Network Rail staff hailed heroes after rescuing woman in snow

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Three Network Rail workers have been hailed as heroes for rescuing a woman and her two dogs after she fell in deep snow.

Joanne Reid, 60, says she feared the worst after falling during her normal dog walk on Monday morning near Insch station. With reports of 23 inches of snow and drifts even higher, she was completely hidden from view and unable to get back on her feet due to mobility issues.

Fortunately, a team of Network Rail colleagues were working to clear the heavy snow from railway lines nearby and heard Mrs Reid shouting for help. Darren Stalker, Stuart Fraser and Allan Rough were able to find her and her dogs lying in the deep drifts and help them to safety.

Mrs Reid said: “I couldn’t get up so I started to crawl towards the field, hoping there was something to help me, but I couldn’t get far. My support dog, Riley, was shaking as he knew something was wrong. My other dog, Rufus, lay down beside me. I was next to the railway, but trees were masking me. I couldn’t see how anyone was going to find me, so I started shouting. Eventually after ten or fifteen minutes, I saw an orange jacket through the trees and the three men appeared.

“The relief was unbelievable. I burst into tears. I really believed that if I hadn’t got somebody soon, the dogs and I could’ve been dead. I was so grateful. It was cold and horrible and they’re out working in this weather. Not only are they helping get the railway back up and running, but they’ve also just rescued somebody. I really do believe they saved my life. They say all heroes don’t wear capes, and that’s exactly what they were. Wearing bright orange safety gear and hard hats. They are my heroes.”

After getting back to their vital work clearing the railway, the team returned later in the day to check on Mrs Reid at home.

Darren Stalker, Stuart Fraser, and Allan Rough said: “We are just glad that the lady and her dogs are home safe and well. The weather was treacherous, so being stuck outside was certainly not ideal for her. We really appreciate all the recognition, but anyone in that situation would have done the same. We were glad we were there to help. Thanks from us all.”

Liam Sumpter, manager director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our colleagues whose quick thinking and compassion made such a difference in truly brutal conditions. They were out there working tirelessly to keep the railway running safely yet didn’t hesitate for a second to help someone in real distress. Their actions show the very best of Network Rail. I’d like to give a big thank you to them and all our other teams working hard in such challenging weather.”

Image credit: Network Rail

Weather on this part of the coast has been benign but various train services suspended for the day means that I'm hoping the extended validity of tickets that is on offer will apply to 4 in 8 day Wales explorer tickets as I'm hoping to make this one a 4 in 9 day ticket.

We are sorry for the disruption to your travel plans. If you are able to postpone your journey, you will be able to use any tickets for yesterday (8th Jan) or today at no additional cost on GWR services up to and including Sunday 11th January. Alternatively, if you are unable to travel, you can claim a free refund for your tickets.

Due to forecasted severe weather between Swansea (SWA) and Shrewsbury (SHR):

We expect the incident to last until the end of the day and disruption to services is expected until the end of the day.

Network Rail have reported weather warnings for heavy sleet and snow in the area and have closed the railway to all services.

You cannot travel - there are no trains running and we are unable to run Rail Replacement Bus services.

The preceding 12:05 to Penzance appears to be soldiering on.   It left Truro over two hours late just after 18:30 but looks not to have moved past Penwithers Junction on the way to Redruth since 18:42.

The 13:03 relies on a connection at Plymouth to reach Cornwall and that is just ahead of the 12:05 but again seems not to be moving, having overtaken it at Truro.

Does anyone here know / is there any public information as to the scale of the damage and the consequential timelines?

The Looe branch line also remains closed due to flooding. We will provide a separate update on the Looe branch once we have a greater understanding of when the line will reopen.

Dear Graham

We promised to keep you updated on the impact of Storm Goretti. Network Rail teams were on location at key sites across the network throughout the night, dealing where possible with issues as they arose.

Much of our network is operating as normal. However, there remains some lines that are closed due to storm damage and fallen trees.

All lines in Cornwall remain closed following storm damage to the signalling system and fallen debris/trees, as well as issues on the local road network and power grid issues. We do not expect to run services in Cornwall for the rest of the day, apart from the Gunnislake branch which should reopen for passenger service shortly. We’re continuing to work across the rail industry and with national infrastructure partners to improve this situation and have services running safely again as soon as possible. 

The Looe branch line also remains closed due to flooding. We will provide a separate update on the Looe branch once we have a greater understanding of when the line will reopen.

In Devon, both the Barnstaple and Okehampton lines should reopen for passenger service imminently. This follows a train with specialist colleagues for tree removal having run on both lines to clear debris.

There is also currently no service between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford and again, we anticipate this will remain the case for much of the day.

Due to the widespread impact on both the road and rail network, there is no road replacement transport running. The times provided above are indicative, and this is a rapidly moving situation. For the very latest customer information we ask passengers to visit www.gwr.com/check.

Any help you can give to share this latest travel update would be much appreciated – and if there’s anything else we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes

Tom & Heledd

That said Graham, in UK law, there is no implied right of privacy when in a public place ...

Both are technically correct, but there is a clear preference depending on the context and your location.

In British English, and particularly when referring to an institution like the Met Office, "forecast" is generally the preferred past tense.

Why "forecast"?
The verb is based on "to cast" (just like broadcast or typecast). Historically, these are irregular verbs that do not change their form in the past tense.

