Jamie Burles has been appointed as Network Rail’s first deputy managing director for the Eastern region, a newly created role to support leadership across four major routes.

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel between Taunton and Weston-super-Mare during the first week of February as Network Rail carries out essential structural repairs to a number of bridges, as well as vital track drainage work.

Aston Villa’s match against Scottish champions Celtic will bring thousands of fans into Birmingham, meaning trains and stations will be busier than normal on Wednesday (29 January).

Network Rail has finished delivering a replacement bridge that carries the junction of Downs Park Road and Bodney Road over the railway.

Motorists and train passengers are advised to leave more time for their journeys as Network Rail carries out upgrades on two Doncaster level crossings.

• Services on the South Western Railway network will be revised and diverted due to engineering work in the Wimbledon and Portsmouth areas on Sunday 2 and Sunday 9 February
• Journeys between London Waterloo, Exeter, Portsmouth and Weymouth will all be affected, taking longer than usual
• Customers should plan ahead at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey and allow extra time to complete their journeys

A second public information event is being held ahead of the major work to rebuild the Greek Street bridge.

A huge recovery operation is underway on the West Coast Main Line following the impacts of Storm Eowyn on Friday.

Strong winds buffeted the North West, with gusts in Cumbria reaching a staggering 83 mph. Across the route we saw over 60 incidents of flying debris, collapsed walls and even a roof affect the West Coast Mainline.