Man charged over stolen bus and driver attack


Armed police were deployed to Court Street, Telford on Friday - Image © Andy Smith/Telford Live

A man has been charged after a single decker bus was stolen and crashed into a row of parked cars in Shropshire.

Ali Balhad is set to appear in court over aggravated vehicle taking, driving a motor vehicle dangerously, robbery, thefts from a store and three counts of criminal damage.

The 33-year-old is also charged with assault, attempted grievous bodily harm and threats to kill over the incident.

Armed officers were deployed to the scene in Court Street, Telford, at around 18.35 BST on Friday.

West Mercia Police said the bus driver was treated by paramedics for minor injuries after he was assaulted, and confirmed that no-one else was hurt.

Balhad, a Yemeni national believed to have been in the area for about a week, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before Telford Magistrates Court on Monday.

... So hopefully rail disruption will be minimised. That will change when platform 5 is commissioned.

18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34

18:10 Castle Cary to Swindon due 19:34 has been cancelled.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.

Sweepstake on the (likely short) amount of time before the first bridge strike? 

Incidentally, the University building doesn't have security barriers - the cafe is open to the public and looks quite reasonable. There are all sorts of sorts of public meeting rooms too which readers involved in the various rail campaigns might find useful - a little more at https://engine-shed.co.uk/news/innovation-temple-quarter-campus-webinar/

What a wonderful exercise in self-parody!

It is .......... isn't it?

From the Department for Transport

Heartening news for those of us who are keen to see the Balmoral return to service after two years laid up at M Shed. Following a trip to Sharpness for her 5 year marine MOT, she returns up the Avon tomorrow lunchtime arriving at Hotwells at around 1445 and then into the Floating Harbour. Now all is needed is another ^200k.

This no longer appears on Journeycheck so presumably it will start from Penzance as booked.

Did you find the walkway along the river? For all the eyewatering expense (nearly £10m) it already seems to be well used - watch out for bikes though! 
 

The number of publicly owned rail operators has officially hit double digits, with @Chilternrailways becoming the tenth operator under public control.  Public ownership will help pave the way for a package of improvements for passengers, including more services, new trains, upgraded stations and better onboard facilities. 

It’s a key milestone on the way to setting up Great British Railways.

21 years ago today, we held the inaugural meeting of "Save the Train" in answer to the threat - which was implemented because we were too late, to reduce Melksham's train service down to just 2 per day each way. It took us years, but today we can celebrate the steps we have taken towards an APPROPRIATE service. That word "appropriate" carefully selected to bring in a wide support base.

Where are we now, 21 years later? Melksham's train service is back up from 2 to 9 each way per day. Some success, then, but still work in progress. Passenger journeys to or from up from 3,000 a year to 75,000 per year. But look at other west Wiltshire town stations, and our numbers should be 400,000 on a service of perhaps 24 trains per day. That's a half hourly service most of the day, and with each of the trains picking up / dropping off twice the number of passengers that the current trains do.

[snip]

Chatting with one of the blokes at Chippenham Station yesterday, I mention that I would not have needed a taxi if the train ran every have hour. "That will never happen" he said, but I would not be so sure. Let's Learn from the past, but looking forward to the future