Liverpool on the Rails: A City Shaped by Trains 7 October, 20259 October, 2025 The narrative of Liverpool is inextricably linked with the evolution of the railway. For six years in the early 2000s, I had the privilege of managing railway stations, a job that offered a unique perspective on the vital role of this infrastructure. Each day could be a new and diverse experience. Observing the myriad of…
London calling… 29 September, 20257 October, 2025 London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Lord marks Transport for London’s own special anniversary.
The railway that changed the world 26 September, 20257 October, 2025 Caroline Hardie, Trustee of Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, takes us back to when and where it all began… Two hundred years ago tomorrow, on September 27 1825, the Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) opened. This 26-mile line in the North East of England was to have a significant impact on the country…
The value of the ‘railway effect’ 25 September, 20257 October, 2025 Richard Evans, Head of Policy at Rail Delivery Group, looks at 200 years of delivering economic prosperity through connecting people and places. In 1825, the first public railway carried passengers across the English countryside, setting in motion not just an engineering revolution, but an industrial one too. Imagine the awe and excitement of those first…
Railway 200 and Alzheimer’s Research UK: on track for a cure 15 September, 202515 September, 2025 Railway 200 is a celebration of the anniversary of the modern railway and two centuries of treasured rail memories and journeys. As part of its milestone year, Railway 200 has partnered with Alzheimer’s Research UK to raise vital funds, awareness, and help protect rail memories for the future. Because if nothing changes, one in two…
200 to celebrate 200: GWR sets battery record 13 September, 202524 September, 2025 Great Western Railway's battery-powered Class 230 has broken the world record for the longest journey on a single charge.
The train at platform 1 is from 2075… 3 September, 202525 September, 2025 First published in Rail Magazine Is this the train of the future, as imagined by an Applied Futurist for LNER? Andy comfort reports. Passengers boarding trains at London King's Cross have been given a glimpse of what the future could hold for rail travel. As part of the Railway 200 celebrations, LNER has been trying…
9 to 5: The changing face of commuting 3 September, 202525 September, 2025 Thousands of workers stepping off their morning train has become an enduring image of the railway. But the custom of commuting has constantly evolved, as Christian Wolmar reports.
Railtrack errors to the Network Rail era 3 September, 202530 September, 2025 First published in Rail Magazine Our final extract from Bradley's Railway Guide: A Journey through Two Centuries of British Railway History, 1825-2025 takes us to 2000...and an accident that would change the face of the railway. Private Eye's cover of December 15 2000 makes fun of the dismal situation into which Britain's railways had just…
Railway stories celebrated for South Asian Heritage Month 29 July, 2025 With 2025 being the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, it is timely to look back and explore the evolution of those from South Asian Heritage working in the railway today.
How Britain’s railway stations have shaped our lives for two centuries 9 July, 2025 The introduction of the railway connected communities, powered industries, and even standardised time, but it is the stations themselves that hold the key to understanding how much more the railways have offered.
A tale of rail and mail 25 June, 20259 October, 2025 Terry Davies, of the Railway Philatelic Group, looks at the history of the Travelling Post Offices: 1838 to 2004 There has been strong interaction between the rail and mail ever since the railways started. As soon as the Liverpool to Manchester Railway opened in 1830, the Post Office began moving mail between the two cities…
Network Rail and Proud 18 June, 202518 June, 2025 Thanks to the support of the leadership team and our members we have started to see a big shift in culture that can only be described as “on the right tracks”, says Lacey Freshwater
Bring back the great British rail holiday 11 June, 202518 June, 2025 The solutions might be different now, but we need creative, inclusive thinking to bring back the great British rail holiday, says Nat Taplin of Good Journey.
The British Transport Police 15 May, 20257 October, 2025 The British Transport Police provides a specialist dedicated service protecting passengers and staff. Bill Rogerson finds out how it all started. The origins of modern police forces came with the establishment of the Bow Street Runners (the original ‘thief takers’) and the Thames Marine Police in 1797, to combat piracy which was rife on the…
A new chapter in rail’s pioneering story 30 April, 202518 June, 2025 What's the best way to tell a massive story that has touched people's lives in innumerable ways? Get involved and help to write a new chapter in rail's revolutionary story, says Alan Hyde.
