station

A PLAQUE dedicating a service station bridge to shamed radio presenter Scott Mills has been removed.

It was put up in 2016 after a light-hearted campaign with his then-Radio 1 co-star Chris Stark — but a customer noticed it had gone this morning.

They said: “I had seen the stories about the bridge with Scott Mills’ name.

“I never really come to this service station but today I did and the plaque has been taken away.

“I’m not surprised really.

“The thing was right by the loos so everyone walking past could have seen it.”

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It is believed to have been taken down by Welcome Break, which manages Fleet Services on the M3.

Radio 2 breakfast show star Mills, 53, was sacked by the BBC last week.

It emerged a male he was questioned about by police in 2018 was under 16 at the time of alleged historic sex offences.

Outgoing BBC director general Tim Davie said: “We’re trying to act fairly.

“It was new information that made it very clear about the decision we had to make.”

Welcome Break declined to comment on the plaque.

HOLIDAYMAKERS are on the fast track to sunshine thanks to a massive new £183million railway station.

The huge transport hub is rapidly taking shape and could make jetting off from a major UK airport easier than ever before.

Cambridge South station, set to become a vital link for thousands of passengers, is on tracks to open in June.

The station will offer direct Greater Anglia and CrossCountry services straight to Stansted Airport.

Bosses say the new stop will serve around 1.8 million passengers annually, providing a “seamless journey” to the departure lounge.

The four-platform site is nestled right next to the world-famous Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

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The project features a brand-new footbridge, two station buildings, and enough cycle parking to keep 1,000 bikes safe and sound.

Thameslink and Great Northern trains will also call at the platforms, with up to nine trains per hour zooming through the station.

The project has been a long time coming after being hit by significant setbacks that pushed back the original finish line.

The opening was delayed for a second time in November, after first sliding from December last year to early 2026 and then June 2026.

This latest blow was sparked when a sub-contractor responsible for the electrical and mechanical fit-out of the station went bust.

Despite the firm’s collapse, the project is believed to be back on track for a summer opening this June.

Eagle-eyed commuters have even spotted train timetables for the new hub appearing on third-party websites and the Greater Anglia app.

But Network Rail bosses told the local press that the digital timetables should not be taken as official confirmation of the grand opening date.

The Sun has approached Network Rail for comment.

BRITS are set to face major travel disruption as the UK’s busiest train station is set to close this weekend – affecting several train and tube lines.

Network Rail has confirmed commuters planning to use a busy London station might need to re-route.

It comes after it was announced that “vital maintenance, renewals, and repairs” will take place at the site across five days.  

The closure at Liverpool Street Station will take place to improve roof drainage and track drainage, as well as vegetation management.

While most of the work has already been carried out, passengers have been told that Liverpool Street’s mainline station will experience its final closure on March 28 and March 29.

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The Elizabeth line will still be running, however, there will be no access to the main concourse. Commuters have been also been warned that there will be no Overground Weaver line trains operating this weekend.

Train operating company, Greater Anglia, stated on its website: “On both days, Liverpool Street Main Line station will be closed (including the concourse) to all Greater Anglia, Stansted Express, c2c, Elizabeth line and London Overground services.

“Greater Anglia services to/from Cambridge, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford East and Stansted Airport will start/terminate at Stratford.”

They added: “On both days, Elizabeth line’s low level Liverpool Street station remains open however services will not run beyond Stratford due to closures on the Great Eastern mainline.

“On both days London Overground Weaver line services will not run between London Liverpool Street and Enfield Town/Cheshunt/Chingford.”

Commuters have been directed to use rail replacement buses where possible. The services will run between Seven Sisters and Enfield Town/Cheshunt and Hackney Downs and Chingford.

Officials have urged passengers to plan their journeys ahead of time. It comes as the station recorded a staggering 98 million entries and exits between April 2024 and March 2025.

Trish Ashton, TfL’s Director of Rail, said:  “We’re sorry for any disruption caused by weekend engineering work impacting London Overground and Elizabeth line services during March.

“These planned works are essential to help keep our services safe and reliable. Customers are advised to ‘check before they travel’ using the TfL Go app or at TfL.gov.uk, and allow a little extra time for their journeys.”

