Trains
stranded
by
storm


Two
Intercity
Express
trains
were
stranded
at
Dawlish
and
Teignmouth
during
a
storm
last
night,
along
the
stretch
of
coastal
railway
in
south
Devon
which
was
partly
destroyed
by
heavy
seas
just
over
ten
years
ago.
GWR
said:
’It’s
not
yet
known
why
and
Hitachi
will
need
to
investigate
the
cause
of
any
issues
to
those
trains.’
Train
services
in
the
region
are
mostly
returning
to
normal
today
after
the
storm.
Several
lines
were
closed,
including
part
of
the
main
line
west
of
Exeter
and
two
branches
in
Cornwall,
and
early
morning
trains
from
Newquay
were
cancelled
this
morning
because
there
is
still
floodwater
on
the
line.
Meanwhile,
train
services
between
Wolverhampton
and
Shrewsbury
are
not
expected
to
be
restored
before
the
end
of
the
day,
as
the
result
of
flooding
at
Wellington

HS1
access
charges
may
fall


ORR
has
proposed
lower
charges
for
passenger
trains
which
use
High
Speed
1
between
London
St
Pancras
International
and
the
Channel
Tunnel,
and
halving
charges
for
freight
traffic.
The
plan,
published
today,
is
part
of
its
Draft
Determination
of
HS1
Ltd’s
spending.
The
draft
sets
out
ORR’s
view
of
HS1
Ltd’s
five-year
spending
from
2025
to
2030,
and
the
ORR
said
it
was
able
to
‘identify
specific
areas
in
the
company’s
spending
plans
where
further
improvements
can
be
made’. 

Peak
fare
restoration
condemned


Peak
fares
are
being
charged
on
ScotRail
again,
after
a
12-month
experiment
to
see
if
abolishing
them
would
boost
traffic.
The
trial
did
not
yield
the
results
for
which
ministers
had
hoped,
and
Transport
Scotland
said
it
was
not
financially
possible
to
continue.
ASLEF
has
added
its
voice
to
the
protests,
after
the
RMT
had
opposed
restoring
the
higher
fares
last
month.
The
drivers’
union
has
condemned
the
return
of
higher
fares
as
a
‘tax
on
workers’,
and
described
the
decision
as
‘short
sighted’.