Time to take a new line on crucial Dawlish rail link to the South…
Repairs to the storm-hit railway line at Dawlish in Devon are in their final phase with a reopening planned for next week. In this article, Modern Railways magazine argues that the long-term solution has to be a faster, inland route.In discussions within the industry over the options for restoring the West Country’s rail links in the wake of Dawlish, we have noticed the phrase “there is no business case” creeping in when some of the more ambitious possibilities are aired.David…

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Motoring expert picks up some pointers
One of Britain’s most widely read motoring commentators was on the receiving end of some driving tips after being caught speeding in the West. The Sun’s motoring editor Ken Gibson was clocked doing 35mph in a 30mph zone in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. He wrote in the paper that he found the driver awareness course he had to undertake in Ledbury useful. He said: “I’m happy to concede that I learned more than I thought I would.”
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Wealthy pensioners to keep bus passes and winter fuel payments…
Wealthy pensioners are likely to keep their benefits such as free bus passes, winter fuel allowance and cold weather payments should the Conservatives win the 2015 general election, after David Cameron said cutting them from top-rate taxpayers would only save a ‘tiny’ amount.

Speaking to Saga members in Peacehaven, near Brighton, East Sussex, Mr Cameron also outlined plans to increase the threshold for inheritance tax, saying only the rich should pay it.
He told the audience: “We will set…

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Swindon woman Tracy Waters dies in fatal crash that closed M1
A Swindon woman, who was one of two people injured in an accident which closed the M1 in both directions, has died in hospital.
Leicestershire Police confirmed that Tracy Maria Walters, 48, died at Coventry’s University Hospital following a single-vehicle accident.
Mrs Walters was seriously injured when a Mitsubishi L200 4×4 crashed off the southbound M1 near junction 22.
A second casualty from the vehicle, a man whose identity has not been released, remains in a serious but stable condition in…

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