Green Signals

Open Access services are an emotive topic. They also risk becoming a real political headache in the process of reforming Britain’s railway. Politicians are talking up the benefits of re-nationalisation and control. Yet they can’t help themselves seemingly wanting to claim some credit for a deal they had no direct role in when the factory that’s building new trains for open access services announce...

Northern Trains operates one of the most complex and expansive rail networks in the UK, serving everything from scenic rural routes to busy urban lines across the North of England. But recent years haven’t been easy—staffing challenges, service cancellations, and political pressure have all taken their toll. In this rare and candid interview, we sit down with Matt Rice, Chief Operating Officer of...

We dive into the ground breaking test of A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s Tornado, the world’s first steam locomotive equipped with digital signalling equipment, ready for the planned introduction of ETCS. We also cover Rail Minister Lord Hendy’s admission about using his mobile phone while driving a vintage bus, and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s first major speech. #TornadoSteam #DigitalSignal...

How late are YOUR trains?! Train performance data to be displayed at stations to ‘rebuild trust’ – but will it really do that? Rail Minister Lord Hendy doubts passengers will be as patient as they need to be with the time it may take to fix the railway’s problems… And we speak to former Chair of the Transport Select Committee Iain Stewart CBE about rail reform and the challenges ahead In this epis...

Thousands of rail jobs to be axed, including on HS2? We discuss the reports in the context of the Chancellor’s Spring Statement Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) lock horns over access to the network And… Network Rail’s Head of Safety Martin Frobisher talks to us about the ORR’s concerns on railway structure safety In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:44) Thousands of rail job cuts...

Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the major £15 million track renewal project on the Cambrian railway line near Machynlleth. In this video, we dive into the impressive 17-day blockade work, featuring full track renewal, bridge repairs, and innovative equipment like the Trac Rail Transposers. We also explore the exciting 'Local Railway' initiative – a collaboration between...

Every year, thousands of people, especially teenagers, risk their lives by trespassing on railway tracks, often unaware of the deadly consequences. In this eye-opening video, we reveal shocking footage of near misses, showing the true dangers of railway trespassing. With trains reaching speeds of up to 125mph and overhead wires carrying 25,000 volts, stepping onto the tracks is far more dangerous...

We dive into the intriguing topic of whether HS2 trains could cause a ‘sonic boom’ as they speed through the UK’s high-speed rail network. High-speed trains in other countries, like Germany and Spain, have experienced this phenomenon when entering tunnels, but what about the UK's HS2 project? Join us as we explore the science behind sonic booms, the technology used to prevent them, and take a...

The Prime Minister announces £415m investment in railways in the north! But what’s the real story? Virgin Trains moves a step closer to challenging Eurostar… but it’s still a long way off being a done deal And… passenger numbers are increasing… but revenue is still lagging miles behind. We investigate. In this episode: (00:00) Intro(00:47) £415m for railways in the North(11:24) Virgin Trains chall...

Huw Merriman, former Minister of Rail in the last Conservative Government talks about his new role as Chair of the Liverpool Manchester Railway Board. He explains how Andy Burnham (Mayor of Greater Manchester) and Steve Rotheram (Mayor of Liverpool City Region) have tasked him with leading the creation of far more than just a railway – an economic corridor to promote jobs and growth on a big scale...

Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains fights hard to return to the West Coast Main Line with an appeal to the Office of Rail and Road over available capacity We ask how many public officials does it take to have a meeting about railway projects these days? And a new Northumberland Line station – Newsham opens In this episode: (00:00) Intro(00:40) Virgin Trains open access fight(31:50) How many officials...

Flying Scotsman DOES have a main line future – we speak to the National Railway Museum about plans for the world-famous locomotive Where now for HS2? The Public Accounts Committee asks what benefits can be “salvaged” from the project and we speak to former project Chairman Allan Cooke CBE And… Does the Royal Train have a future after all? In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:47) Flying Scotsman’s ma...

