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Decision time

Author: Chris Page - Published Tue 03 of Dec, 2019 17:16 GMT - (3715 Reads)
The snap general election is with us as expected and we have to wait until afterwards to find out what the recommendations of the Williams and Oakervee reviews of franchising and HS2 will be – as amended to make them acceptable to the new government. Enter our competition to propose a new name for HS2 which will capture the public imagination. Image HS2 Ltd.
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Party manifestos for rail

Author: Ian Brown CBE FCILT - Published Fri 29 of Nov, 2019 23:22 GMT - (4738 Reads)
This is Railfuture’s guide to the 2019 election manifestos. Transport commitments are quoted verbatim in red italics. A commentary is provided in black, non-italics giving Railfuture’s position or observation on each. Our analysis includes other modes, both to illustrate emphasis but also to ascertain how changes to other modes may benefit railways, such as integrated travel. The most important issue to be tackled by the next government is to provide capacity for double the number of passengers, both to resolve the overcrowding (despite new trains) illustrated at Manchester and Euston, and to address climate change by modal shift from road to rail. Photos by Ian Brown for Railfuture
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Building for future users

Author: Chris Page - Published Sun 17 of Nov, 2019 11:33 GMT - (3024 Reads)
Rail capacity must be doubled by 2050 to achieve net zero carbon with growth and deliver a sustainable lifestyle. The new Meridian Water station will enable 10,000 homes and 6000 jobs - photo courtesy Enfield Council.
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Levenmouth on track

Author: Jane Ann Liston - Published Fri 09 of Aug, 2019 12:40 BST - (6108 Reads)
On 8 August 2019 the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson, during his visit to Levenmouth, announced the green light for reopening the rail line to Levenmouth to passenger services, with an estimated cost of £75m. It's great news for this long running saga, which will benefit a deprived area of Fife. Flossie the dog on disused Levenmouth rail line, track in place, as used by walkers, halfway between Thornton and Leven.
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Britain back into rail

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Thu 08 of Aug, 2019 16:40 BST - (3300 Reads)
On Wednesday 7 August 2019 Britain’s Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced that it would be withdrawing from membership of the highly-valued and long-standing Interrail Europe-wide rail passes for European residents, along with the Eurail equivalent for non-European residents. Protests were loud and clear, many on Twitter. A day later the RDG backed down. Railfuture looks at what happened and why.

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First step to Berwick

Author: Dennis Fancett - Published Thu 30 of May, 2019 18:17 BST - (5088 Reads)
SENRUG, the Railfuture-affiliated rail user group that campaigns for better rail services in South and East Northumberland, has secured funding for a feasibility study which will look at the possibility of running a local rail service between Morpeth and Berwick. Could local trains soon be running over Berwick’s Royal Borders Bridge? Photo (adapted) by Clive Nicholson / Steve Miller.
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Rails back to Brierley Hill

Author: William Whiting - Published Mon 13 of May, 2019 22:04 BST - (5391 Reads)
Railfuture welcomes the news that funding has been secured to extend the Midland Metro from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill. The metro will serve Dudley Zoo and Castle – image by Midland Metro Alliance.
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Money for Portishead

Author: Nigel Bray - Published Wed 17 of Apr, 2019 22:59 BST - (6830 Reads)
After a long hard campaign by Railfuture and affiliated groups, the government has stumped up the extra £32m needed to reopen the railway line to Portishead. New Portishead station as proposed in 2015. Image by North Somerset Council.
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Electric alternatives

Author: Chris Page - Published Sun 07 of Apr, 2019 18:40 BST - (9675 Reads)
The government cut electrification projects in favour of alternative technologies for rail traction but in response to the Transport Select Committee, the Rail Industry Association has published the Electrification Cost Challenge report showing that electrification costs could be cut by more than 50%. This briefing explains how the alternatives stack up. Proposed hydrogen-powered "Breeze" conversion of class 321. Image by Alstom.
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Balkan bustitution

Author: Ian Brown CBE FCILT - Published Thu 28 of Mar, 2019 20:31 GMT - (4098 Reads)
In the latest of our Go and Compare series, Ian Brown takes a bus from Zagreb to Ljubljana and compares it with the rail alternative, then travels from Ljubljana to Trieste by train and compares it with the bus alternative. The competition - the Flixbus on the properly signed stand on arrival at Ljubljana, going through to Florence arriving late the same evening. All photos by Ian Brown for Railfuture.
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Welborne station campaign

Author: Alan Mayes - Published Wed 20 of Mar, 2019 20:14 GMT - (4789 Reads)
Railfuture Wessex continues to campaign for a railway station at Welborne near Fareham at the site earmarked for 6,000 new homes. A single platform station could be built at Welborne at economical cost on the single track railway line.
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Multifranchise disservice

Author: Dennis Fancett - Published Sun 10 of Mar, 2019 12:29 GMT - (4057 Reads)
In the first of a series focusing on individual topics raised by the Railfuture response to the Williams review, South East Northumberland Rail User Group (SENRUG) chair Dennis Fancett highlights the lack of a coordinated timetable on routes served by multiple train operators. Arriva Cross Country and East Coast (now LNER) trains at Newcastle Central - photo by Russel Wills reproduced under Creative Commons.
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University challenge

Author: Peter Travis - Published Sat 09 of Mar, 2019 17:45 GMT - (3877 Reads)
Railfuture was delighted to sponsor the very interesting and successful 2019 Transport Masters Prize Award Presentation awards evening event at the University of the West Of England (UWE) with Railfuture's Honorary President Christian Wolmar proving to be the 'top entertainment'. Photo: from left, Professor Graham Parkhurst (Director of UWE’s Centre for Transport and Society), Christian Wolmar (Railfuture President), Wendy Thorne (Railfuture director), and Professor John Parkin CEng FICE FCIHT FCILT (Professor of Transport Engineering and Deputy Director, Centre for Transport and Society UWE).
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Williams Rail Review

Author: Ian Brown CBE FCILT - Published Fri 18 of Jan, 2019 13:43 GMT - (6042 Reads)
Railfuture has submitted its initial response to the Williams Rail Review, with the theme of incentivising the rail industry to work efficiently on behalf of its customers. These passengers at Euston want to feel that the industry cares for them, and that disruption is a rarity rather than the norm. Photo Network Rail.
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Blueprint for the North

Author: Ian Brown CBE FCILT - Published Fri 11 of Jan, 2019 13:22 GMT - (7055 Reads)

The initial strategic challenge

Railfuture Policy Director Ian Brown contends that rail cannot make any meaningful contribution to growing the North’s economy, or even realise the benefits of new rolling stock and services about to be delivered, without investment in core routes and core stations to enable a further doubling of journeys over the next 15 years. Crowds on the only two through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly demonstrate the need for investment in extra capacity linking Chester, Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Sheffield, Bradford, Leeds and Hull – photo by Maria Whelan, from Twitter.
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