You can also check the Network Rail website here for more information on planned works.

A POPULAR train station is getting a long-awaited, multi-million pound upgrade.

South Kensington is often called a ‘museum hub’ by being the gateway to three free attractions – the V&A, Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

And the train station is about to get a huge makeover to make it much easier to travel to and from.

The new plans revealed by TFL will see the Grade II listed station be modernised.

This includes step free entrances, and a new eastbound platform for the Circle and District lines.

Being the busiest London Underground station with no accessible entrance, it is though as many as 500,000 journeys aren’t made to the station because of it.

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Around 30million passengers use the station every year, with the Circle, District and Piccadilly line stopping there.

Works are set to start later this year, and will be completed by 2029.

Bruno Carr, head of investment planning at TfL, said: “This transformational scheme will deliver much-needed step-free access to this station, while also making the area around it more pleasant for the millions who visit the nearby attractions and museums every year.”

Scott Anderson, head of property development at Places for London, said the upgrade would make the station the “jewel of the Tube network”.

Part of the station opened in 1868, with the Metropolitan line (no longer running there) and the District line.

The train station’s crowds are expected to continue, especially after the nearby Natural History Museum was named the most popular attraction in the UK.

Overtaking the British Museum, more than 7.1million people visited last year.

Millions a year also visit the V&A and Science Museum in South Kensington along with the Royal Albert Hall.

South Kensington is even home to a street nicknamed Little Paris.

Also nicknamed Frog Alley, Bute Street has French bookshops and bakeries throughout.

Another train station getting an upgrade is London Liverpool Street, the UK’s busiest railway station.

And a new £460million, “first of its kind” train station is opening in Birmingham as part of the HS2 plans.

A WETHERSPOONS pub in Britain’s busiest train station has been raved about as being one of the most beautiful in the UK.

Hamilton Hall is built in the former ballroom of the old Great Eastern Hotel at London Liverpool Street Station.

Named after Great Eastern Railway Company Lord Claud Hamilton, it became a Wetherspoons in 1991.

It was both the first central London Wetherspoons and the first in a train station.

While the hotel itself is still open – you can stay at what is now the Andaz London Liverpool Street for £260 a night – many of the original features remain in the pub.

This includes the ornate mouldings and frescos, as well as the celling decorations, and artwork.

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Previous punters have raved about the pub, saying it didn’t feel like a Wetherspoons.

One person wrote: “This is the most stunning building. Feels like a very expensive hotel with Wetherspoons prices!”

Another agreed: “Many of the original features have been kept and so you have the feel of dining in a rather grand place.”

Someone even said it felt like “drinking in a room in a country house manor,” while others said it was like “stepping back in time”.

The pub is popular both with tourists waiting for a train as well as football fans heading to games.

One traveller simply said: “A Wetherspoons like no other.”

There are a number of other stunning Wetherspoons around the UK which have converted former theatres, banks and cinemas.

Another beautiful Wetherspoons pub is found in Folkestone, with the Samuel Peto built in a former chapel.

There’s also the Art Picture House in Manchester, originally built in 1922 as a theatre and cinema.

The Knight’s Templar in London was called the most beautiful in the world, but has since sadly closed and been taken over by someone else.

Here are some of the other prettiest Wetherspoons in the UK.

March 24 (UPI) — NASA on Tuesday announced plans to spend $30 billion on a permanent lunar base and send astronauts to the moon every six months after the Artemis V mission.

Speaking at a so-called “Ignition” event at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., Administrator Jared Isaacman discussed plans to accelerate construction of a moon base.

“There will be an evolutionary path to building humanity’s first permanent surface outpost beyond Earth,” he said.

“NASA is committed to achieving the near-impossible once again: to return to the moon before the end of President [Donald] Trump’s term, build a moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space.”

NASA’s plan was initially to focus on what it called the Gateway program — a space station that was going to orbit the moon. Then the agency would build a base on the moon.

Carlos Garcia-Galan, the program executive for NASA’s Moon Base program, said the systems and hardware already established for the Gateway program would be repurposed to build the moon base.

Isaacman said the moon base plan will comprise three phases.

The first phase would include a series of missions to send small robotic landers and vehicles astronauts can drive on the surface to the moon. It would also encompass communications and scientific instruments.

