Latest news with #AvantiWestCoast
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Major rail disruption after death of a person at train station
Train passengers are being warned of serious disruption after an incident at a railway station in which someone Transport Police were called to Berkhamsted railway station in Hertfordshire at 09:40 BST where the person was pronounced dead. Their death is not being treated as Rail said the incident had caused disruption on Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway routes as all lines between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central were closed for several running to and from places such as Northamptonshire, Birmingham, Blackpool, Manchester and parts of Scotland were also affected. Major disruption is expected until 14:00 BST, Network Rail Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway warned customers to check their journeys before are being accepted by other operators.A London Northwestern Railway spokesperson added: "Our thoughts are with everybody affected by this incident." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Leader Live
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
TfW commits to sustainable travel at Eisteddfod in Wrexham
Following last year's success in Pontypridd, TfW has worked in collaboration with Wrexham County Borough Council and the Eisteddfod organisers to establish transport arrangements that prioritise green travel options. The Eisteddfod, a celebration of Welsh language and culture, will be held in Isycoed, Wrexham, from Saturday, August 2, to Saturday, August 9, 2025. Wrexham General station is the closest to the Maes, and to cater for the increased number of passengers, TfW and Avanti West Coast will run extra services throughout the week. Shuttle buses will provide free transportation for onward journeys to the Maes, operating frequently between Wrexham General railway station, Wrexham bus station, and the Maes from 8am until midnight daily. The TrawsCymru T3 bus route, running from Barmouth to Wrexham, will also make the Eisteddfod Maes an additional designated stop. TfW is working with Cycling UK and Wrexham Council to identify safe routes for visitors arriving by bike or on foot. READ MORE: The Long Pull named finalist as the Leader searches for 'Best Pub 2025' Gethin George, TfW programme manager, said: "As a key transport partner, we're proud to continue our commitment to provide sustainable travel options for the Eisteddfod. "We saw fantastic engagement last year, and we've built on that success to make it even easier for visitors to choose green travel options to reach the Maes in Wrexham. "We've worked closely with our partners to ensure seamless connections and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Eisteddfod in August." TfW encourages passengers to plan ahead and check for the latest travel information on their website. Rail tickets can be purchased online, via TfW's website, their mobile app, or at ticket machines and offices.
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Daily Mail
I've found a way of travelling around the UK by train for free - but there's a catch
We all know that train fares are extortionate – but one passenger discovered a way of travelling around the country for free after a delayed trip to Scotland. Ed Wise, 29, lives in London but makes the long journey all the way to Dumfries to visit his family six times a year and faces shocking ticket prices each time. But one trip in 2022 to visit his sister changed everything for the writer. His train from London to Scotland via the Avanti West Coast was delayed by more than three hours. Ed told the Big Issue: 'The train manager was incredibly apologetic and so kept coming on the intercom to apologise.' During the journey, the train came to a complete stop for more than an hour. Despite the inconvenience, Ed discovered he could get his money back using the Delay Repay scheme after the train operator 'gave a really detailed explanation' of the process. The nationwide scheme is used by most train companies, but not all, and allows customers to claim compensation for cancelled or delayed trips. The amount of money a customer will receive back can depend on the length of the delay and the train operator's scheme. 'Then, on my way home, my train was delayed too – so I got all my money back for that as well,' Ed added. Ed's journey was impacted by strike action and began to book his future train tickets during planned strikes. However, when the strikes eased in 2023 he noted other factors that could potentially cause delays to journeys too. Ed said his train journey had RMT strike action scheduled, as well as repair work near Preston. 'That was when I worked out the second part of the holy triad – engineering works.' He revealed how train companies often notify the public when they plan works and anything scheduled can be found on Network Rail. 'The ball is in your court as a consumer, the power is in your hands, as long as you are forensic enough to analyse the information,' Ed added. Another factor the savvy train passenger notes is the weather. Ed explained how extreme weather, such as snow or floods, has helped him to save money in the past by causing delays. Though Ed has managed to save more than £1,000 with his train ticket hacks, he admits there is a catch. He said: 'You do have to be willing to go through the arduous pain of a 10-hour journey that's supposed to be five.' Long waits can also have unexpected impacts on the behaviour of other passengers too, Ed revealed. He shared how during a delayed journey from London to Glasgow people were discussing how to 'raid' the food cart, which was stocked up but due to staff shortages wasn't in service.
