17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06

17:50 Gloucester to Salisbury due 20:06 will be started from Swindon.
It will no longer call at Gloucester, Stonehouse, Stroud and Kemble.
This is due to a safety inspection of the track earlier today.

Ryanair broken window may have been caused by 'foreign object'

An incident on a Ryanair flight which saw a passenger partially sucked out of a plane window may have been caused by "foreign object damage" to an engine, said the airline's boss.

Michael O'Leary said an initial investigation into the incident on 10 July between Greece and Germany suggests "it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki but ... we can't say that definitively".

He insisted that the engine on the 18-year-old Boeing 737 plane had been fully serviced and overhauled in the past two years.

Serbian national Ljubisa Karović's head and right shoulder were sucked out of the plane's window, leaving him "seriously injured and in shock".

His wife Svetlana Grković Maksimović told BBC Serbia that she and two other passengers held on to his legs for several minutes.  She said: "We pulled him back together. His entire face was deformed and blood was pouring from his nose and mouth."

He was taken to hospital after the plane made an emergency landing.

Passengers told local media they heard "some kind of explosion" on board.

The aircraft was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air.

Confirmation that the damage was caused by an external object could affect Ryanair or Boeing's liabilities over the incident.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating. O'Leary said that a draft report would be issued in about 28 days.

Faresaver are running a shuttle bus between the site and Chippenham station, timetabled as 30 mins; £10 for a single:
https://womad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WOMAD-W1-2026-PUBLIC.pdf

Thanks for that - really informative and well spotted.

Also, I'd not reallsed that bridge heights and the fit beneath them were approached in a way that reminds me of... did anyone when very small have that child's puzzle that consisted of a plastic drum with a lid with various shaped holes in it - and a set of plastic shapes that needed to be pushed rather firmly through their respective apertures?

With those minimum clearance tolerances it rather sounds as though a combination of a vehicle that just passes beneath a bridge and a piece of debris on the road could precipitate a bridge strike. Now reading the notes and slides again to see if it's really the case that the notes say the clearance as signed is more than the bridge provides.

Mark

At least 27 dead and 83 missing after passenger ferry capsizes off Guyana


A search and rescue operation for dozens of missing people continued on Sunday - Image © Prime Minister Mark Phillips / Facebook

At least 27 people have drowned after a passenger ferry capsized off the coast of Guyana on Saturday night local time.

Sixty-nine people aboard the MV Barima had been rescued, Prime Minister Mark Phillips told reporters on Monday, adding 83 more remained missing.

Divers continue to search the site where the vessel capsized and people who believe their loved ones may have been on board the stricken vessel have been asked to contact the authorities.  "Our focus again is on finding people," said Phillips. "We still have hope."

An investigation into the tragedy had been launched, he said earlier.  "Let me be absolutely clear: where negligence, misconduct or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law," he said.

Guyana's Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, expressed his anger at a news conference on Sunday, accusing those who operated the ferry of trying to "cheat the system".  The official registry had listed 133 as being on board the ferry, but Phillips said on Monday he was now "confident" there were 179 people.  Edghill also said the ferry's captain and at least one crew member had tested positive for cannabis.

"We have zero tolerance for members of the crew drinking or smoking while at work. And for us to have positive tests from the captain... this is serious," the minister said.  He added the captain and several of his crew had been taken into police custody.

(BBC article continues)

And what is a TASC??

. A fire has broken out at Paignton Station, affecting signalling and surrounding infrastructure. Local news sources report that the fire is now out, but due to the nature of the damage, we will not be running trains on this route today. Please kindly note, Paignton station remains closed to the public.

It's worth scrolling to the bottom of the councillors update and clicking on the two links (meeting minutes / meeting slides), they give a good insight to the saga.

Firefighters are tackling a major fire at Paignton railway station, with train services cancelled and roads closed across the town centre.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was called to the station at about 05:45 BST, and seven fire crews are currently tackling the blaze.

Great Western Railway said the line was blocked due to the fire, and passengers should expect disruption to services.
The operator said trains had been cancelled or suspended between Newton Abbot and Paignton. It added Torre, Torquay and Paignton stations would not be served and that the disruption was expected to continue until at least 14:00 BST.

A marmoset monkey has been rescued by animal welfare officers after being found abandoned inside a laundry bag on a bus in north-west London.

The female primate was discovered by a driver on the route 302 bus when it arrived at Kensal Rise on Friday morning, the RSPCA said.

Saturday to Friday:
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.
Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.

Saturday to Friday:
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.

Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.

Swindon and Cricklade Railway has said its Diesel Service to Farfield Lane could not go ahead on Sunday.

The company has said the “reduced service” took place, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

"The Diesel Service to Farfield lane has been cancelled.

“A replacement Wickham Trolley service will be departing from Blunsdon and making regular trips to Swindon Mouldon Hill only. The TASC will also be available for rides."

We are sorry about this train being delayed.  This is because the train is late

But it is dark, so pictures from our base for the next couple of days will have to wait until the morning.