Friday, July 3, 2009

Christian Wolmar

Britain’s leading transport commentator

Rail 621: Obstacles in the paths of high speed users

Posted under Rail Magazine

The opening of the high speed line for Kent domestic services is a fascinating reversal of what usually has happened in this country. Normally such major pieces of infrastructure are only provided once there is a pressing demand but on this occasion, the high speed line has been built and now there is a desperate need to find uses for it. The high speed line project has already left behind a series of expensive white elephants, which have been sold off ...

Road safety still not on the agenda

Posted under Transport Times

Road safety is one of the issues where one feels that the government is going through the motions. Yes, you can hear ministers and senior officials think, road accidents are bad and we ought to do something about it, but at the end of the day there will always be deaths on the road because there are daft drivers about and there is not much we can do about it. So some reasonably easy targets were set and duly reached, ...

The Telegraph

Is reopening Beeching lines the way forward?

This is the new age of the train. The railways had a generally bad 20th century, being outfought and ultimately replaced by the car and ...

TSSA Journal

Titfield Thunderbolt lives again

Any mention of the idea of reopening branch lines immediately leads to massive media to interest with inevitable mentions of the Titfield Thunderbolt and the ...

Rail Magazine

Rail 621: Obstacles in the paths of high speed users

The opening of the high speed line for Kent domestic services is a fascinating reversal of what usually has happened in this country. Normally such ...

TSSA Journal

Book review: a love and hate affair with the railways

Matthew Engel, Eleven Minutes Late, a train journey to the soul of Britain, Macmillan, £14 99 It is rare to find a book that encapsulates a ...

Rail Magazine

Rail 620: Virgin spat with Network Rail bad for the railways

The bosses at Virgin trains are angry. No, correct that, they are incandescent. They have had enough of Network Rail and are prepared to go ...

The Oldie

Book review: Eleven minutes late

Matthew Engel, Eleven minutes late, Macmillan, £14 99, 324pp Matthew Engel is in despair. But it's his fault. The former editor of Wisden thought he would ...