Christian Wolmar

THE railways are booming, with record numbers travelling by train. Amazingly, even through the double dip recession, there’s only been one year when the annual passenger count has fallen. There are lots of reasons for this including increases in the number of train services and the ability to use electronic equipment on trains and cheap deals through advance booking. Consequently, Britain is enjoying a new age of the train. However, while there’s no doubt that things are getting better for rail passengers, there’s still room for ...

When FirstGroup was announced as the winner of the West Coast franchise in mid August, this looked like the end of Virgin’s 15 year tenure in the railways. The company had arrived with the usual fanfare featuring Richard Branson, dry ice and attractive women but now seemed to be heading for a sad exit, leaving behind an innovative set of trains, the Pendolinos, and a record best described as good ...

THE wails from Sir Richard Branson over his company’s loss of the West Coast franchise have highlighted the fickle nature of the privatised rail network and have led to renewed calls for the structure to be re-examined, including calls for the entire industry to be re-nationalised. Should this happen? The chairwoman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, Margaret Hodge, has already expressed concern about whether the system is delivering value for money and, with Branson having rapidly garnered 100,000 signatures in pursuit of a rethink. This ...

THE coalition Government is learning that being in power is a very different matter to opposition. Plans have to be properly formulated and ideas have to be more than mere musings. That's why the Conservative concept for the proposed north-south high-speed line has been changed radically from the form it took in opposition. The news that Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, has now agreed there should be a Y-shaped route rather ...

RAILWAYS are probably the best loved invention of the modern age. Even in these days of anodyne electric and diesel "multiple units" the British love for trains remains strong, as demonstrated by the fact that the National Railway Museum in York is the most visited museum outside London.  Partly the reason for this is that the railways are seen as an invention that had almost universal benefits, creating unheard of travel ...

    These are strange times on the railways. On the one hand, there is plenty of investment, with promise of more to come. On the other, passenger growth has slowed almost to a halt, while train companies are struggling to make a profit.  Ever since the start of the banking crisis two years ago, there have been fears that this strange juxtaposition of a massive investment programme with a declining or stagnant ...