Is reopening Woodhead viable?
There’s an irony in Woodhead’s tunnels carrying electricity under the Pennines. Where once they thrived on carrying its raw material, coal, now they carry the finished product. Woodhead the line…
Railways must remain relevant to survive
To the Mechanicals to hear this year’s railway division chairman give his address. Grand Central MD Richard McClean took the lectern and made the case for keeping rail relevant to…
20 years of writing about railways
Twenty years ago RAIL 308 landed on newsstands with a pair of Class 20s on the cover and news inside of a fresh-faced new arrival on the magazine’s staff. I…
Rail freight faces challenges as coal disappears
A day in April marked Britain’s first without using coal to generate electricity. Wind and solar power played their part but burning gas shouldered the bulk of electricity generation that…
Government’s railfreight strategy is nothing of the sort
There’s a deep irony at the heart of the government newly published rail freight strategy. It boasts that each tonne of railfreight reduces carbon emissions by 76% compared with road…
Switzerland opens Gotthard Tunnel
If you like scenic rail trips through the Alps then the recent opening of Switzerland’s Gotthard base tunnel will not be welcome. If your business depends on freight links between…
Signalling obstacles in the path of NR’s Digital Railway
Railways and technology go hand-in-hand. Switching from saturated to superheated boilers improved the efficiency of steam locomotives. Introducing electro-mechanical Automatic Warning System (AWS) improved safety. Tilting trains have allowed speeds…
Rail freight terminal for Radlett
So Radlett is to receive a rail freight terminal. About time too. Its planning application has been wending its way through a tortuous process for most of the last ten…
Bright future for Channel Tunnel freight
Whisper it quietly, but perhaps the Channel Tunnel is finally coming good for railfreight. Eurotunnel’s figures for the first quarter of 2014 show a 24% increase in tonnage compared with…