Heritage Railway Association CEO Steve Oates talks about the challenges facing the heritage railway sector. Steam railways are under increasing pressure, threatening the financial viability of them as businesses. Steve provides a unique insight into difficulties and what railways are doing to try and ensure their survival. Subscribe: If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. Better stil...

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) threatens Network Rail with possible enforcement action under the Health & Safety at Work Act. Could there be growing safety concerns with some of our railway structures? We look at the reaction to the government’s Railways Bill consultation on GBR and hear from the Rail Freight Group’s Director General, Maggie Simpson. There are strong words from the Heritage...

The government publishes ‘Delivering a railway fit forBritain’s future’. It’s the clearest indication yet of the government’sintentions for the future structure of GBR. In the most dramatic change of all, GBR will allocate accessto the network – and the ORR is downgraded to an appeals body. It marks the endof the 1993 Railways Act vision of access and access charges determined by anindependent reg...

Amongst all the HS2 construction updates, one important thing has been missing. What is HS2 actually going to be like for passengers? When will we see HS2 trains running? What will the customer experience be like? What has the cancellation of Phase 2a meant for plans to transform rail travel on the West Coast? All these questions and many more are the domain of West Coast Partnership Development M...

2025 is a big year for the railway. It’s the 200thanniversary of the Stockton & Darlington railway, which is generally considered the world’s first commercial railway venture. Celebrations are getting underway, so Stef had a chat withEmma Robertson and Anthony Coulls to find out what’s being planned. Emma is the Railway 200 Programme Manager for GBRTT and Anthony is Senior Curator for Rail Tra...

Is a Virgin Trains comeback on the West Coast Main Lineabout to be crushed? And the Department for Transport strongly objects to a swarm of other open access applications in a letter to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) setting out its concerns. And… Richard samples Transport for Wales’ Premier Dining… In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:50) Virgin Trains comeback to be crushed? (25:47) Shamit Gaig...

An HS2 construction update this week with the completion of an incredible 4,500 tonne deck slide for a viaduct at Small Dean in Buckinghamshire Richard takes a trip to see the wonderful semaphore signals and manual signalboxes at Shrewsbury And… We find out all about hotly anticipated The Greatest Gathering at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane to celebrate Railway 200 In this episode: (00:00) Intro(01...

Has Chancellor Rachel Reeves given the economy the growth serum it needs, or is she on a planet looking increasingly like it’s far, far away? Great British Railways could have the ‘scale and impact’ of the NHS. Seriously?! And the Transport Select Committee grills the Chair of Shadow GBR and the Rail Minister on progress setting up the new organisation – and we ask - have they made any?! In this e...

Rail Partners is a trade body that was set up to promote and focus on the interests of the private sector train operators, both passenger and freight, on the railway. But it has become a casualty of the Labour government’s approach to railways and the increasing drive towards nationalisation of operators. Rail Partners announced recently that from March 2025 they will wind up their operations. The...

Forget trains, roads are the way forward – or that seems to be the message from the National Infrastructure Commission’s Chairman Sir John Armitt CBE at a recent Transport Select Committee session. … Not helped by news reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering scaling back rail spending. Big time. And we starting investigating what’s going on with planned upgrades on the West Coast Main...

A brand new railway is being built in Wales. They have theland. They have the planning permission. Some of the ballast is even laid. All they need is the rest of the money to finish it and they can reconnect a railway with its town. The Bala Lake Railway (home of the beautiful Quarry Hunslets) on the banks of the glorious Bala Lake in Snowdonia is raising the money to take the railway from its cur...

Railway accidents and train crashes are investigated thoroughly to find out what caused them and how they can be prevented from happening again. We spoke to Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Lewis to find out how accident investigation has changed, what RAIB’s role is, and to learn about recent accidents. We discuss the Flying Scotsman collision at the Strathspe...

Is Virgin Trains about to make a comeback in the UK with a £500m train order to operate services through the Channel Tunnel to compete with Eurostar? Is passenger revenue now on the rise as well as passenger numbers? We review Office of Rail and Road figures and Great British Railways Transition Team analysis of the latest data. We speak to RAIB Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Lewis about the Strathsp...