West Midlands Railway adds extra Shrewsbury-Birmingham trains
People planning to catch a train this weekend are being advised to check before they travel, as timetables are changing.There will be an extra service on West Midlands Railway between Shrewsbury and Birmingham on weekday evenings, with additional "minor changes" on other lines.The changes are part of the twice-yearly timetable changes made across the rail network."While we are not making any major changes to our timetable this May, I encourage passengers to check their train times before travelling next week," said the operator's Jonny Wiseman.
From Sunday, there will be an additional service from Shrewsbury to Birmingham, departing at 20:59 BST Monday-Friday.The service departing at 06:51 BST will be replaced by one leaving six minutes later, with an additional stop at Codsall between Shifnal and Wolverhampton.West Midlands Railway said departure times from some stations on the Cross City Line, which runs from Lichfield Trent Valley to Bromsgrove and Redditch via Birmingham New Street, would also be affected."As these amendments are part of a nationwide timetable change, there may be more significant changes on routes run by other operators, so it's always worth checking ahead," added Mr Wiseman.
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Telegraph
22 minutes ago
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The hard-working Gen Zers who prefer life in the office
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'I need that clear line between home and work,' she explains. 'In the office, I can brainstorm ideas, learn from seniors, collaborate across teams and clients and socialise. Then, when I'm home, it's just for decompressing and tuning out.' Although 28-year-old Salloum had worked in the sector before her move to the UK, she knew being in five days a week would help her adjust more quickly to the new culture and communication styles. There are more tangible pluses, too – she works across two monitors, from a proper chair and, as summer hots up, she's enjoying the building's air con. Financially, it makes more sense than working from home, as ING Media provides breakfast, snacks and coffees. Salloun spends around £6 a day on travel. An increasing number of Gen Z workers like Salloum are choosing to be in for most of the week, far more than older peers. A March survey of 12,000 workers in 44 countries by property group, JLL, found that workers aged 24 and under are more likely than any other generation to be in the office, and come in an average three days, compared to between 2.5 and 2.7 days among other generations. While commercial real estate companies like JLL have skin in the game in the return to office tussle, several other large surveys show similar shifts. In mid 2024, the urban policy research unit and charity, Centre for Cities, surveyed office attendance in six global cities, finding that in London, the youngest workers (aged 18-24) spent the most time working in the office each week on average. That's despite having the lowest mandated time in the office – 3.1 days on average, compared to four in Sydney, 3.6 in Singapore, 3.4 in New York and 3.3 in Toronto. This younger cohort of Londoners was also the most likely age group to say they work best in the office, at 43pc. 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'Slack channels can't replicate hanging out with people' Against the backdrop of the 'working from home revolution' in the UK, it's easy to overlook a quieter crisis: the young people who missed out on fundamental, identity-shaping experiences during the pandemic – chances to make friends, build networks and find their footing in adult life. While older generations often relied on pre-existing communities, forged through university, long-term employment, hobbies or local ties, many younger adults had no such foundations in place. Can you miss what you never had? Perhaps – and the data suggests as much. A report by the think tank, Onward, shows that one in five Britons aged 18-24 have one or no close friends, a proportion that's tripled over the last decade. Supporting this trend, earlier figures show that those aged between 16 and 29 are at least twice as likely to report feeling lonely often, or always, than those over 70 (9.7pc versus 3.7pc). 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Mentored, not micromanaged The stereotype that Gen Z is universally work-shy has seeped into the workplace. According to Statista, a quarter of UK business owners and employers describe these younger workers as struggling with professional boundaries, displaying informality and being resistant to criticism – traits often mistaken for laziness, rather than signs of needing better support. Boateng believes that many Gen Z workers are simply under-equipped and eager for guidance. 'They want to be mentored, not just micromanaged,' she says, noting it's often far easier to achieve this in person. White, being new to the sector, appreciates the immediacy of in-office communication. 'If I need to run something by someone, I can pull them aside, bring my laptop over, and have a quick chat,' he explains. 'It cuts out the 5-10 minutes of messaging on Slack or setting up a Google Meet.' 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'Several of my close friends still work in healthcare, and it's complicated – they're right to be jealous of my hybrid setup,' he says. 'When I was at the hospital, I felt the same way about anyone in an office job.' Salloum agrees that having flexibility is key: 'I love being in the office – but I also love having the option to work from home when I need to.'
BBC News
40 minutes ago
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Drivers use Woolwich Ferry to cross Thames and avoid tunnel tolls
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Northamptonshire passengers urged to plan ahead for railway work
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