THIRTY years ago, on December 12, 1988, a busy commuter train ran into the back of another packed train, which had stopped at a red signal outside Clapham Junction. Moments later a third train hit
Read moreWaterloo incident is a wake-up call
Category: Editor’s Intro
Heaping more misery on fed-up passengers…
HAVING prompted readers to make comments, and just three weeks after the public consultation period ended, the Department for Transport has pulled the plug on one of the most crucial franchise renewals – CrossCountry. But
Read moreMESSAGE TO MR GRAYLING: Passengers need improvement now – not in two years’ time
THE announcement that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has ordered a Rail Review comes as no surprise. It’s been very much overdue, given the increasing list of problems affecting passengers. The Transport Select Committee (TSC) announced
Read moreRadical reform for operators and passengers cannot come soon enough
IT’S been another summer of discontent for rail passengers. Strikes because of industrial disputes over driver-only operation are still affecting four train operators. Timetables remain in a mess on several routes, with passengers having to
Read moreThe annual invasion of Buddleja Davidii
TRAVELLING into Birmingham New Street last month, I was shocked at the abundance of vegetation alongside the track around Grand Junction. Particularly prevalent was buddleia (Buddleja Davidii), an invasive plant which spreads easily if left
Read moreAnother nice mess you’ve gotten into
IN the past six weeks we’ve seen a shambolic start to the new summer timetable with thousands of passengers unable to travel because of a lack of trained drivers, overcrowded services, while others were written
Read moreNot the best month for railways
IT’S BEEN a bad month for our railways. In fact a very bad month, with so much adverse publicity stemming from a variety of problems – some of them self-inflicted. The big news was the
Read moreSurplus trains could form a niche fleet
IN THE August 2016 issue of The RM we reported around 35 miles of siding space was needed to store the carriages being made redundant by new trains. Further new train orders, coupled with the
Read moreGoing beyond the call of duty
THERE was plenty of warning of the snow and freezing temperatures that the storm dubbed the ‘Beast from the East’ (and its successor a couple of weeks later) was to bring to Britain. No matter
Read moreHow hard is it to design a comfortable train seat?
MAYBE the question should be how difficult is it, as an increasing number of passengers are finding the seats on the rising numbers of Class 700 and 800 trains entering service very hard. Having experienced
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