Trains cancelled over fake bridge collapse image


A photo taken by a BBC North West Tonight reporter showed the bridge is undamaged

Trains were halted after a suspected AI-generated picture that seemed to show major damage to a bridge appeared on social media following an earthquake.

The tremor, which struck on Wednesday night, was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District.

Network Rail said it was made aware of the image which appeared to show major damage to Carlisle Bridge in Lancaster at 00:30 GMT and stopped rail services across the bridge while safety inspections were carried out.

A BBC journalist ran the image through an AI chatbot which identified key spots that may have been manipulated.

Network Rail said the railway line was fully reopened at around 02:00 GMT and it has urged people to "think about the serious impact it could have" before creating or sharing hoax images.

"The disruption caused by the creation and sharing of hoax images and videos like this creates a completely unnecessary delay to passengers at a cost to the taxpayer," a spokesperson said. "It adds to the high workload of our frontline teams, who work extremely hard to keep the railway running smoothly," the spokesperson said. "The safety of rail passengers and staff is our number one priority and we will always take any safety concerns seriously."

The British Transport Police said it was "made aware" of the situation but there was no ongoing investigation into the incident.

Network Rail said 32 services including passenger and freight trains were delayed because of hoax.

A spokesperson for the rail provider said a mix of passenger and freight train would have been impacted. They said some of them would have been directly stopped or slowed while it checked the lines, but a lot of the trains were delayed as a result of earlier services still being in their path. The spokesperson said many of them would have been local but because of the length of the West Coast Main Line some trains were delayed as far north as Scotland.

Railway expert Tony Miles said due to the timing of the incident, very few passengers will have been impacted by the hoax as the services passing through at that time were primarily freight and sleeper trains. "They generally go slow so as not to disturb the passengers trying to sleep - this means they have a bit of leeway to go faster and make up time if they encounter a delay," he said. "It's more the fact that Network Rail will have had to mobilise a team to go and check the bridge which could impact their work for days."

He urged people to consider hoaxes like this could have on real people. "If they actually did delay a train it could have impacted someone who had to get to a medical appointment, or a flight or a funeral. It may seem like a game, but anyone who's thinking of doing this should consider how it will impact real people."

Yes the growing size of cars is a concern INHO. I consider that road tax should be based on dimensions or weight.
A substantial increase in fuel duty would also help.

Missed chances to save rail line teen, jury finds


Roxy Phillips was "blossoming" and "larger-than-life", a family friend said

Warning: The following story contains content some people might find upsetting

A drunken teenage girl was electrocuted on a railway line after police and Network Rail missed opportunities to prevent her death, an inquest jury has found.

Roxy Phillips, 15, fell on to the live rail in Weymouth, Dorset, while she was walking home at night with a friend in March 2023.

A member of the public reported trespassers on the line and the current was switched off, the inquest in Bournemouth heard.

However, the jury questioned actions by Dorset Police, British Transport Police and Network Rail which it said may have caused her death when power was restored.

The inquest heard that just before 01:00 GMT on 23 March, there was a 999 call reporting that two people had walked on to the railway line at Weymouth station.

Power was switched off and Dorset Police went to the scene.

Officers, who did not access the track, reported they could not see or hear anyone and no further search was undertaken.

Just under half an hour later the power was restored, the inquest heard.

A further 24 minutes after that, Ms Phillips' friend phoned 999 to report that she had fallen.

The location was near Redlands Sports Centre, nearly 3km (2 miles) from Weymouth station and about three-quarters of a km (half a mile) from her home in Broadwey.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, the jury said alcohol was a probable cause of the tragedy while possible factors included the actions of police and emergency services.

It said Dorset Police failed to record reports of the trespassers' vulnerability, did not communicate fully with the other authorities and did not review the incident at a senior level once the track went live.

The jury questioned British Transport Police's "lack of command and control of the incident" and "sufficiency of inquiry... as to the extent of the search".

The force also did not record a request by Dorset Police to attend, it said.

For Network Rail, the jury highlighted "the adequacy of inquiries" about both the trespassers and the extent of the police search.

It concluded: "Roxy died as a result of consuming alcohol and trespassing on an electrified line.

"There were missed opportunities by Dorset Police, British Transport Police and Network Rail to locate Roxy or establish that she was no longer on the tracks before restoring power."

In statements, Network Rail said it would reflect on the inquest, while Dorset Police said it had already reviewed its response plans for railway incidents.

British Transport Police said it had changed its control room processes, strengthened the way it worked with local police forces and made the railway safer in the Weymouth and Upwey areas.

