Using energy to make rail greener
Talk in late January 2019 of greener, solar-powered trains conjured images of trains covered in panels. The reality, if it happens, is more likely to be lineside solar panels feeding…
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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…
Soft skills prevent accidents like Waterloo
Any student of railway accidents knows how risks slip through the smallest gap. Gary Hart’s vehicle careered from the M62 onto the East Coast Main Line near Heck in October…
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…
Digital Railway: better information for better decisions
Digital Railway is an alluring concept that’s easy to describe in general terms but much harder to pin down in detail.According to Network Rail: “Digital railway offers capacity and performance…
Hydrogen can be the number one for tomorrow’s railway
Diesel is dirty. And electric expensive. This gives rail a problem.What fuel should tomorrow’s trains burn? After decades wedded to diesel it seemed that rail was about to break into…
RAIB report highlights lack of leadership at NR
No reports from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch make easy reading. When RAIB’s chief inspector describes an incident as alarming, the railway should sit up and pay attention.Thankfully, there was…
Time for RMT to embrace the role of on-board supervisor
ASLEF’s deal with Southern has no implications for other train operators. That’s the claim from Mick Whelan, the drivers’ union general secretary in the wake of his members on Southern…
Decisive action today for a joined-up North tomorrow
False starts have bedevilled attempts to upgrade the trans-Pennine route through Huddersfield. It has long been the primary route between Leeds and Manchester carrying a mix of express, local and…
Franchise flashpoint puts DfT under pressure
How many times have you heard the warning ‘buyer beware’ or been cautioned ‘if a deal looks to good to be true, then it is too good to be true’.I’m…