Rail 440: Why is the railway network always knowingly undersold?
A new study reveals that the broader benefits of rail travel, potentially worth billions of pounds, have been consistently downplayed ...
Embarrassing riches
There are two interesting things about the story that the departing director of Shelter, Chris Holmes, is giving £25,000 to ...
Rail 439: Let’s stop playing ‘pretend capitalism’ with the railway
With the taxpayer effectively bankrolling and bearing the risk for the new Network Rail, why try to play semantic name ...
Nowhere to hide
Transport is probably the policy area least suited to Parliamentary democracy. The pain is all short term, the gain long ...
Rail 438: Darling’s haste to soothe the crash survivors may backfire
If new Transport Secretary Alistair Darling wants to avoid his predecessor’s fate, he must not allow himself to be hijacked ...
Troubled summer ahead in our skies
The fact that Britain’s air traffic control system is been stretched to the limit has been highlighted twice this week ...
Rail 437: Goodbye, Mr Byers – and hello to a new ‘safe pair of hands’…
As the railways acquire yet another new political master following the departure of the luckless Stephen Byers, CHRISTIAN WOLMAR warns ...
Victims cannot run the railways
Why the survivors' groups are legitimate targets Those politicians abject apologies over attempts to find out the political affiliations of ...
Can we trust Prescott’s New Communities plan?
It is difficult not to be a tad wary of John Prescott's New Communities scheme which is supposed to reshape ...
Rail 436: Architects of privatisation have blood on their hands
Jarvis Rail’s briefing to journalists about the possibility of sabotage at Potter’s Bar showed that the company was more concerned ...
Rail 435: Industry unites in conspiracy for common sense on safety
For once, the rail industry has demonstrated a united front in its resolute stance against the Uff/Cullen report’s recommendations on ...
Potters Bar Accident (transcript)
Interview: Christian Wolmar, author of Broken Rails, and George Muir, Director General of the Association of Train Operating Companies discuss ...
Raiil 434: Britain should have Dutch courage to learn NS lesson
Britain’s rail system has taken so many wrong turnings but it would be wrong to despair, says CHRISTIAN WOLMAR, just ...
Rail 433: Is the Underground being lined up for Hatfield Mk 2?
As negotiations over the Private Public Partnership for the Tube, lasting over four years, approach conclusion, the obvious question is ...
Rail 432: It’s time railway bosses supported Stephen Byers
Operation, maintenance and renewal of the infrastructure have effectively been renationalised with the promise of long-term Government support by the ...
Rail 431: ATOC lemmings must stop on the brink of railcard precipice
Train operators seem determined to press the self-destruct button again with their proposed restrictions on the Network Railcard. CHRISTIAN WOLMAR ...
Rail 430: Taxpayer will pick up tab for much of Chiltern’s investment
Claims that the £371m new investment in the much-trumpeted 20-year Chiltern franchise will largely be funded by the private sector ...
Rail 429: Gwyneth’s grillings generate a lot of heat but little light
The hearings of the Commons Transport Select Committee are usually great knockabout fun under its rumbustious Chairman Gwyneth Dunwoody, but, ...
Rail 428: Crossrail benefits may bypass those who need them most
The revived London Crossrail scheme would be a powerful symbol of the capital’s modernity as well as a big boost ...
Rail 427: Plan is not the ‘full monty’, but there’s enough to excite hope
The SRA’s much-vaunted Strategic Plan does at least propose some short and medium-term measures to improve the railway, but CHRISTIAN ...