The inquest heard the teenager was excluded from school and had been due in court the day before she died on charges of assaulting paramedics and police.

A previous report by Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children's Partnership said care authorities missed opportunities to intervene with the teenager.

Family friend Sasha Knott-Fancy previously told the BBC: "She really was a beautiful young lady. She was just blossoming. She was such a huge animal lover... a larger-than-life character."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Photos shared online show the vehicle stuck under Honeybourne Railway Bridge

A main road has reopened after a lorry carrying a forklift truck got stuck under a railway bridge on Thursday morning.

Gloucestershire County Council confirmed the A4019 in Cheltenham, near Tewkesbury Road and the High Street, was opened on Friday afternoon.

Photographs showed how the forklift had become wedged under the bridge.

Cheltenham Borough Council confirmed the railway bridge has also now reopened.

Closure of crossing extended after boy hit by train

The closure of a footpath level crossing has been extended by six months after a 14-year-old boy was fatally struck by a train in Nottinghamshire.

Josh Travis died when he was hit by the train in Burton Joyce on 26 November. His death is not being treated as suspicious, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

Network Rail confirmed on Thursday that the public footpath over Chestnut Grove level crossing had been extended until 26 May.

A consultation on whether to permanently close the footpath level crossing had opened days before Josh's death, after Network Rail had applied to Nottinghamshire County Council to close it on safety grounds in March.

The rail body had warned it posed a "very real risk of serious incident" and reported a 19 near-misses from 2020 until March this year.

As part of the application to "extinguish the public right of way", the county council confirmed it opened the consultation on 20 November.


An emergency closure of the crossing has been in place since the day after Josh died

An emergency closure was agreed the day after Josh's death. This closure, which was initially in place for 21 days, has now been extended.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) added it was conducting a preliminary examination.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "A temporary traffic regulation order (TTRO) for the public footpath over Chestnut Grove level crossing has been approved by the local authority. This will come into effect on 18 December, immediately following the emergency closure period, and lasts until 26 May 2026. Our application for the crossing to be permanently closed will continue to follow the local authority's process in the meantime."

The county council added "further investigations will be undertaken by Network Rail and other stakeholders into long-term solutions".

To be fair, it wasn't the train crew who caused the problem: that was due to a security guard from a third-party contractor who locked up without checking the last train had arrived.

I suspect Northern will be having some stern words with their third party contractor. 

The latest Oxford Clarion newsletter reports that GWR have applied to the ORR to introduce a full Oxford–Bristol service. Every two hours from May 2026, increasing to every hour from May 2027.

To be fair, it wasn't the train crew who caused the problem: that was due to a security guard from a third-party contractor who locked up without checking the last train had arrived.

I suspect Northern will be having some stern words with their third party contractor. 

Always good to be able to pluck a diamond from a turd! 

Both reinstated at 06:49.

14:18 Westbury to Swindon due 15:00
14:18 Westbury to Swindon due 15:00 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59
15:15 Swindon to Westbury due 15:59 will be cancelled.
This is due to a shortage of train crew

Building work was carried out between July 2024 and May 2025

Work to restore Oswestry's Cambrian Railway building has been recognised with a national award.

The work on the building, headed by Shropshire Council, was done between July 2024 and May 2025. Improvements included fixing the building's exterior, removing asbestos tiles, painting and installing nest boxes for swifts in the eaves and bat roosting tiles along the roof.

The project won the BAM Nuttall Partnership Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards on Wednesday. The works were funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Shropshire Council, with the work carried out by local building conservation specialists Phillips and Curry Ltd.

The building, which is Grade II listed, opened in 1866, and has multiple uses since it ceased operating as a railway station in 1966, Shropshire Council said. It served as the local railway station and the Cambrian Railway headquarters, key in connecting Oswestry and north Wales.

The authority took possession of the building in 2023 after years of neglect, and storm damage the year prior. Now, the building is let to local railway charity Cambrian Heritage Railways.

"This building holds significant cultural value for our community, and these essential repairs will ensure it remains safe and usable for future generations," said Roger Evans, cabinet member for finance.

"Shropshire Council took possession of this historic building, to help secure a viable long term use for it. We're committed to maintaining the heritage and integrity of this important site and we look forward to finding a suitable use for it so that it can continue to serve the community for many years to come."

That's the sequence I found, but stop Y was not in those maps and lists, no doubt because they were produced by Swindon Bus Company. Route 9 is a Stagecoach one, so it only appears in maps made by the council. So you need a bit of local knowledge ...