From Marples to Crossrail – how things change
The new and very thorough biography of Ernest Marples, The Shadow behind Beeching, which has just been published by Pen & Sword, is an interesting …
How to sort out the railways
If there is one thing that the current rail strike tells us, it is that no one is in charge of the railways. And that, …
Strike chaos serves both sides’ interests
It’s fortunate that many Londoners have become accustomed to working from home over the past couple of years because they are going to have to …
Rail 956: Heading for trouble
There’s trouble brewing down the line. Industrial relations trouble, that is. The RMT union has launched a ballot of its members for what it …
How Great British Railways can learn from the old BR
British Railways lives again. Well sort of. The Queen’s Speech contains plans for a Transport Bill the centrepiece of which is the creation of Great …
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Letter to The Times: Crossrail does not take away money from the North
Your leading article (“Digging Deep”, May 5) rightly celebrates the opening of what is a truly world-class railway. It took courage and vision by various …
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Rail 955: A campaign well fought
Dennis Fancett is a happy man. But he is not totally satisfied, as there are further battles ahead. He has been campaigning to get what is …
How they do railways better in Europe
It’s welcome news that the Government has belatedly realised that attracting people back on to trains is vital for numerous reasons. More people using trains …
Rail 954: One country, four rail systems
One of the most spurious justifications for rail privatisation was that it would ‘get government’ out of the railways’. The very creation of Great British …
Why Crossrail took so long – and why it’s worth the wait
Crossrail was, in the words of its former chairman Tony Meggs, ‘the best project in Europe, indeed the world until it wasn’t’. And that transformation …
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The value of economics to writing about transport
I fell into book writing by accident. In all my career, I have done everything a bit late, which is perhaps why I am still …
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Rail 953: Ukraine conflict shows rail still key in modern warfare
Never say history does not repeat itself. An aspect of the Ukranian war that has been largely neglected by the media is the problem with …
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Be careful what you wish for
The reaction by many rail journalists to the publication of the Integrated Rail Plan was uncontrolled fury. They railed against the ‘betrayal’ by the government …
Rail 952: The agenda for a new transport secretary
Given world events that have managed to put even Partygate on the back burner, it is difficult to focus on what might seem a parochial …
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March 2022 Newsletter: Railways still relevant in modern warfare
In researching my forthcoming book on the role of the railways in the reoccupation of northern Europe following D Day, I came across this account …
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