Green Signals

It's been a week of severe weather disruption on the railway, news that HS2 land may not be sold before the next election, Tube strikes being called off, and the release of some disappointing train cancellation stats. On this week’s show… LNER’s #FreedomAllTheWay teaser campaign and advert HS2 land sell-off unlikely before the General Election and why mayors Andy Burnham and Andy Street are making a BIG mistake Pre-cancellation stats from train operators (translation: misleading stats!) Major weather disruption and floods this last week - and… Serious rail disruption in the South West, and finally some good news… Tube strikes called off This week's quiz!

The first of our new The Big Interview episodes, and we were so excited about it that we decided to invite two guests to join us! Director of the Rail Freight Group Maggie Simpson comes on to discuss freight strategy, including the effect of Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel HS2 Phase 2 and the "breach of trust" that it represents. And GB Railfreight Managing Director John Smith joins us for a fascinating and lively discussion about everything from HS2 to railfreight challenges and the economics of running a freight operating company.

The first of our new magazine-style episodes, where we focus on the big topical issues and what’s been happening on and around the railway over the festive period. Here’s what we delve into this time… The great Christmas getaway on the roads Rail disruption over the Christmas break Richard’s Monsal Trail video and an interesting fact about Dr Beeching Peter Townend tribute video success Storm damage and HSTs More cuts coming for TOC budgets New Year Honours Predicting what ‘rail hating Rishi’ might be cooking up this year, and… A new feature – our weekly quiz with the chance to get a namecheck on the next show (but you’ll have to listen to the end to find out how).

Getting into the festive spirit this time with our Christmas Special! Richard Bowker and Nigel Harris answer the questions listeners and viewers have been sending in over the past couple of weeks - and they really were about anything and everything on the railway! Q1 - Was privatisation a total disaster? Q2 - What might the impact of AI be on the rail industry? Q3 - In the last 30 years, who would you say has made the greatest contribution to the railway? Q4 - Can the railway community be part of the solution to homelessness? Q5 - Which is the finest type of locomotive ever to run on Britain’s railway? Q6 - Why does wheelslip occur on trains? Q7 - How would you enhance the customer experience on the West Highland Lines? Q8 - Has any politician ever made a really positive contribution to the railways? Q9 - How can we prevent Railcard fraud? Q10 Why are leaves on the line such a problem? Q11 - Which railway figure do you wish you had had a chance to work for or with?

It’s another busy episode with plenty to talk about… and this time, we’ve gone ‘on location’ too! Richard Bowker reports from Siemens Mobility’s HQ in Chippenham, where he attended a very special event on December 12 which marked 35 years since the notorious Clapham rail accident in which 35 people died and a further 69 suffered life-changing injuries. It was a tragic disaster that led to fundamental changes in railway safety management. Then we return to Scotland for part 2 of our exploration of railways north of the border, speaking to Director of Rail at Transport Scotland Bill Reeve, who gives us a strategic and government perspective… and it’s a fascinating chat! Finally, we have a frank discussion about the major incident at Paddington on December 7, which led to stranded passengers self-evacuating. And Richard doesn’t pull his punches on this one…

In this special extra episode of Green Signals, we remember the life of rail elder statesman Peter Norman Townend who died on October 18th at the grand old age of 98. A railwayman whose career began in 1941 at the age of 16, as a premium apprentice for the London & North Eastern Railway at Doncaster ‘Plant’ – as its headquarters was known locally – Peter was undoubtedly best-known for his time as Shedmaster at ‘Top Shed’ at London’s King’s Cross during the last great days of steam, in the later 1950s and early 1960s. Peter's is a legendary name to many on and around the railway. After steam went, he served the emerging modern industry with distinction too, as the King’s Cross Divisional Traction & Rolling Stock Engineer and took early retirement in 1984. To the end of his days, Peter acted as a unique adviser to organisations including the National Railway Museum and the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, during its audacious building of Tornado. No-one understood the Gresley ‘Pacific’ in particular like Peter Townend. In his days at King’s Cross, he had a squadron of 40 ‘Pacifics’ in his care. Presenters Nigel Harris and Stef Foster are joined by Tony Streeter (Associate Editor, Trackside magazine), Steve Davies (Former Director of the National Railway Museum), and Mark Townend (Peter's son).

This time, we’re heading north of the border with special guest Alex Hynes (Managing Director, Scotland’s Railway) to find out why they seem to keep getting it right on railways in Scotland when the rest of the UK struggles. We talk alignment of track and train, the Sleeper, and rolling stock. Richard Bowker puts his cynical accountant’s hat on to question the gamble Scotland has taken to scrap Peak fares for a six-month trial period. And we find out how Scotland is responding to one of its biggest challenges – resilience in the face of climate change. Away from Scotland, we pay tribute to the late Alistair Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish and former Secretary of State for Transport, who died shortly before we recorded this episode.

As the country braces for more rail strikes in early December, we decided that Green Signals should focus some time this week on understanding how and why we've got to where we have with industrial relations. What are the strikes on the railway all about? What should the Government be doing to put an end to them? We are joined by Graham Eccles, former Co-Chair of the Virgin Rail Group and one of the most experienced industrial relations specialists the railway has ever produced. Graham tells it like it is and provides the best explanation we've ever heard of why the industry has got into this position. In this magazine-style episode, we also discuss the growing problem of luggage on trains and the decision by some operators to start actively restricting what passengers can bring on board. And we top it off with a chat with NSAR's Neil Robertson on the results of the Annual Rail Workforce Survey and the impending skills and experience shortage faced by the railway.

Network Rail Chairman Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill joins us for his first media interview about Railway 200... and it's a good one! Peter tells us all about the plans for celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of the modern railway in 2025 and how he wants all of you to get involved. But beyond that, he also discusses the wider importance of the railway and why it is so vital that we take this opportunity to celebrate its origins both to inspire the next generation of railway workers and to reset the public's relationship with rail. Outside our 'big interview' we also talk about Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper's recent appearance at the Transport Select Committee... spoiler alert - we weren't impressed. We also discuss news of Alstom's announcement that it is going to start of the process of winding down train building in Derby.

In this episode, Nigel and Richard speak with Andrew McNaughton, former HS2 Technical Director, and one of its first two employees. They discuss the reasons behind HS2's alignment, speed, and capacity, emphasizing the importance of fighting for Phase 2A. The hosts also touch on the King's Speech, express concerns about the slow progress of the project, and discuss the implications of scrapping HS2 North. They highlight the need for factual correctness in salvaging the environment and share exciting news about future plans and a new team member.