The second phase would involve the construction of a “semi-habitable infrastructure” for astronauts on the lunar surface.

The third phase would start construction of a more permanent structure.

The first two phases would involve an investment of $20 billion over the next seven years and dozens of missions to the moon. The third phase would cost another $10 billion.

“The moon base will not appear overnight,” Isaacman said.

Isaacman said NASA also plans to launch a nuclear-propelled spacecraft to Mars by 2028.

NASA’s launch window for Artemis II is set to open April. The crewed mission is expected to send the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to orbit the moon over 10 days and return to Earth. The crew will test whether the spacecraft operates in deep space.

The long-term goal of the Artemis program is to re-establish a human presence on the moon in preparation for the ultimate aim of putting a human on Mars.

VERNON Kay stopped his BBC Radio 2 show to announce the death of his beloved colleague, station chief Ian Deeley.

The radio star paid tribute to his “larger than life” station manager Ian, 45, who passed away unexpectedly.

Ian’s cause of death remains unknown, with Vernon saying “the BBC family were devastated to hear that our brilliant studio manager, Ian Deeley.”

Vernon, 51, hailed his colleague’s passion for radio, saying Ian loved his job and had worked on most BBC radio stations.

The presenter went on to say: “Even though he was a relatively young chap, Ian had a long and illustrious career, during which he pretty much worked on every BBC radio station. 

“His time at the BBC started with news shifts followed by production work and more recently, Ian was working with our colleagues on the outside broadcast team, or ‘the Broadside Outcasts’ as he jokingly called them.

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“With the OB team, Ian worked on all manner of big radio stuff, including pop festivals, BBC Proms and numerous royal events.

“The one that stands out for us and our little team is the one where Ian personally made sure that our show from the beaches of Normandy a few years ago went seamlessly – and it did. 

“Ian was our lead engineer on our D-Day [80th] celebrations and he was so dedicated that he went on a [reconnaissance trip] over to France in his own time, just to make sure everything was up to his incredible high standard.”

Vernon added: “Ian loved working with us here at Radio 2 and I know one of his career highlights was working with our friend, Steve Wright, he was thrilled to be able to be a part of the big show and as ‘one of the top operatives’ as Steve called him.

“Steve always said, ‘Ian, keep it cranked’ and he did.”

The radio star would go on to offer condolences to Ian’s mum, partner and brother on behalf of the Radio 2 staff.

Later in the show, Vernon thanked his listeners after they sent in some words of condolence.  

Paying tribute to Ian himself Vernon said: “As an engineer, there were few better but there are also so many things we can say about Ian, the person.

“He was an exuberant, larger-than-life character who was always enthusiastic and brought a smile to everyone’s faces.”

He went on to say that he and his colleagues would miss Ian’s “quick wit.”

Hailing the work Ian and other team members do Vernon added: “As you can imagine at Radio 2, it’s not just the names in the Radio Times who do all the work. 

“We do very little, we just talk when we put up the fader, I’ll be honest with you, myself and every on-air name included.

“It’s the massive team behind Radio 2 that make this network so successful.”

An Israeli attack has hit a petrol station in southern Lebanon, near the Rashidieh Camp for Palestinian refugees, triggering a huge explosion and fire. The Israeli army had issued forced displacement orders to residents.

A UK train station that welcomes more than seven million passengers a year will reopen its doors today after being closed for almost a year.

The London station has undergone a £2.5m revamp with major upgrades to the escalators, which frequently caused travel disruptions.

The opening follows a campaign to replace the old escalators that dates back to 1999.

More than 3,000 people signed the petition after failing escalators at Cutty Sark routinely caused closures.

As a result, thousands of passengers were forced to take the 121 station steps instead. 

Four new escalators have been installed in “the most complex escalator replacement scheme ever undertaken on the DLR and the London Underground“.

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The shiny new escalators will be up and running from today – eight days earlier than TfL had announced – and should last the station 30-40 years.

The station is also much brighter as the escalators have rows of lights and the area has been whitewashed.

The pale blue panels have been replaced with white panels, which reflect light much better and have a noticeable effect on the station’s appearance.

