World Cup Final night in Paris. Memories of being here the night France won in '98 which was rather special. The atmosphere was incredible. No phone cameras then, so memories not photos. A fire engine passing with people on the roof, and a very sore throat the next morning from shouting so much.

I couldn't possibly comment on the score so far. But might do tomorrow when I see colleagues from the other side of the Tunnel. ⚽️

Saturday standby shift. Not been sent to the mainland today. Paris is calling tomorrow afternoon though...

Fresh concrete: The Colne Valley Viaduct on HS2. It's the longest railway bridge in the UK (3.38 kilometres), although it won't be carrying trains for a long while yet... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colne_V...

Oh really? www.thetimes.com/uk/transport...

The end of another shift. #TrainLife

Back on the iron road and it's like I was never away. 🙄 Can I go back to the Cévennes please?

Watching the harvester: A summer evening in Cambridgeshire. #cycling #EastAnglia

All good things come to an end. The journey home to the UK from the Tarn begins with a train from Lavaur to Toulouse. The views in the early morning sunshine are gorgeous.🌻🌻🌻🌻 #TrainsNotPlanes

The last day of the holiday began with a swim in the Tarn in the lovely town of Rabastens. #Occitane

39⁰ l'après-midi. 🥵 #Carcassonne

To the Lozère for lunch in Vialas followed by a river swim... #Cévennes

40⁰ today in the Cévennes. I don't think I've ever felt so aware of climate change while away on holiday. And never so angry and anxious that there are those who deny it and are trying to thwart efforts to tackle it.

An early start today to drop 3 youngsters off at Nîmes station. Saw the still smouldering aftermath of a wildfire next to the A9 motorway on way to Pont du Gard.

Not a sight anyone wants to see. There's a fire in fields/forest visible from where we're staying in the Gard. Two planes have just dropped water on it. Really hope they get it under control swiftly and everyone is safe.

This morning's walk to the boulangerie featured a detour via the abandoned railway station in Saint-Ambroix. No trains since 2012 but there are proposals to reopen the line apparently. #Urbex

A highlight of a French holiday has to be the morning walk to the boulangerie for bread and other baked goodies. If it involves a view of a medieval town or village and a bit of a climb, all the better! #Cevennes #France #summer

Strawberry moon rising over the hills of the Gard on the edge of the Massif Central.

Mondays don't normally begin with coffee overlooking a Roman amphitheatre. #Nîmes

Cambridge station before dawn on a Saturday morning. On platform 4, passengers with cases waited to board the first train of the day to Stansted Airport. On platform 7, the 04:51 was ready to take us to St Pancras "for eurostar services to mainland Europe..." #TrainsNotPlanes

I honestly can't remember when I was last this frazzled at the end of a working week. And it was only a 3 day one! Good luck to anyone still working in these sweltering conditions.

This wasn't in the plan. Sent out on the 07:04 to Brussels from standby to replace an unavailable colleague. There has also been a last-minute change of train due to a technical issue so we're 51 minutes late. And there's a heat-related speed restriction in Belgium. One of those days...

After 38⁰ in Paris yesterday, London hasn't seemed too bad. That's not good.

The UK provisionally set a new maximum temperature record for June for the second consecutive day, with 36.7°C reached at Merryfield, Somerset. Wales also set a provisional June record, while Northern Ireland matched its previous record Get the details here www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...

Stark. Brutal. Deadly. This is the temp map forecast for France for 5pm this afternoon.

We’ve provisionally broken the UK record for the highest June minimum temperature🌡️ Bute Park, Cardiff only fell to 23.5°C overnight, making it the highest June minimum temperature for Wales and the UK 🥵 Plymouth only dropped to 23.0°C, making for a new England record 🌡️

Another scorching day begins in Paris. Good luck to anyone working outside, in uniform, or anywhere without air-conditioning.

38⁰ at 10pm in Paris. In June. The reaction of passengers as they stepped off the 17:31 train from London said it all. #ClimateCrisis

The UK has provisionally set a new daily maximum air temperature record for June, with 36.1°C reported at Gosport, Hampshire today. Read: www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/new...

Due to the current heatwave, a reduced beard service is in operation. 💈 Really not looking forward to the heat for this afternoon's shift working the 17:31 to Paris. #BluePolyester

EU Referendum Day: 23/06/16. Posing with my friend Nana on the platform in Brussels Midi. I worked the last train back the next day and the atmosphere was very sombre indeed. #Brexit

🌡️ ☀️ 🇫🇷 In Bordeaux, homeless people struggle amid heatwave With temperatures exceeding 40°C in the southwestern French city, homeless people are seeking out ways to cool down. The city has decided to open an air-conditioned public building to allow the homeless to rest

A drink tonight to mark a colleague's retirement. A joyous occasion but tinged with sadness thinking of a member of the railway family who did not return home after their shift last week.

"If a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy”. (David Davis) I'll be in central London tomorrow with who knows how many others, making our voices heard and arguing for our little island one day to return to the heart of Europe. The world is a very different place to 2016.

Unplanned pint at Liverpool Street caused by defective track at Royston. Oh well, let the weekend begin. #BeerOclock

The original eurostar logo lives on in some of the non-public parts of the station. It's a lot cooler in the subway that on the platforms today. A busy standby shift to end my week.

Wonder whether we're slightly closer this morning to getting high-speed rail north of Birmingham.

Yesterday's post-dinner bike ride ended up with a pause to listen to the bell-ringing practice at the church in the Cambridgeshire village of Thriplow as the sun went down. Just lovely! #cycling #EastAnglia

You simply can't have hundreds of thousands of additional flights each year without a hugely detrimental impact on the climate and the rest of our transport system.

A tale of two neons by one artist. "I want my time with you" is a rather joyous sentiment. "I could have loved my innocence" at the Tate Modern is the polar opposite. It's part of the current Tracey Emin exhibition "A second life" which is on until 31/08. www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tat... #Art #London

Getting ready for another journey: My friend Andrew in his office on an e300 train before a trip to Brussels. We left for Paris 3 minutes beforehand from the platform opposite. #traincrew 🇬🇧🇪🇺

Thousands of pro-Europeans will march through central London on Saturday 20 June to call for the UK to rejoin the European Union, marking ten years since the 2016 EU vote. The National Rejoin March will assemble at Temple station from noon before marching to Parliament Square. Rally from 2.30pm.

"Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten." Walter Ulbricht on this day in 1961. "Nobody intends to build a wall." Within 2 months, they did. It lasted 28 years. Nothing is permanent.

A flying visit to Manchester over the weekend to bring back our son from uni. Lovely as always especially late Saturday evening pints in the Pev. A visit to the city is always good for the soul. 🐝

Thursday = my Friday. First beer is appropriately a Sonoma by Track Brewing in Manchester. We'll be heading there on Saturday for the end of student year move. 🍺

A French president for your hallway? €25 at the flea market in Brussels. I reached out to a key stakeholder but she said no.

A trip under the sea to the mainland and back for my final shift of the week. To Brussels on 9110 with an e300 and back with 9133 which will be an e320 from Amsterdam. Have a good Thursday wherever you are!

The Kilt Crew at St Pancras this morning. Lovely to bump into Romolo on his way to Paris after I'd just arrived from there. Looking forward to working a train together sometime soon hopefully. #TrainLife

Happy 40th anniversary to Network SouthEast! On this day in 1986, the new identity for British Rail's London & South East sector was unveiled. The start of red lamp-posts, bins and benches on stations and red, white, blue and grey trains. On Network Day (21/06) it was £3 for unlimited travel. ☺️

Thoughts on this? 🥖🚄