stations

A MAJOR £185 million rail project will see five new train stations open in the UK over the next few weeks.

The works will improve connections across the West Midlands, with some of the services reinstated for the first time in decades.

New stations will open at Willenhall and Darlaston in Walsall next week, on Thursday, March 19.

These sites, which are located on the Black Country line, were last visited by trains in 1965.

And on Tuesday, April 7, stations will open on the Camp Hill Line at Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road in south Birmingham.

This will mark the first time these services have been in place for the communities since World War II.

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These areas on the Camp Hill Line will see services run between Birmingham city centre and Kings Norton every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Willenhall and Darlaston stations will be added to an hourly timetable for the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street Station service via Wolverhampton.

West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) said it was working with partners to secure further regular services to the areas, with the project described as a “rail revolution”.

Each of the five stations features sheltered platforms, accessible lifts, ticket machines and cycle racks, while there are 300 parking spaces available at Darlaston and 33 at Willenhall.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker described the previous closures of the stations as a “short-sighted mistake”, describing the latest update as “a new lifeline for local people”.

WMRE is spear-heading the scheme alongside the Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), in partnership with Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Birmingham City Council, Walsall Council, and the Department for Transport.

Works have been partially funded by a £126 million government grant, with a further £30 million obtained for the completion of the Camp Hill line.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Thanks to government investment, fast and frequent rail services will arrive at new stations across Birmingham and the Black Country next month for the first time in decades, reducing congestion and improving local transport connections.”

TfWM said final authorisation for the openings is expected in the coming days from the Office of Rail and Road.

Take the toboggan to the train, Switzerland

Travelling by rail in Europe gives you plenty of opportunity for ad-hoc adventure. We were returning from a ski trip in Italy and took the Bernina Express part of the way. We’d heard that if you disembark at Bergün, leave your luggage at the station and take the train back one stop to Preda village it’s possible to sledge between the two stations. So there we found ourselves renting traditional wooden sledges from Preda and walking the short distance to the start of the tobogganing run. What we thought might be a gentle run into town turned into a fast and fun-filled couple of hours as we hurtled down the tree-lined course. At times it felt like we were in the game Mario Kart and at one point a children’s birthday party overtook us, the birthday girl’s sledge trailing balloons. About 5 miles later we arrived back in Bergün, before continuing our train journey onwards.
Layla Astley

Interrail to Venice

Interrailing as a family of five was full of special moments, but taking the night train from Vienna to Venice was the cherry on the cake. Arriving in Venice Santa Lucia around 8am, you can take the vaporetto (water bus) before the city has fully woken. We wandered quietish streets, lingered on the Rialto Bridge in relative solitude, and took our time crisscrossing canals before the hustle and bustle began. It was truly special, and completely unexpected in mid-August. We nearly skipped it – assuming it would just be too busy – but left with a precious couple of hours we’ll never forget.
Sophie

A Swiss Alps adventure with the kids

Exploring the Lauterbrunnen valley, Switzerland, in summer with our young children was full of surprises. Superb trains on long-distance services to Interlaken include playground family carriages. Epic alpine playgrounds, such as Allmendhubel Alpen Playground, are reached by cable cars (some gondolas have karaoke machines). At Wengen, we enjoyed playing with the marble runs and hiring a “fondue backpack” to accompany our walks. Many of the shorter walks have family-friendly activities en route, such as blowing the alpine horn or milking a model cow. There are many waymarked routes for all abilities – and all without the crowds of a coastal resort.
Lucy

Teenage boys let loose in Norway

Last summer, as a family we explored Norway, starting in Oslo with saunas and fjord jumps, then visiting the Olympic Park in Lillehammer. We spent a week hiking in Jotunheimen national park, climbed Norway’s highest mountain, Galdhøpiggen (2,469m), explored a glacier, and went white-water rafting. The combination of dramatic scenery, outdoor activities and adventure made it a perfect summer holiday, especially for our teenage boys who love the outdoors.
Lucy Bissell

Dutch road trip joy

We decided to change things up from an all-inclusive summer break and went on a road trip through the Netherlands for two weeks with our two kids. After enjoying Amsterdam, we picked up a rental car and headed towards Duinrell Eurocamp, which was perfectly pitched for our kids aged nine and 12. We stayed in a cabin for four days, then drove to our next destination, Efteling theme park. I can’t tell you how much my kids enjoyed this park: mythical, magical, thrilling! Our final destination was Texel, an island just off the northern coast of the Netherlands. The kids loved the ferry. Again we stayed in a hut, which came with bikes. Lots of cycle paths, sandy beaches – a slower, more relaxing end to the holiday.
Noreen

Winning tip: a waterfall walk in the Pyrenees

Our young family travelled to the Hautes-Pyrénées in France and, ignoring the offer of a donkey ride, walked for nearly 6 miles from the village of Gavarnie up to the Grande Cascade (a waterfall of 420 metres) in the Cirque du Gavarnie. It made for an easy day out in summer and was great for our five-year-old and seven-year-old, who enjoyed seeing whistling marmots, circling lammergeiers (also called bearded vultures) with their 2.5-metre wingspans, and snow bridges over streams. Spray from the waterfall provided us with a free shower at the walk’s end.
Chris Henshall

After Nexstar Media Group announced layoffs at KTLA-TV this week, some viewers have expressed shock and dismay over losing several longtime local broadcast journalists at the station.

