it has opened up a plethora of open access proposals.

Perhaps the most significant result is for Eurostar to realise that they are best placed to expand with less barriers to entry than new entrants. The key is to do this fast enough to keep new entrants at bay. The announcement to add new routes from London to Germany and Switzerland is strategically significant in this respect.

Open access has, in this way, already served a purpose without even running a train. In strategic terms this is good. Railfuture welcomes this development but makes it clear that this still leaves scope for more services and more competition, particularly on the existing Paris route and to the largest air market from Britain, after Paris and Amsterdam, i.e. Spain.

Also, sooner or later, someone will realise that there are other cities in Britain that have a huge air market, More people travel from Manchester to Paris than from London to any city in Switzerland.

Railfuture contends that the timing and the economics are right for sustainable rail travel from Britain as is the market appetite.

Railfuture's suggested choice of preferred open access routes.

This is ambitious for obvious reasons against the present situation but far less so in market terms. It also makes the presumption that the current preoccupation with immigration and security will be eased, with new technology and EU technology.

This proposes two strategic stops en route here, Stratford in long haul fast services to take about 30% volume to ease St Pancras, and Ashford for the Kent catchment area with its propensity to travel to Continental Europe.

Stratford or in some case, Lille would largely replace St Pancras as the interchange point from NW England.

Draft list of contenders.

Eurostar's proposals plus;
Paris route competition

    London, Stratford - Paris (fast)
    London, Ashford - Calais, Lille, Paris
    London, Ashford - Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland Paris, Lyon. Delete Lyon, add Tours, Bordeaux
    Manchester, Crewe (Merseyside and North West hub), Rugby(West Midlands hub), Stratford - Lille, Paris (all with long platforms)


South of France and Spain route competition

    London, Stratford- Barcelona, Madrid (fast)
    London, Ashford - Lyon, Avignon, Marseille
    London, Ashford - Lyon, Montpellier, Perpignan, Barcelona. Delete Barcelona, possibly combined to Avignon


Add

    London, Ashford, Charles de Gaulle Airport, Disneyland, LeMans, Nantes, with multiple service stops to provide frequency to CdG and Disneyland.


London, Ashford- Germany route competition

    London, Stratford - Hannover, Berlin (fast)
    London, Stratford - Brussels, Koln, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Milan


Belgium, Netherlands route competition

    Manchester, Crewe, Rugby, Stratford - Lille, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam


Nord Pas de Calais shuttle in cooperation on fares with SE High Speed and domestic Ashford - Calais, Lille

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Notes to editors:

Railfuture is the UK's leading independent organisation campaigning for better rail services for both passengers and freight.

Railfuture's website can be found at: www.railfuture.org.uk

Veterans and members of the public have turned out to give a final farewell to a former Royal Navy flagship that played a "vital role" in the Falklands conflict.

HMS Bristol was towed out of Portsmouth Harbour on Wednesday, almost five years after it was decommissioned.

The warship, which was the last ship serving from the Falklands War, is being taken to a Turkish scrapyard.

Chris Howe, from the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982, said the vessel had a "remarkable and unique legacy".

The Type 82 destroyer was commissioned in March 1973 but having been designed to defend a class of aircraft carriers which was never built, it was the only warship of its class to enter service.

The vessel led a group of two destroyers, five frigates and an RFA supply ship providing reinforcements in the Falklands, and later joined the carrier battle task group as an air defence destroyer. In 1987 it became a training ship before an explosion in its boiler led to it being used as a harbour training vessel - until it was decommissioned in October 2020, after almost 48 years of service.

Members of the public and veterans congregated on Old Portsmouth's Round Tower to wave off HMS Bristol, which was visually rust-stained, as it left the Hampshire naval base.

"As HMS Bristol embarks on its final voyage to the scrapyard in Turkey, we pause to reflect on its remarkable and unique legacy," Mr Howe said. "For many veterans, Bristol was more than a vessel - it was a home, a place of camaraderie, and a symbol of resilience. Its departure marks the end of an era, but its contributions to our history and the memories of those who served aboard will endure. We honour all who sailed in her and bid HMS Bristol a respectful farewell."

Hmm. 

While I do fully support that 'commitment' to invest substantially in the railway infrastructure in South Wales, it's not all guaranteed.

Rachel Reeves has proposed spending that budget until 2030.  However, Parliaments are limited to five years - so, 5 years on from 4 July 2024, her Government could be out of office by 4 July 2029 (or possibly earlier, depending on developments).

Just saying.   

Is there room for both if the VLR is a single track shuttle service or with a passing loop?

Interesting indeed - what does this do for very light rail proposals from Kemble to Cirencester?

Two interesting current proposals for cycle routes/greenways on former GWR lines in Gloucestershire.

[snip]

The second is along the former branch line from Kemble to Cirencester. Designs are being taken forward in two stages, one from Kemble to a new estate on the edge of Cirencester, the other from there into the town centre.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her spending review on Wednesday to announce £445m over 10 years for new rail projects in north and south Wales.

The Treasury has backed plans for five new stations in Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire, as well as upgrades in north Wales, with £348m to be spent between 2026 and 2030.

It follows years of complaints of underinvestment in the Welsh railway network.

Not sure I would use one. Who is the responsible driver/person if the car malfunctions/crashes (perhaps owing to the fault of the other side too)? Who handles any claims etc?