• Past tense: "The Met Office forecast a storm yesterday."
• Past participle: "A storm was forecast for yesterday."

Why "forecasted"?
"Forecasted" is a regularised version of the word. While it was once considered incorrect by traditionalists, it is now widely accepted and listed in most modern dictionaries as a valid alternative. It is slightly more common in American English than British English, and it is often used when the word acts as an adjective (e.g., "the forecasted results").

Which one should you use?
Since you are in the UK, "forecast" will sound more natural and "standard" to most people.

I’m still not sure forecasted is an actual word. 

Following yesterday's storm, I'm wondering if the branch will be closed for several more days now.

Due to severe weather between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 18:00 09/01.
Customer Advice
Storm Goretti hit the UK yesterday, which brought strong winds to South West and snow to other areas of the GWR network.

As a result, all services between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford are suspended until at least 18:00 but disruption may continue until the end of the day.

Customers are advised not to attempt to travel between these stations. Due to issues on the road network, rail replacement transport is not in operation.

[...]

An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
Last Updated:09/01/2026 10:03

It looks like a motion will be put forward next week by the Conservative group in Bristol City Council to look again at reinstating the Henbury Loop rather than the spur as it's argued that the arena and new housing around Henbury have changed the criteria underlying the original decision.  It's covered by Bristol Live in the link below.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-arena-housing-make-plans-10743664

Multiple dogs are believed to have been hit by a train moments after 20 were seen running back and forth across train tracks in Saxilby.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the incident which happened shortly after 2pm on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Officers said the train involved was travelling between Lincoln and Doncaster when it noticed movement ahead of the train at Sykes Lane, Saxilby.

Once the driver saw there were dogs on the track he applied the emergency brakes and sounded the train's horn continuously. It has been reported that there were around 20 dogs, possibly more, and some were running towards the train whilst several were between the rails and others ran to the sides of the train.

Police said the dogs were fox hounds and it is understood that there was a horse rider nearby, possibly connected to a hunt. The train, which had been travelling at around 65mph, came to a stop just after the crossing.

It is unclear how many dogs were hit by the train, but Lincolnshire Police believe that one or maybe two were hit in the incident. The force is now appealing for information after some of the dogs died from the incident.

2018 - 2/3 coach trains on the TW?

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47

06:35 Salisbury to Worcester Foregate Street due 09:47 will be terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
It will no longer call at Worcester Foregate Street.
This is due to severe weather.

An estimated 57,000 properties across the UK are without power after Storm Goretti brings 99mph (159km/h) winds and heavy snowfall.

The region experiencing the most outages (43,400) is the south-west of England, where a rare red "danger to life" wind warning was issued on Thursday

Due to severe weather:
Train services running across the whole Great Western Railway network will be revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00 09/01.
Customer Advice
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Storm Goretti hit the UK yesterday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain/snow. This brought disruption to the GWR network.
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For Friday 09 January:
-
With the storm now passed, the railway will have to be inspected in daylight for any damage.
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> There will be no services between Plymouth and Penzance, in either direction, until 12:00 at the earliest.
> There will be no services between Exeter and Okehampton and between Exeter and Barnstaple, until 12:00 at the earliest.
> There will be no services between Par and Newquay, between Truro and Falmouth and between Plymouth and Gunnislake, until 15:00 at the earliest.
Do not attempt to travel on the routes listed above. Replacement road transport is not available.

From The BBC

Storm Goretti brings heavy snow in Birmingham and Black Country

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Snow turned heavy in Aldridge and other parts of the West Midlands on Thursday night

Heavy snow arrived in the West Midlands on Thursday evening thanks to Storm Goretti.

An amber Met Office warning is in place for much of the Midlands and most of Wales until Friday morning. Snow could reach up to 30cm in some areas, it said.

Weather conditions also caused disruption and hazardous driving conditions, with some videos showing cars and even buses sliding around in the snow in Kings Heath, in Birmingham

Rail services have also been affected, with West Midlands Railway and Network Rail asking commuters to check journeys before travelling.

They warned passengers rail services may be delayed as ice could make it difficult for trains to run safely.

"From 19:00 GMT on Thursday, some trains across the West Midlands will run on a reduced timetable and passengers should take extra care and plan their journeys in advance," Network Rail said.

Chiltern Railways advised those travelling that a "significantly reduced service" would be in place on Friday. A spokesperson added one Chiltern Railways service per hour would operate in each direction from Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone.

(BBC article continues)

Huddersfield gritting lorry toppled amid 'hazardous' conditions

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A gritting lorry overturned on a patch of icy West Yorkshire moorland road as temperatures across the county dipped below freezing.

The distinctive vehicle came off the road and ended up on its side with its nose in a ditch in Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, earlier.

Kirklees Council confirmed the driver was not injured and the vehicle had been recovered and "returned to service".

A spokesperson added: "The incident highlights the challenging and often hazardous conditions our teams are working in to keep roads safe and accessible."

Councillor Tyler Hawkins, from the authority's Highways department, also said: "Although gritting vehicles are designed for winter conditions, severe weather, particularly black ice, can make some routes difficult to navigate. The safety of our staff and the public remain our top priority, but conditions can still be unpredictable." He urged people to take greater care on the roads as the treacherous conditions "could worsen" in the coming weeks.

There are currently a number of severe weather warnings throughout the UK ahead of Storm Goretti, which is expected to bring heavy snowfall to parts of the country, including Yorkshire.

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