Metro
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Strictly Come Dancing winner breaks down in tears after being duped by scam
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Strictly Come Dancing star Ore Oduba said he 'feels like a fool' as he emotionally recounted his close-call scamming experience in a bid to help others. The 39-year-old TV presenter took to Instagram with a six-minute video to his followers explaining how his dream podcast invite quickly turned into a nightmare after he realised it was fake. Oduba started the video explaining that he has been a long-time fan of acclaimed self-help author Mel Robbins, the writer of the bestselling book The Let Them Theory, and even attributed it with changing his life. After discussing the impact the Robbins has had on his life on Loose Women, he reposted the interview on his social media, tagging Robbins (who also hosts a hugely popular podcast) in the post. Soon after, Oduba received an email from someone alleging to be from the motivational guru (and her team) thanking him for his words and asking him to share more about how the theory had changed his life, Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'I could have cried,' Oduba told his followers. He continued: 'Had I been wise enough, I would have seen there were a couple of things that were a little bit off. A week later, he was invited as a guest on her podcast. Recounting what it meant to receive this invitation, he started to become visibly emotional. 'Do you even know what it means? It just felt very powerful to have got that message at that time. And it's terrible because I'm reading this back and I know exactly how it made me feel at the time,' he said through tears. 'I absolutely lost my s**t in tears on an Avanti West Coast train from Birmingham to London, thinking that my whole life was about to change,' he added, admitting that he went on to share more personal stories on the email chain. After being asked by the person over email to keep this between the two of them, Oduba grew suspicious and started to notice discrepancies such as Mel being spelt 'Mell' and a Chat GPT style tone to the correspondence. It was then he discovered a section on Mel Robbins' official website where you could check if you were being scammed by someone claiming to be someone from her podcast – after which it confirmed he was a victim of this scam. The media personality reminded his followers that he used to host a programme about scammers, BBC's Claimed and Shamed, and that he has 'watched enough Watchdog to last a lifetime'. 'That doesn't stop me from being in the middle of it. I never thought I would be a person that would be scammed,' he added as he expressed his concern at how easy it is for 'more vulnerable' people to dig themselves into holes they can't get out of. 'I just feel like such an idiot. Let it be a lesson that, unfortunately, while Mel and her team are wonderful and doing incredible things there are a whole bunch of people trying to make all of us into absolute mugs. 'I feel like a fool. I got scammed by a fake Mel Robbins,' he concluded. People have shared their sympathy in the comments. Fellow presenter Sean Fletcher commented: 'So sorry to hear this Ore. I was excited and then so gutted for you listening to this. Important to share your story. Hope you're ok.' Amandakbarnfield, echoed: 'Huge props for sharing this – it will hugely help so many people.' 'Very brave to have shared this and very noble to have done so to warn others. That's the biggest takeaway from this,' yviemck1978 agreed. More Trending Last year, Oduba, who rose to fame on Newsround, spoke about the pitfalls of his decision to step back from presenting and focus on his musical theatre career. There was one point at the end of last year where he had no work lined up for the whole of 2025 until he finally secured a role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (which happened earlier this year). He told the Sun: 'Up until that point, I was basically unemployed for all of 2025. It's just quite terrifying. It's the self-employed life. View More » 'Especially when contracts can be quite long periods. And if you're holding out for something and you haven't got that big chunk taken up, it just looks really freaking empty. So, we've gotten very fortunate to have panto.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: All stars rumoured for Strictly 2025 line-up, including The Traitors winner MORE: Bobby Brazier says brother Freddy needs to 'grow up' amid family feud MORE: Strictly stars support Dianne Buswell following death of her beloved 'pop' aged 99
BBC News
14-07-2025
- BBC News
West Coast rail passengers warned of disruption until end of day
Rail passengers are being warned of major disruption along the West Coast Main Line. National Rail said an incident between Rugby and Stoke-on-Trent meant travel was expected to be affected until the end of the operators and routes affected are Avanti West Coast between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street, as well London Northwestern Railway between Crewe, Rugby and London Euston. Avanti West Coast passengers are warned that stations between Rugby and Lichfield Trent Valley will not be served, however tickets will be accepted on London Northwestern Railway between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via Birmingham New Street. London Northwestern Railway passengers are able to travel on Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry trains between any reasonable route. National Rail added that it had requested for rail replacement buses to operate between Rugby and Stafford, however the service was yet to start. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
