Green Signals

An exclusive tour inside GB Railfreight’s brand new Class 99 locomotive at UK Rail Leasing’s depot in Leicester. 8,000 horsepower in electric mode and 2,400hp in Diesel mode, this is a serious beast of a freight locomotive and the most powerful standalone locomotive built for the UK by Stadler. #locomotive #trains #GBRailfreight Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, includin...

Are the Government’s ‘UK Infrastructure Strategy: A 10-Year Strategy’ and ‘The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy’ actually strategies? And do they tell a positive story for rail? 1,800 people are evacuated from Thameslink trains on the hottest day of the year. And the new Tube trains for the Piccadilly Line are delayed… In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:34) Breaking News! DfT Letter on Open Access...

LNER Managing Director David Horne meets Richard in York to talk about running a railway in the public sector, delivering for the passenger, rail fares, Great British Railways and much more besides. Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too. YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Rail ridership is almost back to pre-Covid levels! But is there more behind the headlines? HS2 could be delayed yet again – and the blame game is already underway Problems for East Midlands Railway Class 810s – is there a crisis coming? And there’s Breaking News on Jacobite steam train operator West Coast Railways’ application for an exemption to run Mk1s… In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:40) Ra...

£15.6bn for transport investments outside of London and the South East. Fabulous news! But is any of it new money? Or is it just political spin? Fares evasion is a big problem on the railway. But have train operators been acting irresponsibly in handling it? And we find out more about potential competition for Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:34) £15.6bn for t...

We’re on location on the Northumberland Line! We take a trip along the line and chat to Northern about what comes next for the popular rail reopening. Plus, we chat about what else we’re up to in this part of the world… In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:30) Northumberland Line visit (15:17) Visiting Stadler’s Gosforth depot (18:22) Tyne & Wear Metro £900m plan (21:42) Sir Bob Reid dies (27:31...

Rail nationalisation has begun! South Western Railway is the first to re-enter public sector control. What happens next? We discuss the Secretary of State Heidi Alexander’s launch speech for Great British Railways at Bournemouth Traincare Depot and speak to Graham Eccles and Sir Michael Holden to find out what they think about the changes… And we review our exclusive (and candid) interview with Ra...

South Western Railway became the first train operating company to be formally taken back into public ownership on the expiry of its contract on Sunday May 25th. It marks the first visible evidence of the Government’s plans to radically change the way that Britain’s railway is structured and operated. The person charged with leading this change process on behalf of the Government and the Secretary...

No signals! The Northern City Line becomes the first main line commuter railway to run on digital signals. West Coast Railways is reported to have run a passenger train with Mk 1 coaches… and is being heavily criticised on the Jacobite steam train. And Lord Blunkett proposes a £14bn 15-year plan for Yorkshire – but is it realistic… In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:48) Northern City Line ETCS (18...

An end to the ‘boom and bust’ of contracts for rail suppliers? Sir Andrew Haines, Network Rail CEO, describes the Rail Enhancement Pipeline as a ‘flawed proposition’ because it is ‘owned politically’ and is ‘not a strategy for the railway’. We ask - is he right? You can now apply to become a train driver at 18! But will it solve the railway’s shortage of drivers? And Network Rail apparently spends...

Barrow Hill is a treasure trove of railway and locomotive history – the last surviving roundhouse in the country with an operational turntable. We were lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes tour and got to see a huge list of steam, diesel and electric locomotives: Steam GER Class G58 (LNER Class J17) 0-6-0 no. 8217. Built in 1905. On loan from the National Railway Museum. GCR Class 11F (LNER Cla...

Will private rail operators still cost the taxpayer billions of pounds, even after rail renationalisation? New analysis seen by Green Signals says they just might… And new findings emerge from the RAIB investigation into the train crash last year at Talerddig in Wales. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:32) Open access report (15:29) WOW! New channel teaser (16:14) Talerddig rail crash report (20:...

Great British Railways needs a leader… and a good one if it’s going to succeed. Richard speaks to a man with a unique railway background. He’s run train operating companies, held very senior roles in Network Rail, run an integrated railway, and is now CEO of Freightliner. Tim Shoveller is one to watch in the rail industry, so we ask him to imagine he’s just been appointed as CEO of GBR and chat to...

No Great British Railways until 2027?! We dissect Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s first appearance as Secretary of State for Transport at the Transport Select Committee. Spoiler alert – we were a little underwhelmed… We preview an exclusive interview with someone who could be a strong candidate to run Great British Railways And we have some very exciting news of our own..! #GreatBritishRailw...

We sit down with Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, to discuss the past, present, and future of the North of England. From the realities of devolution to the controversial cancellation of HS2, Henri shares expert insights on how infrastructure, governance, and investment strategies must evolve to truly level up the North. 🔎 Topics covered: • Henri’s personal journey to lea...

New Eurostar challenger Gemini Trains CEO Adrian Quine gives us an EXCLUSIVE interview. And we preview an upcoming interview with Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s Henri Murison, in which he does NOT hold back! In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:32) Gemini Trains interview (29:18) Henri Murison preview (36:12) Thanks to Supporters (38:51) Railway News Round-up (38:59) East Midlands Railway Class 1...

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...