Green Signals

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...

The venerable Mk 3 coaches that date from the 1970s and 1980s have served Chiltern Railways well for over 15 years now but everything is about to change. On Tuesday, 27th January, Chiltern Railways officially launched the first of its 13 Mark 5a trainsets, complete with Class 68 locomotive all decked out in a striking blue livery. Named Chiltern Explorers, the winning name in a customer vote, Rich...

The Great Western Railway. Brainchild of legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Chocolate and Cream coaches and quintessential English Branch lines. GWR has always done things a little differently whether it be broad gauge tracks or diesel hydraulic locomotives. There’s the Great Western Way and there’s the wrong way surely someone must have said at some point…. Today, GWR conforms more than...

Northern Powerhouse Rail, or NPR, was announced by the Government to much fanfare on 14 January 2026. Up to £45 billion will be invested in the creaking railway infrastructure of the North. A new line between Birmingham and Manchester is going to be under consideration. Years of dither and delay ends now, trumpeted the Secretary of State for Transport. Many cheered for joy but a few scratched thei...

Northern Powerhouse Rail – Is it really a done deal, or just the beginning? A new line from Birmingham to Manchester! Richard thinks it’s bonkers… And we preview an illuminating interview with Great WesternRailway MD Mark Hopwood. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:28) Spanish train crash (02:26) Northern Powerhouse Rail announcement (22:18) New Birmingham to Manchester railway (32:14) Mark Hopwoo...

Imagine a world where you could arrive at a station, get out your phone and open an App, click Start journey, make your train journey and then at your destination simply click End journey – and then have complete confidence and trust that you would be charged the correct, cheapest available fare. Sounds like science fiction? Well, it could soon be science fact thanks to the Digital Pay as You Go t...

Billwatch returns… Scrutiny of the Railways Bill is heating up and the Government comes out fighting – but are we convinced? We preview a fascinating visit to see Digital Pay as You Go in action on East Midlands Railway And Network Rail gets the Clifton Bridge renewal at Penrith completed early! In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:30) Billwatch (38:25) Digital Pay as You Go trial teaser (42:45) Tha...

New rules on access to the railway are coming… and it couldbe bad news for freight Trenitalia gets serious about competing with Eurostarthrough the Channel Tunnel A further 30 stations in the South East get contactlessticketing. But some commentators are pretty angry…. In this episode: (00:48) Railway access rules incoming… (27:09) Trenitalia get serious about Eurostar (33:51) Cheadle station dela...

As 2025 comes to a close, we take a look at TransportSecretary Heidi Alexander’s first year… We review the key moments from 2025… And we take stock of the year that was Railway 200, with apreviously unseen interview about the Greatest Gathering. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:34) Heidi Alexander’s first year (17:08) 2025’s key moments (39:15) Thanks to supporters (41:07) Greatest Gathering int...

2025 finally saw some action to please those who have long campaigned for better use to be made of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between London and the mainland of Europe. Virgin Trains was successful in winning the right to access the all-important maintenance yards at Temple Mills in North London and the British Government signed two Memoranda of understanding with the German and Swiss Government...

Leeds Tram is delayed until the end of the 2030s! RAIB issues an urgent safety update on lineside monitoring equipment And RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey makes some concerning comments in a recent interview In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:28) Leeds Tram delayed (19:29) RAIB urgent safety update (28:58) Channel Tunnel Rail report teaser (36:03) RMT interview with PoliticsHome (42:44) Thanks...

Great British Railways gets a new look… and meets with almost universal derision! Billwatch returns to Green Signals with the second reading of the Railways Bill And we find out how one of the biggest timetable changes in recent years has gone so far… In this episode (00:00) Intro (00:27) GBR gets a new look (08:03) Railways Bill second reading (28:43) New railway timetable (35:42) LNER intermedia...

Imagine being able to implement signalling solutions in days, not decades? Well, that’s the vision of Universal Signalling, an exciting new signalling tech start-up who are doing things differently – and to great effect. They also have a smart approach to research, development and roll out by starting small, building knowledge and experience and growing from there. Their first significant deployme...

It’s our first Billwatch! We examine the Transport Select Committee’s recent scrutiny of the Railways Bill ahead of its second reading this week… Great British Railways unveils a new livery for GBR trains. London to Germany by Eurostar! Excellent, but when can we book tickets? And Richard gets a behind-the-scenes look at a potentially game-changing new signalling solution… In this episode: (00:00)...

Avanti West Coast is forced to run a ‘Ghost’ Manchester toLondon train… until they weren’t, when the decision was reversed! Richard eats some humble pie over the fares freeze last week– and we update on how much it’s going to cost the taxpayer And after months of speculation, Alex Hynes is announced asthe new CEO of DFTO In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:29) The 07:00 Ghost Train that wasn’t (17:...

Booking train tickets in the UK is complicated – and knowing how to find the cheapest train tickets can be even harder. This is the complete guide, verified by experts, on how to do it. And if you get overwhelmed by information – just watch the bits you really need to know about, and make sure you check out the Quick Fire Step-By-Step Summary at the end. Your questions answered: (00:00) Intro (00:...

Rail fares are frozen for 2026! But is it wise and could there be unwanted consequences? No passenger trains for East West Rail until 2026 – more than a year after it became operational. We ask what’s going on? And we see the future of track worker protection demonstrated, as the use of “Lookouts” comes to an end on the mainline railway. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:35) Rail fares freeze for...