Wise Words for You

Left to right, Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Mark Hopwood, Managing Director of GWR, David Eccles, of EDF Energy, and Tim Bowles, incumbent Mayor of the West of England A new modern speed record has been set on a train from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington to celebrate the release of Great Western Railway’s new timetable, which comes into effect on 15 December. GWR’s bullet-style Intercity Express Train, which has been in service since October 2017 and now operates on all of GWR’s long-distance routes, took just 72 minutes to reach London Paddington. The special non-stop service marked the new December timetable being made public for the first time. The biggest timetable change on the network since 1976 will offer faster journey times and more frequent services to key locations. The service left Bristol Temple Meads at 1849 and arrived into London Paddington at 2001 to establish a post-speed restriction record between the two stations. GWR...

Abellio has confirmed an order for 34 Caetano zero emission, electric buses to strengthen its fleet in London. The new buses will enter service from March 2020. This will be the first Caetano electric bus for the UK, reinforcing the already strong presence of the brand in this market. Abellio has ordered the Caetano e.City Gold in 10.7m form that offers a capacity for 60 passengers with complete low floor throughout. It is a 100% electric urban bus that includes zero emission heating and has been developed by CaetanoBus to fully comply with TfL’s latest specification. In addition, the new buses will include a number of features from the new TfL Bus Safety Standard such as a Camera Monitoring Systems to replace traditional wing mirrors, Intelligent Speed Assist, Acoustic Vehicle Alert System and a revised front design to improve pedestrian/vulnerable road user safety. The bus is part of a wider family of zero emission urban mobility vehicles developed by CaetanoBus, many of which ...

Secret to happiness? A free bus pass in your 60's as researchers link fewer symptoms of depression with concessionary travel cards Free bus travel equals a better quality of life, University College London found Older people with bus passes are more likely physically active and less isolated Comes after peers said pensioners should be stripped of such 'outdated' perks Having a free bus pass leads to a happier life, research has found. Those who receive concessionary travel are more likely to enjoy a better quality of life, have greater life satisfaction and fewer symptoms of depression than those who do not, according to researchers from University College London. Their study also discovered that older people with bus passes are more physically active and less socially isolated than those without one. The analysis comes after peers said last week that pensioners should be stripped of ‘outdated’ perks such as free bus passes to make Britain fairer for younger....

A SPECIAL train has smashed the record for the quickest journey between Oxford and London Paddington. GWR's bullet style train completed the journey in just 37 minutes 35 seconds in a non-stop run to mark the 175th anniversary of the Oxford to Didcot line. The service left Oxford at 11.27am and beat the previous record, set in 1982 during a state visit, by more than three minutes. A special journey from London Paddington to Oxford marked the opening of the line back in 1844, with the record attempt part of GWR's celebrations to mark the milestone. The IET 'bullet style' Intercity Express Trains have been in service since October 2017 and now operate on all of GWR’s long distance routes. Laurence Waters, a photo archivist at Didcot Railway Centre, was one of the special guests on board. The Cumnor resident said: "The highlight was passing through Reading at 95mph. "It was quite amazing getting in that quickly - they really put on a show." GWR's...