A new lift has also been installed as well as energy-efficient lighting, upgraded safety features, local artwork, and a new raised ceiling.

Seb Dance, Deputy Mayor for Transport, told The Sun previously that it was “fantastic” the major upgrade at Cutty Sark DLR station could be delivered earlier than expected.

Before it closed, Cutty Sark was the third busiest station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), after Canary Wharf and Limehouse.

A group of attorneys general are taking legal action to block Nexstar Media Group’s proposed $6.2-billion acquisition of Tegna’s TV stations, calling the deal bad for consumer cable bills and local journalism.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento says the proposed deal by eight state law enforcers, including California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, claims the proposed deal will give Nexstar too much control of local TV stations, ultimately hurting consumers by diminishing the diversity of news sources in their markets.

Bonta said in a statement that the deal will cause “irreparable harm to local news and consumers who rely on their reporting as a critical source of information.” The plaintiffs also include state attorneys general in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia.

The Irving, Texas-based Nexstar is currently the largest station owner in the U.S., with 164 outlets including KTLA in Los Angeles. If the merger with Tegna succeeds, Nexstar would have 265 TV stations reaching 80% of the U.S. and multiple outlets in a number of markets.

The suit also claims that the merger would give Nexstar too much leverage in negotiating fees from pay-TV providers that carry their stations. Higher fees paid to Nexstar would be passed along to consumers in their cable and satellite bills, the lawsuit asserts.

Most of Nexstar’s stations are affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, all of which carry NFL football, the highest-rated programming on TV by a wide margin. Disputes over carriage fees between station owners and pay-TV providers often result in blackouts and service interruptions to consumers.

DirecTV, which serves around 11 million pay-TV subscribers in the U.S., filed a similar lawsuit in the same court on Thursday, claiming the Nexstar deal will “irreparably drive up consumer costs, reduce local competition, shutter local newsrooms, and increase both the frequency and duration of blackouts of key local teams and network programming.”

A Nexstar representative did not respond to a request to comment.

President Trump has said he favors Nexstar’s proposed deal. But every major TV station owner believes consolidation in the TV station business is necessary to thrive going forward as they battle to compete with streaming video platforms that have eaten away at their audience share.

The companies say they are at a disadvantage in competing with tech companies by being limited to owning stations in 39% of the U.S., a cap that was set in 2003.

Nexstar recently cut veteran anchors and on-air reporters from its stations in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Further reductions in local TV newsrooms would occur if Nexstar succeeds in acquiring Tegna, which would likely mean consolidation of local newsrooms in which it owns more than one station.

MORGAN Freeman will become the voice of the London Underground this week.  

The Hollywood legend’s famous tones will ring out at Baker Street tube today and tomorrow.

The event is part of his big money advertising deal with Warburtons bread.

Instead of the announcer’s usual warning to “mind the gap”, Freeman will urge them to “mind the bap”.  

The bakery firm’s CEO, Jonathan Warburton said: “We wanted to share a bit of that fun with Londoners on their daily commute and hopefully raise a few smiles.  

“As you can probably tell, we also love a good bread pun, so Baker Street was a match made in heaven, and hearing a voice as legendary as Morgan Freeman’s booming to travellers on the platform is certainly a recipe for a memorable day.” 

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Freeman joined the likes of Robert De Niro, Olivia Colman and George Clooney when he signed up as the face of Warburtons last month.  

He admitted at the time he had never tried a crumpet before.  

New research by Warburtons reveals that 71 per cent of Brits consider the holey bun a cornerstone of UK culture.  

The firm will also transform signage at Baker Street tube into giant crumpets to celebrate Freeman’s turn on the tannoy. 

BORED of regular hotels? Why not head off on a staycation… to spend the night in a train carriage instead.

Nestled in the West Sussex countryside, you will find a restored vintage train carriage that is stopped in its own ‘station’.

Named the Lowe Comotion, the carriage is in Batchmere, Chichester and sleeps up to four people, with one main bedroom.

Inside, guests will be greeted by vintage decor and quirky train signage that not only makes you feel as if you are stepping onto a long, luxury train journey but also back in time to the golden age of train travel.

There’s a log burner and comfy sofa that transforms into bunk beds as well, to make it truly feel like a first-class experience.

