Next step forward on EWR
- Published Sat 28 of Jul, 2018 22:11 BST - (5162 Reads)The next major step in restoring rail links between Oxford and Cambridge was taken this week (27 July 2018) when Network Rail applied for legal permission to rebuild a railway across central England.
Have your say on buses
- Published Mon 16 of Jul, 2018 16:26 BST - (3377 Reads)Murder on the Thameslink - Northern Express
- Published Tue 10 of Jul, 2018 22:13 BST - (6894 Reads)Railfuture briefing by Ian Brown, Railfuture Policy Director, on the December timetable ‘cutbacks’ announced by the Rail Delivery Group today, 10 July 2018. Image by About Manchester
Franchise failure?
- Published Thu 28 of Jun, 2018 08:25 BST - (5645 Reads) In the last 11 years passengers travelling between London and York, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh have been carried by five different train operators as the above image shows. Virgin Trains East Coast was the third east coast mainline intercity franchised train operator to “fail” in that time. On 24 June 2018 the government replaced it with an outsourced operator under its control. The question for the government, rail industry, staff and, most importantly, passengers, is can a fourth be prevented? Photo montage of tweets and logos by Jerry Alderson
Wales and Borders award
- Published Wed 27 of Jun, 2018 22:25 BST - (4222 Reads)Power to award rail franchises in Wales was devolved to the Welsh Government in 2017. This power has been used for the first time to award the Wales and Borders passenger franchise to Keolis and partner Amey to operate the franchise from October 2018 to 2033. New Stadler tram-train to be procured for South Wales Metro, including street running to a new station named ‘Flourish’ in Cardiff Bay – image from Transport for Wales presentation.
Help to find a seat
- Published Wed 27 of Jun, 2018 19:06 BST - (2933 Reads)Help us design an App to reduce passenger crowding on trains - fill in our survey to let us know what information you need to find empty carriages.
Steam book launch
- Published Tue 26 of Jun, 2018 16:01 BST - (3071 Reads)Cross-border mission
- Published Mon 25 of Jun, 2018 23:29 BST - (3804 Reads)Future depends on rail
- Published Fri 22 of Jun, 2018 18:34 BST - (2466 Reads)Timetable trauma
- Published Sun 03 of Jun, 2018 15:11 BST - (4624 Reads)In his letter to local MPs Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has thrown Network Rail, Govia Thameslink and Northern Rail under the bus, but how much responsibility should the DfT bear for the excessive cancellations and delays following the introduction of new timetables? Photo by James Chespy.
Fare value and choice
- Published Tue 29 of May, 2018 19:26 BST - (5064 Reads)Some people are deterred from travelling by train by the complexity of buying a ticket and the perception that fares are expensive, whilst some passengers are unclear whether they have the best deal so feel ripped off. Image: Play the ticket maze game to reach the Oyster!
Market-led proposals
- Published Sat 19 of May, 2018 13:08 BST - (6739 Reads)The invitation by the Department of Transport on 20th March 2018 for investors to invest in rail infrastructure ‘made it real’ for the promoters of privately financed lines such as Heathrow Southern Railway and London & Southern Counties Railways.
Image: Service opportunities, by Heathrow Southern Railway.
Image: Service opportunities, by Heathrow Southern Railway.
Rail reopening fund
- Published Mon 14 of May, 2018 20:05 BST - (9058 Reads)Railfuture have linked with the Campaign for Better Transport to deliver a letter to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling calling for a Network Development Fund to pay for project development of realistic proposals for new and reopened stations and lines with the best projects joining a pool of national projects to be taken to full development and implementation. Photo: Railfuture media spokesman Bruce Williamson at the Department for Transport with the letter to hand in.
The Nuckle saga – déjà vu
- Published Wed 02 of May, 2018 20:32 BST - (4132 Reads)After 6 different opening dates, the new service at Kenilworth station finally started on 30 April – good news for frustrated Kenilworth residents at last. However the delays and cost overrun does raise the question of whether local authorities are yet equipped to manage rail development projects.Photos of Kenilworth station by Michael Tombs for Railfuture.
Curzon Street disconnected
- Published Fri 30 of Mar, 2018 19:33 BST - (7149 Reads)HS2 must be integrated with local transport networks, otherwise congestion, not economic growth, will be generated. However in Birmingham, the HS2 terminus at Curzon Street will be remote from local rail services, even though they run alongside. Phil Bennion, a past MEP for the West Midlands, has a solution. Image: Curzon Street station between existing rail line and new development area.
Riding sunbeams
- Published Mon 12 of Mar, 2018 16:57 GMT - (5024 Reads)10:10, the climate change charity, is working with the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College, London, to develop a viable solution for solar-powered railways. The graphic by 10:10 Climate Action illustrates the principle. It is ironic that the artist has depicted a diesel unit but we like the picture so used it anyway.
Wisbech half-hourly
- Published Sun 11 of Mar, 2018 23:49 GMT - (4425 Reads)Railfuture has joined together with local people, rail planning experts and influential local business leaders to progress Wisbechrail through a new group they have set up called the Wisbech Consultative Group. This will harness peoples’ ideas about where the station should be, what facilities it should have and other issues to do with a new train service.
Woodhead spurned
- Published Wed 07 of Mar, 2018 14:03 GMT - (10665 Reads)This picture is the image chosen by Transport for the North to illustrate its Long Term Rail Strategy. Is it fantasy or reality?
Railworker fatigue survey
- Published Mon 05 of Mar, 2018 19:22 GMT - (2837 Reads)A UK rail employee survey to explore the relationship between self-reported fatigue levels and characteristics of influential risk factors of workload, sleep quality and daily life events.
HS2 connectivity
- Published Fri 02 of Mar, 2018 16:53 GMT - (4788 Reads)HS2 will create massive extra rail capacity, but unless it is integrated with local transport networks to create connectivity with city centres and their surrounding city regions, congestion not economic growth will result. Image: proposed colocation of HS2 platforms and existing city centre station at Leeds.
Railfuture’s campaigns, opinions and successes are often reported by the press and media, see Railfuture in the news.