Rail 416: Railway class of 2001: must try harder or face expulsion
As the School for Railway Children breaks up for the summer holidays after a turbulent year, CHRISTIAN WOLMAR turns headmaster ...
Rail 415: Simplifying the structure is how our railways will recover
Railtrack’s collapse, emergency speed restrictions, and soaring costs: the railway is still in crisis. CHRISTIAN WOLMAR argues that a ‘back ...
Rail 414: Déjà vu for the Underground as ‘unworkable’ PPP goes on
The much-vaunted Public Private Partnership scheme for the London Underground - complete with 30-year contracts for the consortia involved - ...
Rail 413: Two parallel rail universes – but can they ever meet?
The railways have long passed the point where simple exhortation to ‘get their act together’ will have any effect on ...
Rail 412: It is time to inquire into the purpose of these inquiries
Lord Cullen’s Ladbroke Grove inquiry report is well-written and admirably detailed but has major omissions - and, argues CHRISTIAN WOLMAR, ...
Rail 411: Memo to new ministers: early action needed on the railway
It’s the day after the general election and an extract from a memo to incoming transport ministers sent by Sir ...
Rail 410: Railtrack is dead – now let’s anoint a real successor
Despite the highly publicised appointment of a new Chairman, Railtrack is effectively a spent force, and there’s no point either ...
Rail 409: A 20-year game of Monopoly that is just one big gamble
Twenty-year franchises are one of the centrepieces of the refranchising process, based on the belief that such a long contract ...
Rail 408: Central Railway: a big idea that could even be beautiful
After all the navel-gazing of the past six months, it’s time to raise our sights and think big - and ...
Rail 407: Two not-so-wise men follow a very bright but illusory star
By playing to the tabloid gallery, the two distinguished authors of the report on train protection systems could be storing ...
Rail 406: The core question of the rail crisis – what is Railtrack for?
Railtrack is a paradox: a capitalist company without a definable product. Based on such a false premise, its structure is ...
Rail 405: SRA has failed to deliver the goods – a real vision for rail
The concept of the Strategic Rail Authority was a good one, which had the potential to be a useful cushion ...
Rail 404: A creaking structure badly in need of major rebuilding…
Privatisation, we were promised, would lever in record levels of private investment to the railway industry, - but the suspension ...
Q&A: Selby train crash
Railway expert Christian Wolmar answers our questions following the collision near Selby in North Yorkshire in which at least 13 ...
Rail 403: Competition is weaving a tangled web on ticket sales
With 2.3 million registered users, thetrainline. com has been one of the quiet success stories of privatisation and it was ...
Rail 402: Dithering SRA could delegate franchise decisions to judges
By failing to lay down proper ground rules for the refranchising process, CHRISTIAN WOLMAR believes that the overhasty Strategic Rail ...
Rail 401: HSE ignores the interlocking causes of Ladbroke Grove
The Health & Safety Executive’s report on the Ladbroke Grove inquiry was supposed to be a factual document setting out ...
Rail 400: Recovery not on the cards without a national railcard
When the railway launches its great marketing effort to win back lost passengers after the crisis, CHRISTIAN WOLMAR suggests train ...
Rail 399: This crisis won’t be calmed simply by soothing words
Railway pundits are split into two antagonistic camps - optimists who believe the crisis will all blow over and things ...
Rail 398: No one – and everyone – to blame for rail’s ‘Troubles’
All the major players in the railway - the Government, operators, Railtrack, SRA and HSE - have emerged with little ...