When it comes to having a bite to eat, there is a dining table and chairs by the window, so you can enjoy your food whilst looking out at the view.

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The kitchen has everything you’d need including a kettle, grill, toaster and microwave.

In the middle of the carriage is where you will find the bathroom, complete with a vintage bathtub.

Outside there is a spacious patio with seating too and a barbeque for the summer.

The carriage has to be booked for a minimum stay of two nights and is pet-friendly, so your four-legged friend won’t be left out.

It also includes towels and linen, so you don’t need to worry about bringing your own.

One recent guest said: “A lovely railway carriage with loads of great touches and details.

“Definitely first class. We had a grand time staying here and loved the birdsong as well as the rain on the roof when the weather let us down a bit!

“Woodburner ensured a cosy night was had and would definitely recommend to friends. Lovely private area with space for kids and dog!”

Another guest added: “Wow – what a unique and wonderful place – superbly converted 1870’s railway carriage with so many thoughtful and stylish design details we hardly wanted to go out – but also couldn’t resist the huge private lawn that comes with it – a huge hit with our over excited sheep dog! We were overexcited to sleep in it.

“Never been happier to sit on a train carriage that’s not moving!”

A third guest said: “This place is absolutely stunning! It’s so quirky and one-of-a-kind.

“Our stay here was incredibly peaceful and tranquil, exactly what we needed to unwind and recharge.”

Lowe Comotion costs from £150 per night to stay.

As for the area surrounding the carriage, you can head off on lovely countryside walks or bike rides.

Just nine minutes down the road is West Wittering Beach, which is known for its natural beauty.

The beach has a number of facilities including the Beach Cafe, where you can grab a bite to eat such as a Beach Breakfast with poached eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomato, beans, potato rosti and toasted brown bloomer for £11.95.

And the beaches at Selsey, East Wittering, and Bracklesham Bay are all close by as well.

If you want to see some of the local nature, then you can head to RSPB Medmerry.

The reserve boasts 6.25miles of trails and features a lot of birdlife including avocets.

If you’ve got kids, jump in the car for 12 minutes to Selsey, where you will find West Sands Fun Fair.

It costs just £15 for unlimited rides on the attractions, which include Waltzers, Dodgems, pedal boats and toddler’s rides.

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RAIL commuters will face a number of disruptions as the UK’s busiest train station is hit with a series of closures this month.

Scheduled works will be carried out on select weekend days throughout the remainder of March, beginning tomorrow.

Anyone planning to travel through Liverpool Street Station in London tomorrow may want to double check their plans.

Network Rail has revealed “vital maintenance, renewals, and repairs” for the bustling hub, impacting all routes and services to and from the station. 

Liverpool Street’s mainline station, which sees approximately 98 million commuters annually, is set to shut for five weekend days, during which its concourse will also be closed.

These closures will impact Elizabeth line and London Overground, as well as National Rail services, including Greater Anglia and c2c.

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While the station itself will undergo roof drainage repairs, work will also be carried out relating to track drainage and maintenance, as well as vegetation management and litter clearance along railway lines.

Commuters can expect disruptions on the following dates:

Sunday, March 15

The entire station will be closed on this date, with London Overground services running from London Fields instead.

Elizabeth line services will continue to run, though commuters are advised there will be no access to the main concourse on this date.

Saturday, March 21 – Sunday, March 22

Again, the entire station will be closed for both these dates, with Elizabeth line services continuing to run on Saturday, March 21, with no access to the main concourse.

On Sunday, March 22, there will be no Elizabeth line trains running.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains on either of these dates.

Saturday, March 28 – Sunday, March 29

Liverpool Street Station will again be closed for both these dates, while Elizabeth line services continue to run throughout the weekend.

Again, there will be no access to the main concourse on these dates.

There will also be no Overground Weaver line trains running throughout the weekend.

To avoid travel disruptions, rail passengers are advised that rail replacement buses will operate between Stratford and Romford, and between Newbury Park and Shenfield tomorrow.

And before 9.50am, buses will replace trains between Seven Sisters and Enfield Town/Cheshunt and Hackney Downs and Chingford.

Check the Network Rail website for further details on replacement services throughout March.