-
1 month ago | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
The editor has asked me to look to the future. This is to mark the fact that the railways are celebrating their 200th anniversary – actually I think 2030 is a better date given the importance of the Liverpool & Manchester rather than the ramshackle Stockton & Darlington and but we won’t go there. In reality trying to work out what the railways will be like in 200 years when our great grandchildren will all be dead is actually impossible.
-
1 month ago | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
-
1 month ago | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
The privatised train companies made a mistake by taking a hardline in relation to Labour’s plans to bring back operations into the government fold. Rail Partners, set up by a consortium of various private rail interests took a particularly aggressive line towards the plan, with its boss, Andy Bagnall, even going to Labour party conference to argue the case that the policy should be reversed.
-
2 months ago | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
For the second time this decade, we have had three transport secretaries in a year, emphasising how this is a post relating to a long term industry that suffers from short term tenures of ministers. In 2022, it was because of the insane Truss interregnium when Anne-Marie Trevelyan held the post for just seven weeks, and this time we’ve had an election and a very minor and rather odd scandal which did for Lou Haigh.
-
Jan 14, 2025 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
This was not a good budget for transport. There was some positive aspects such as the confirmation of some long announced railway schemes and there was £100m for active travel. Oh yes, the motoring lobby may feel they have chalked up a victory by stopping the fuel duty rise – or rather preventing the Conservative cut in fuel duty from being scrapped – but even they have lost a number of key road schemes for which, frankly, good riddance.
-
Jan 14, 2025 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
The man who walked up the stairs was the embodiment of the cartoon image of a paedophile. Grey, thinning hair, a couple of days’ stubble and a gabardine raincoat. He had come to persuade us that the age of consent for sexual activity should be reduced to four years old ‘because that’s when children have the ability to express themselves’. The ‘us’ was the small collective who worked for Release, a charity that helped young people who had got in trouble with the law, usually over drug use.
-
Jan 2, 2025 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
The government has placed great emphasis on ‘sorting out the railways’ as a way of showing things can change and the focus has been on ‘bringing track and train together’ through taking the franchises back in house. So far so good, but as I have pointed out in this column since the election, that is the start of a process rather than the end. We are supposed to get excited by the creation of Great British Railways, but what will it deliver. A new name and an old logo is what we have got so far.
-
Dec 29, 2024 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
In the past few months, my speaking engagements have taken me to various interesting rail connected places, mostly for the first time. It has been a fascinating experience, highlighting the good, the bad and the possible. Let’s start with the good. I was invited, thanks to Roger Blake of this parish, to speak at the Appledore Book Festival in September.
-
Oct 31, 2024 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
Good riddance to the ‘Reversing Beeching’ scheme. I am sure some Railfuture activists may disagree with that statement, as some local campaigners have expressed concern about particular schemes but I think its demise is unequivocally good news. Ultimately I think the programme was going to make it harder, rather than easier, to bring about reopenings.
-
Oct 30, 2024 | 
christianwolmar.co.uk | Christian Wolmar
Dear subscriber (to subscribe fill in form on home page)Oh dear, so much to get in – apols. First, a very exciting exclusive for the podcast, an interview with Simon Weller of ASLEF about how the long standing dispute was resolved with the advent of the Labour government. Listen to it hereThere’s two other podcasts from the new series covering the Labour conference and the Lime Bikes controversy.