Why is the last train north from London to Carlisle on the West Coast Main Line at 7.30pm, while the last train to Newcastle on the East Coast leaves at 11.08pm?

Today I asked the Transport Minister whether, now the failed experiment of rail privatisation is over, the new publicly owned railway will finally give the West Coast the same evening services as the East Coast.

Reviving a 200-year-old ale recipe made in a teapot


Jamie Allsopp (left) said the beer "started off the craft beer revolution"

The descendant of a brewer who made the first commercially successful India Pale Ale (IPA) has revived his seven-times-great-grandfather's recipe.

Samuel Allsopp created the beer in a teapot in 1822 after being challenged to make one which would last the six-month sea journey to India.  Allsopp went on to help establish Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, as the world's brewing capital.

Steve Holt, owner of Kirkstall Brewery in Leeds, found the leather-bound brewery ledger containing the recipe and teamed up with Allsopp's descendent Jamie Allsopp to remake what they called "one of the most important beers in brewing history."

Jamie said: "It started off the craft beer revolution. I'm really looking forward to drinking it with publicans and customers. It's going to be fantastic."

Allsopp's India Pale Ale was released in 70 pubs across the country on Friday, including Burton Bridge Inn and The Roebuck Inn, returning the beer to its original hometown.

In the year it was first released, the trade in sending beer to India was dominated by London brewer George Hodgson, but pale ale had become unreliable and unable to make the journey unspoiled.

Jamie, a ninth-generation family member, resurrected Allsopp's in 2021.

Recalling the IPA's history, he told the BBC: "Samuel was asked by the East India Company to brew a beer that would last the arduous six-month journey to India, as all other beers were arriving in bad condition.  Samuel Allsopp did something hitherto unknown, he upped the alcohol and hop content which both act as preservatives.  It really dialled it up strongly, and it was a really bitter beer. At the time it wouldn't have been drinkable straight out of the brewery, but after the six months at sea going down the Cape of Good Hope, it mellowed and arrived in India in really good condition."

This journey formed the humble beginnings of the popular ale. To save time and ingredients, Samuel and his head maltster, Job Goodhead, used a teapot to brew the first IPA and helped pioneer a new taste.

After growing into what has been described as one of Britain's great brewing empires, Allsopp's fortunes began to turn and the family lost control of the business in the 1930s.

(BBC article continues)

Hundreds of GP practices lose online services after collapse of tech firm

Patients in many parts of the country have been left unable to access their GP surgery online after a tech firm went into administration.

Silicon Practice ran digital services, including websites, online booking and consultations, for around 500 practices in England – just under 10% of the total.

Practices across the country, including in London, Gloucestershire and Norfolk, have reported problems. Services in Wales are also affected.

GP leaders said the problem would cause huge disruption, given the scale of online booking that now takes places.

Patients in areas that are affected are being advised they will have to make appointments via the phone. The NHS app is working.

Since last year, all practices in England have had to offer online appointment booking. Currently, more than 40% of appointments are made that way.

An NHS England spokesperson said while "the majority" of GP practice websites were running as normal, some using Silicon Practice will be affected.  "If your GP practice website is unavailable and you need help, you should contact your practice by phone or in person as usual."

(BBC article continues)

Watch the moment bridge hit at least 45 times is driven into again

A railway bridge considered the "most bashed" in Wales, having been struck almost 50 times, has been hit again.

In 2020 Network Rail said Trafle Mill bridge in Gowerton, Swansea, had been hit 33 times in the preceding decade, the most of any bridge in Wales and the border areas. There have been 12 reported strikes since 2023.

Despite sensors being installed to alert drivers of the height restrictions, CCTV footage shows a utilities lorry with wooden poles and a crane arm colliding with the bridge on 25 October.

Swansea council said it was disappointing and the warning system was functioning normally. It urged delivery companies to remind drivers of the restrictions.

In the footage, the lorry appears to slow just as it approaches but the crane arm smacks into the underside of the 11ft (3.3m) bridge, causing a loud bang.

According to residents the driver reversed onto nearby Fairwood Terrace and then headed back on Victoria Road in the opposite direction.

(BBC article continues)

Angel Station in Islington sees almost 12,000,000 visitors each year.

But the Northern Line station, which boasts the longest escalators on the London Underground network, will become exit-only so engineers can work on extending the working life of the escalators.

In April, one of the bustling transport hub’s three 200ft escalators failed, and TfL now predicts the second could soon suffer a similar fate – a failure that could force the entire closure of the station.

The third of the 35-year-old escalators is also in need of an upgrade, according to the transport body.

The exit-only restrictions, which affect the station only on weekends and bank holidays, will be introduced on January 2, 2027, until further notice.

