Rail 929: WISPer it, the 30 year plan for the railways
Just in case there were not enough ‘initiatives’ being launched by his department, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary decided a ...
Let’s spell it out: cars are a menace
By Christian Wolmar and Pearl Ahrens In terms of transport, the new post-pandemic normal is looking worse than the old ...
Rail 928: It’s the passengers who count
The future of rail has been rather a long time coming. The report on ‘Trains fit for the future’ published ...
Rail 927: Cutting costs on the railways is not easy
Let’s assume that ‘back to normal’ is, say, an 80 per cent railway. In other words, that the timetable will ...
March 2021 Newsletter
Christian Wolmar's March newsletter: Anonymity is killing fair debate Dear subscriber, The ferocity of the arguments over low traffic neighbourhoods ...
High costs are damaging the potential for rail recovery
One of the worst outcomes of the privatisation of the railways a quarter of a century ago is the failure ...
Letter to The Guardian: When I played at Wentworth golf course
Wentworth golf club was not always that posh (The rich vs the very, very rich: the Wentworth golf club rebellion, ...
rail 926: Integrated transport, an old concept that must be revived
Remember ‘integrated transport’. It was a concept promoted by John Prescott, the much underrated transport secretary whose excellent 10 year ...
Rail 925: Franchising on life support
After a year of paralysis in the rail industry, there finally appears to be some movement from the Department for ...
February 2021 newsletter
Oddly, in this short newsletter, I am going to promote someone else’s book. This is because I think Peter Walker’s ...
Treasury needs lesson in GCSE economics
Every year, rail fares go up and every year, the proposed increase in fuel duty is shelved. This year was ...
Rail 924: The robots are not coming that fast
In the midst of all the chaos and uncertainty on the railways caused by the pandemic, it is surprising that ...
Rail 923: In a logical world, peak fares would be abolished but….
One clear result of the Covid crisis is that we have to recognise that moving around more is not necessarily ...
New Statesman letter: Musk’s achilles heel
Elon Musk may, as Will Dunn, suggests ‘be a more interesting person to occupy capitalism’s top spot’ but watch out ...
The driverless car revolution that keeps on not coming
In early January, the Department for Transport (DfT) boasted that the UK “was on the cusp of a transport revolution” ...
Rail 922: How to recreate a joined-up railway
In recent weeks I have interviewed numerous ex-BR managers for my new book which is about the successes and failures ...
January 2021 Newsletter: it’s not all gloom but….
I have not worn a suit for a year. I hate wearing suits but I am so looking forward now ...
Rail 921: The railways must adapt to survive
Well not even Mystic Wolmar if he were a genius could have predicted the events of 2020. As I keep ...
The real reason behind opposition to Low Traffic Neighborhoods
By Pearl Ahrens and Christian Wolmar Last month, 322 people, from London and across the world, wrote in to the ...
Times review of Cathedrals of Steam
Review by Richard Godwin London has 14 railway termini, more than any other city in the world. It has no ...
