Customer News

Passengers are being advised about changes to weekend trains between Birmingham New Street and Coleshill Parkway in June while major HS2 work takes place in the Saltley and Washwood areas of Birmingham.

Children’s favourite Peppa Pig will be bringing her dance party to Himley Hall this summer for the ever popular Under 5s day.

• 42,000 extra seats per week on London Northwestern Railway services, including more than 14,000 between Birmingham New Street and London Euston, boosting capacity on one of the country’s busiest corridors.
• The return of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ as LNER restores London to Edinburgh departure times that closely reflect the historic mid‑morning timetable of the iconic service.
• New ‘through the night’ services to Manchester Airport by TransPennine Express, providing hourly overnight trains to support early‑morning and late‑night flights.

Horse owners, keepers, and veterinary professionals are being urged to take immediate precautions following a marked increase in Equine Influenza (EI) activity across Wales and the wider United Kingdom.

A new partnership between Dudley College of Technology and Dudley Council is helping enhance visitor spaces at Himley Hall while giving students valuable real‑world experience.

Charlbury Community Centre is becoming more energy efficient thanks to funding secured through a bold community-led solar farm project.

• New timetable from 17 May brings more frequent services, extra space and better connections
• Peak Blackfriars services reinstated and additional highspeed and Maidstone East services introduced to improve capacity and boost choice
• Customers urged to check before they travel as some times, stopping patterns and train formations will change to improve performance

And the winner is also the top offender in Ofcom’s newly published complaints data

The rare Plantain Leaf Beetle has gained a new Orcadian name following a schools’ competition held by Dounby Primary. The new name is: the Peedie Reid Gablo.

The County Council has received positive feedback from an independent review by the Local Government Association (LGA), which recognises the strong progress the council has made over the past 12 to 18 months. 

Transport for Wales (TfW) will have additional rail services and increased capacity this weekend (16 – 17 May) to support those travelling to Monster Jam, Gŵyl Fach y Fro and the Barry Island 10K.

Lancashire County Council is asking people to have their say on plans to create 220 extra SEND places in Lancashire.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is improving railway infrastructure across the North, and driving significant economic growth in the towns and cities it serves, a new report commissioned by Network Rail has found. 

Cirencester’s Corinium Museum’s “extremely well curated” galleries have been recognised by VisitEngland in a recent assessment.

• Drive Smart was introduced in September 2025 to support safer driving and manage rising insurance costs on the Motability Scheme.
• We have heard clearly from customers that Drive Smart caused some concern and has affected how they use their vehicle. Based on that feedback, we have taken the decision to pause the rollout of Drive Smart.

Saundersfoot C.P. School has received positive recognition from Estyn following an inspection in March 2026, with inspectors highlighting the school’s strong nurturing culture, effective leadership and high-quality support provided by staff.

Passengers using the Thameslink platforms at London St Pancras are being advised that step-free access will be temporarily unavailable while major refurbishment work takes place to improve the long-term reliability of the station’s lifts.