Unions raise prospect of rail strikes
Unions have a vital role in rail. Love them or loathe them, they provide a voice for railway staff. They provide a counter to managers’ more extreme ideas. In turn,…
When will passengers return?
I woke early the other morning. Too early. All was black outside and time dragged. It seemed to be hours before the eastern sky slowly lightened and the sun hauled…
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Railway must avoid broken promises
At least the man with the ‘kick me’ sign on his backside didn’t pin it there himself. The railway pinned its own sign, judging by the kicking people gave it…
McNulty’s ‘Damp squib’ still offers valuable lessons
Jumping on a train the other day, I found a Transport Focus questionnaire abandoned on my seat. I can guess what passengers will say in this latest survey. They will…
Give the East Midlands easier journeys to Manchester
We all have closed lines we wish we’d travelled on. I’d have loved to traverse the Waverley Route through lonely Riccarton Junction but it closed before I was born. I…
Commuter fares show rail’s complexity
National Fare Rise Day produced plenty of heat but little light. Supporters and opponents of today’s privatised railway traded blows with dodgy statements. We’ll take the supporters first. The Rail…
Strikes are a stalemate where both sides must make the right moves
As the hours ticked down to 1100 on November 11 1918, soldiers continued being killed on the Western Front. Germany had signed an armistice early that morning but its implementation…
RMT plans to fight more battles… but the war looks lost
There’s always been a tension between the front and rear of a train. It’s some decades since freight trains lost their guards and the vans in which they rode on…