National Rail

Yeah.

National Rail.

I mean, I don't have any game phones.

Phone games.

That's nearly $550 below my $2,000 budget.

And for that, you get six underground lines at Kings Cross St. Pancras, as well as National Rail and St. Pancras International.

It leaves a lot of extra money for theater tickets, afternoon tea, and Christmas dinners.

Finally, my option for best pure Christmas location has to be Covent Garden.

Christmas Day falls on Friday 25th of December, Boxing Day Saturday 26th December, with a substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day on Monday 28th of December.

New Year's Day is Friday 1st of January 2027.

National Rails Christmas 2026-2027 guidance warns us of reduced services, early finishes, and engineering work throughout the period.

If you're traveling by train, check your specific journey shortly before departure.

Tactile paving along the platform edges, providing a textured surface to help passengers identify where the platform edge is safely.

For further information about National Rail Enquiries, journey planning and passenger assist, you can phone 03457 48 49 50.

And that's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except Christmas Day.

Or you could email customer.relations at nationalrail.co.uk.

The answers there to Roger's quiz brings us to the end of this month's edition.

So I just need to leave you with the contact telephone numbers.

And we start with the RNIB helpline 0303 123 9999 National Rail Enquiries 0-3-4-5-7, 48-49-50.

National Express Coaches Assisted Travel, 0-3-7-1-7, 8-1-8-1-8-1.

A fire on the afternoon of Saturday, September 5th, caused major disruption to services from Paddington.

National Rail said the incident began shortly after 4:00, 1600, on Saturday with all lines blocked between Paddington and Heathrow's terminals plus Reading.

Problems were compounded, it seems, thanks to a failure of the electricity supply caused by a fire next to the track.

In an update on Sunday morning, rail operators said the fire had been put out and normal services resumed.

And I keep getting trains that don't run because of swans on the line or the train breaking down.

So it's hopefully National Rail will be on my side this week.

Yes.

Well, likewise, I think I'd likewise potentially go into various venues across the land.

Interestingly on the 2nd of September Network Rail imposed an emergency speed restriction close to Wickford on the branch line to Southminster and the reason for this was down to defective track.

National Rail provided an update on their website to passengers which stated that trains between Wickford and Southminster in both directions are running at 30mph due to a speed restriction after a safety inspection of the track found faults.

Owing to the extensive nature of the work required, an emergency timetable has been put in place for services between Whitford and Southminster.

Now, look, this isn't an overly unusual state of affairs.

A new play zone has already been launched in the area, ahead of funding, and HS2 has offered 150 work experience places for young people where they will be doing hands-on The organisation will be paying for the coaches to their site in Banbury and children from Tile Hill will be the first to experience this placement.

Another project will see Tile Hill children visiting every Premier League stadium by public transport, a plan endorsed by the Football Association and National Railways.

Ms Kerr explained... first trip we are making is to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, hopefully before they lose their Premier League status.

They want us to do the experience of the controlled abseil from the roof.