Green Signals

Jacobite steam train – Has a deal finally been done to fit Central Door Locking? …Or hasn’t it? Mini Switzerland – is Swiss-style integrated transport coming to the UK? We speak to the man behind the vision And Space weather – could the phenomenon that gives us the Northern Lights also disrupt our railway systems? **Link to buy Platform 5’s BR Locomotives & Coaching Stock 2026. Use code GREENS...

It’s the biggest integrated transport undertaking in the world. So it follows that running it and being accountable for its day-to day operation, is one of the biggest jobs in world transport. For Andy Lord, Commissioner of Transport for London (and Commissioner means Group CEO), it’s clearly a privilege and a job he relishes despite all the challenges it throws up. From the world famous and iconi...

A new Integrated Transport Strategy is launched, but is it all wishy-washy waffle, or a sensible, solid, strategy? We preview an interview with Transport for London Commissioner Andy Lord And, we have news of our very own upcoming event in June! **Green Signals KWVR Jolly booking link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986536021717aff=oddtdtcreator In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:41) Integrated Tra...

The Beeching Report turns 63… We ask the controversialquestion: Was Beeching unfairly and unreasonably criticised? We learn more about how the Railways Bill will affectScotland and Wales And Richard heads to the West Somerset Railway to celebrateits 50th anniversary In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:51) Beeching Report turns 63 (15:32) Railways Bill devolved nations MOUs (21:28) 1Timetable interv...

Oxfordshire is a one of the UK’s regional powerhouse economies. Furthermore, Rail is big business in Oxfordshire. In 2024/25, the estimated total entries and exits at Oxfordshire stations was some 19.6 million, a 17% increase from the previous year. It’s not quite at pre-pandemic levels but the growth is strong. The OxRail 2040 strategy was widely consulted on during September 2025 and now forms t...

Are High Speed 2 trains about to get a little bit less ‘high speed’? Glasgow Central reopens and Network Rail make the most of its partial closure to catch up on maintenance And we speak to Liam Johnston MBE from the Railway Mission about their important work **Link to download the TicketyBoo app: https://myticketyboo.com/app_download/ Link to TicketyBoo website: https://myticketyboo.com/ Use code...

There’s a revolution underway on the railways in the north, and no, it’s not Northern Powerhouse Rail, but rather something that will provide the bedrock to anything that NPR may become. Its name? The Transpennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York. We don’t hear too much about the Transpennine Route Upgrade outside of the Manchester – Leeds – York corridor although that may be because it’s...

The National Audit Office or NAO is an independent parliamentary body. It is the independent public spending watchdog. It audits Central Government Departments, agencies and NDPBs. But it also carries out value for money audits into the administration of public policy. One such value for money audit was into the recently re launched Northern Powerhouse Rail project, something that will be increasi...

Network North – remember that? A Freedom of Information request reveals more than you might think… We speak to the National Audit Office about its recent report into Northern Powerhouse Rail And we preview an upcoming special feature on the Transpennine Route Upgrade In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:31) Network North FOI (27:21 )NPR NAO report interview teaser (34:44) TRU video teaser (40:05) Th...

HS2 has started excavation of the final tunnel bore on the 140-mile railway between central London and the West Midlands – the down tunnel from Old Oak Common station in west London towards Euston – HS2’s terminus. The tunnel boring machine (TBM) is named Karen after Karen Harrison, one of the first female train drivers in the UK, who drove out of Old Oak Common depot. Best of all, Green Signals w...

Select Committees work in both Houses of Parliament. They scrutinise and report on a wide range of activities from the work of Government departments to economics affairs. They run inquiries on specific topics, the outcomes of which are public and many require a response from the government. They are to be taken seriously by all those who are asked to give evidence. The Transport Committee is nomi...

Is the £2bn contract for 54 HS2 trains about to be rewritten? And is it true that HS2 is going to ‘end in a field’, as was reported last week? Plus, we preview some very exciting upcoming videos, including an interview with Chair of the Transport Select Committee RuthCadbury MP, and a Class 66 cab ride on East West Rail. **Link to download the TicketyBoo app: https://myticketyboo.com/app_download/...