The cuts included KTLA weatherman Mark Kriski, weathercaster Kacey Montoya, midday anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker and reporter Ellina Abovian. The layoffs come as Nexstar attempts to cut costs and pursues a merger with rival media company Tegna.

Abovian, who was a general assignment reporter at the station, reflected on the layoffs on social media, saying in a video posted to Threads on Thursday that she was “blindsided,” and that the cuts were “part of corporate restructuring.”

“Corporate layoffs are a part of life and this is just the game of life. They’re impacting people across multiple industries right now, so I’m not the only one, and my situation certainly isn’t unique,” said Abovian, who worked at the station for more than a decade. “But it’s hard to process, considering how it happened.”

Some viewers and fellow journalists have also expressed their disappointment.

CNN anchor Elex Michaelson responded on X, writing, “Mark Kriski is an L.A. broadcasting icon. As a kid, the OG KTLA Morning News crew (Carlos, Barbara, Mark, Sam, Eric, Gayle, etc) inspired me to want to be a journalist. I have great respect for Glen, Lu, Kacey, and Elina as well … all great people … and talented broadcasters.”

Each of the laid-off journalists had been with the station for a number of years. Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, and Walker sat at the station’s anchor desk since 2010. Parker joined KTLA in 2005.

KTLA morning news anchor Frank Buckley addressed the situation before continuing with the broadcast Thursday.

“As you probably know, we are extremely limited in what we can say,” Buckley said. “But if you are a regular viewer of this program and of this TV station, you also know that we are a family here. We consider you to be part of that family. And when family members experience tough times, we all feel it. So this is a difficult time for us. And we will go through it together.”

SAG-AFTRA, which represents the laid-off journalists, issued a release on Wednesday condemning the cuts. The guild disclosed that it is “actively bargaining with Nexstar stations in multiple markets.” It accused Nexstar of pushing “to gut severance pay and insert onerous provisions into the union contract that limit workers’ ability to freely negotiate the terms of their own employment.”

“By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news,” said SAG-AFTRA’s President Sean Astin in the release. “These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest and the professionals who serve it.”

Nexstar operates 201 stations in 116 local markets in the U.S., reaching 70% of American households. It is the largest TV station ownership group in the U.S. Tegna owns television stations in 51 U.S. markets. Following the pending $6.2-billion merger, the standing company will have 265 stations, representing 80% of U.S. TV households.

President Trump has expressed his support for the deal in a social media post earlier this month.

He wrote, “Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar – Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level. Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this Deal is for them, but they will in the future.”

TWO major UK train stations are shutting down for 22 days over the summer.

Southern Eastern Railway will carry out engineering works which will affect journey time for 10,000 commuters.

From Sunday 26 July to Sunday 16 August, Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations will be closed for essential track and bridge repairs.

Officials say the closures are part of a £20 million overhaul that’ll see nearly 1,800 metres of old, worn-out track ripped up and replaced between Waterloo East and Charing Cross.

Customers have been advised that their journeys might be different and take longer.

Routes to London will remain open but will instead be diverted to other stations.

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Southeastern services into Charing Cross will be redirected to Victoria, Cannon Street and Blackfriars stations.

Some trains will be terminating at London Bridge while tickets will be accepted on alternative rail routes, London Underground and buses.

The ageing track, which was last replaced more than 35 years ago, has caused repeated faults on the approaches to Charing Cross.

This has led to hundreds of hours of delays, leaving frustrated commuters stuck on platforms or stranded on packed trains.

As well as ripping up and replacing worn-out track, engineers will tackle drainage upgrades at Waterloo East and carry out vital structural repairs to Hungerford Bridge.

The three-week closure is expected to prevent future shutdowns during bank holidays and weekends and will deliver more reliable service.

Scott Brightwell, Director of Operations and Safety, South Eastern Railway, said: “We know closing Charing Cross and Waterloo East for 22 days is a significant change and we’re sorry for the disruption it will cause.

“This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly. We’ve looked long and hard at every possible option and although none of them are without impact, a single summer closure is the least disruptive and most efficient way to carry out this vital work.”