Green Signals

Great Western Railway will be nationalised in December… and that much-loved historic green livery will soon disappear HS2’s big ‘reset’ is delayed AGAIN. Or is it? GB Railfreight’s Class 99s take a big leap towards entering service And… an LNER overspeed incident might have been caused by driver distraction. **Link to download the TicketyBoo app: https://myticketyboo.com/app_download/ Link to Tick...

It’s not the end of heritage trams in Blackpool! We ask Blackpool Transport what its plans are now that Tramtown has closed… Ending ‘Boom and Bust’ on the railway – the Government responds to Transport Select Committee recommendations once again... but will Richard be as supportive this time? And we celebrate 150 years of the Settle & Carlisle Railway. ** Find out more about the Emerald Isle B...

Chris Gibb is one of the country’s most respected and experienced railway operators. His storied career includes a period as Chief operating Officer of Virgin Trains. Few people know how to get the most out of operating the West Coast Main Line as much as Chris Gibb. He’s spent time running Scotrail and sitting on the Board of Network Rail. Latterly he’s been the Senior NED on the Board of DFTO. H...

It is the railway line that survived against all the odds. It became a high profile cause celebre for campaigners and a political football for railway administrators over a long drawn out period beginning in the 1960s with the publication of Richard Beeching’s infamous report and ending in the late 1980s with a remarkable reprieve. On 1st May 2026, this glorious railway celebrated its 150th annive...

The sacking of an experienced railwayman from DfT Operator…Chris Gibb gives Green Signals an exclusive interview Breaking news that Blackpool’s Tramtown has been closed ‘permanently’ Shock, horror! Richard agrees with the Government on its response to Railways Bill recommendations from the Transport Select Committee And… Bransty Tunnel on the Cumbrian Coast Line. Why have repairs still not started...

Britain has a proud history of advanced railway research. It was British Rail who conceived the hugely successful High Speed Train. The BR Research Centre then came up with the brilliant tilting train design of the Advanced Passenger Train until it was scrapped, only for it to reappear years later, when it was sold back to us by a French Italian consortium in the form of the Pendolino. The Railway...

Few railway organisations have witnessed as much change in their role and structure over the past 30 years as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). This, despite being a constant feature of the landscape. And yet the next few years will bring about the biggest changes so far in their role. John Larkinson has been CEO for over 7 years, the culmination of a long and distinguished career in the railway...

A single trespasser on the East Coast Main Line causes 426 trains to be delayed and tens of thousands of passengers to be stranded. So, what happened? Will Leeds ever get its trams? A leaked report raises doubts – and questions – for Chancellor Rachel Reeves and West Yorks Mayor Tracy Brabin And a railwayman of nearly 50 years’ experience is fired from DfT Operator for breaching the civil service...

Network Rail is pivotal to whether GBR is a success or not. The reality will always be that Network Rail, with its resources, people, assets and role drives pretty much whether the railway performs day to day both now and in the future. Jeremy Westlake is the CEO. In taking over from Andrew Haines he stepped out of the relative shadow of Chief Financial Officer role into the full glare of the top...

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...