New Piccadilly Line trains are delayed AGAIN Network Rail takes control of the Barking Eurohub rail freight terminal And we’re shocked to discover that Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares are to become non-refundable on the day of travel from April 1st. *BELLE TRAINS* Visit https://www.belletrains.co.uk/ or call 01284 330123 to book your luxury steam holiday on the Alpine Belle In this epis...

The Railways Bill is the most important piece of railway legislation since the 1993 Railways Act that brought about the era of privatisation. The current Railways Bill (and Act) will bring about an era of re-nationalisation. Except it’s more complex than that. Great British Railways will be a massive organisation with substantial reach but it will still have to exist in a world of devolution, thir...

Seven new stations for Wales in a £14bn “funding promise” bythe UK Government! Except that it isn’t. Is the Jacobite steam train about to be saved by West CoastRailways finally fitting central door locking? And we speak to the Chair of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway about the challenges of replacing a 180-year-old bridge, one that is vital for the railway’s continued existence. **BELLE TRAINS**...

Transport Select Committee publishes their report into the Railways Bill and warn of future tensions between the Government GBR unless addressed. Richard is accused on his own ‘ideological bias’ over last week’s We Own It report… And is the Jacobite steam train under threat again as we head into the 2026 season? **BELLE TRAINS** Visit https://www.belletrains.co.uk/ or call 01284 330123 to book you...

Private finance and the rail sector are often talked about but frequently misunderstood. And where it is well established in sectors such as rolling stock leasing, it can be divisive with strong and opposing views. Yet the attitude of private investors and in particular their appetite to invest in UK infrastructure seems especially strong at the moment. That’s the view of leading consultancy Atkli...

The Voyager and Super Voyager trains are one of the least loved on Britain’s railway. But why is that? Operationally and mechanically, they are robust, reliable and capable. And they’re super quick too!  Reasons for their unloved status may include their interiors and their underfloor engines. Opinions will always differ on such things. Where opinions differ far less is that their interiors are ta...

A recent poll says 7 in 10 Brits want the government to use savings made from nationalising the railways to cut rail fares and open new services. It has us raising our eyebrows… The Tarka Line is still shut and a petition has been signed by 3,000 people is calling for improvements… And we discuss whether you’d need to be mad to take on the role of GBR’s first chair? In this episode: (00:00) Intro(...

The Class 37 is one of the most successful British locomotive designs of all time. 309 locomotives were delivered between 1960 and 1965 and despite even the youngest now being over 60 years old, close to 100 examples still survive to this day, around two thirds of which still run on the mainline. Europhoenix Rail is one such operator of Class 37s. The spot hire business has 11 Class 37s including...

Blackpool Trams – Are we about to see the end of the heritage trams in service? A Fatal Accident Inquiry has launched in Scotland over the tragic accident at Carmont in 2020. And Standedge Tunnel repairs are completed after a fire caused significant damage. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:35) Blackpool Trams (26:20) Carmont Fatal Accident Investigation (31:53) Standedge Tunnel fire (42:23) LNER...

“The evidence is that Driver Only / Driver Controlled operation [DOO / DCO] is safer than being dispatched by a conductor or even a platform member of staff.” That’s the view of Mark Phillips, the highly experienced Chief Executive of the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). The RSSB was established in 2003, in the aftermath of the Ladbroke Grove rail crash. It is a membership organisation that...

On Saturday 31st January 2025, GWR (Great Western Railway) introduced the UK’s first battery-only powered train into passenger service. Naturally, Green Signals was on board to experience the first day of operation and we had a chance to not only experience the train but also speak to Julian Fletcher, Technology Development Manager, Battery Train Project, GWR about how it’s going, the battery tech...

Curzon 2 (dubbed the Bellingham bridge by the HS2 team) isgoing to be the highest viaduct on HS2 when it’s complete. An enormous 25-metre-high truss will transform Birmingham’s skyline – you can already see it looming over the surrounding warehouses and industrial units if you take the train into Birmingham. Unlike most of HS2’s other viaducts, which sit low in thelandscape, this one is the comple...

The Dawlish Sea Wall collapses in 2 places after StormIngrid hits Devon and Cornwall. Time for a new route? Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander signs agreements withNorthern leaders, but what do they actually commit to? And ORR makes a confession over the Avanti WestCoast ‘Ghost’ train In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:39) Dawlish Sea Wall breach (26:42) Northern Powerhouse Rail ‘compacts’ (31:53...