Analysis by TfL confirms that more people leave the station than enter it on weekends and bank holidays.

According to The Standard, TfL is exploring ways to repair or replace the escalators, but due to ongoing funding pressures limiting its options, engineers are focused on keeping the escalators running for as long as possible.

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will be terminated at Oxford.
It will no longer call at Hanborough, Combe, Finstock, Charlbury, Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Shipton, Kingham, Moreton-In-Marsh and Evesham.
It is being delayed between Culham and Radley and is now expected to be 16 minutes late.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Campaigners have welcomed a Government commitment to hand the custodianship of 3,100 legacy bridges, tunnels and viaducts to Great British Railways, the body expected to take over the operation of most of Britain’s rail infrastructure and passenger services next year.

Collectively known as the Historical Railways Estate, the structures were transferred to the Department for Transport in 2013 after British Railways Board (Residuary) was abolished as part of a quango cull. Day-to-day management responsibilities were passed to the Highways Agency, now called National Highways, which looks after the UK’s strategic road network.

In 2021, the state-owned company was embroiled in controversy after plans were revealed that would have resulted in 134 historic bridges and tunnels being infilled or demolished without any consideration of their social value or repurposing potential. The longer-term programme could have seen as many as 480 structures being lost.

Accusations of “cultural vandalism” were levelled against National Highways after it unlawfully infilled a masonry arch at Great Musgrave in Cumbria under misapplied permitted development rights, ignoring a request from the local planning authority not to start the work.

The Government intervened to pause NH’s infilling and demolition programme ... continues

Irlam station, just down the line from Warrington, was crowned the 2026 World Cup of Stations champion after securing 4,786 public votes in the competition.

The award celebrates stations that bring people together and make a positive difference in their communities.

Jury shown CCTV of train staff using frying pan in defence

CCTV footage of a member of train staff using a frying pan to stop a man accused of attempting to murder 10 passengers has been shown in court.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said Samir Zitouni showed "sheer courage and bravery in seeking to save lives and defend others" during the mass stabbing on the Doncaster to King's Cross train.

Jurors at Cambridge Crown Court saw footage of Zitouni using the frying pan against Anthony Williams before the train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon railway station on 1 November last year.

Williams, 33, of Langford Road in Peterborough, denies 14 counts of attempted murder, including incidents in Peterborough and London the day before.

(BBC article continues)

The down side to the VOIP via FTTC or FFTH (Full Fibre to the Home) is during a power cut you loose your landline capability.

It seems to have vanished after terminating!

A number of years ago, when my ISP / landline provider went to FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) the last leg from cabinet to house was left as overhead wire, it meant to retain a land line an VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) unit was required to be plugged into my router, as I only ever had cold callers on the landline I dispensed with my landline number and save on the line rental.

The down side to the VOIP via FTTC or FFTH (Full Fibre to the Home) is during a power cut you loose your landline capability.

Reading - and not finding an answer yet - to how and whether this stretch can be accessed using powered (and unpowered) wheelchairs / wheeled mobility aids?

Yesterday was brown and dry - comes across as semi-desert.   I would characterise Portugal from what little I know as an Atlantic-facing country with most of its towns and cities close to that edge, and then with a number of river valleys cutting inland from the coast.  But they are not fast flowing torrents.

The most famous is the Douro valley which I have previously visited ... and runs out at Pochino.  A beautiful line along a valley that has steep slopes covered in Vinyards, with cruise ships offering a watery alternative to travel.   The one that crosses the border is the Linha do Leste.   The Linha da Beira Alta does not carry on into Spain, and the Ramal de Cáceras is an abandoned route on the Portugeses side, with (and I may be out of date) trains just three days a week into the core of Spain.

Maps to show some lakes ... not sure how much the water management does for them / how important they are.  The flora that we see looks like it's built for the harsh dryness, so I am somewhat relieved that the whole is not the effect of global warming.

20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06

Facilities on the 20:06 Westbury to Cheltenham Spa due 22:06.
Will be formed of 2 coaches instead of 3.

Almost inevitably, cyclists are ignoring the new rules................

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/moment-cyclist-ignores-oxford-street-ban-as-officer-tries-to-stop-him/ar-AA2gfoq2?ocid=socialshare

Thanks for posting that update, grahame.

Your photos seem to indicate that there is something of a shortage of natural water in Portugal and Spain?

CfN.

23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55

28/10/26 23:45 London Paddington to Penzance due 07:55 will be terminated at Exeter St Davids.
It will no longer call at Newton Abbot, Plymouth, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne, Hayle, St Erth and Penzance.

This is due to a fault on this train.