Green Signals

The Northumberland Line opens to passengers from Newcastle to Ashington after 60 years.

The Isle of Wight’s Island Line major engineering reaches the halfway point.

And… Rail Minister Lord Hendy makes his first appearance at the Transport Select Committee.

Bit of a different episode this week with Nigel in the UK and Richard in Abu Dhabi! So a shorter show, but still full of the all the latest railway news to keep you in the loop before the festive season gets underway.

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A £500 million Hitachi Rail train deal for Lumo & Hull Trains. But is this in direct conflict with the Labour Government’s railway renationalisation plans? We speak to First Rail Managing Director Steve Montgomery to find out more about the deal and discuss what it means for the future of open access.

Blackpool Trams announces suspension of Heritage Trams

And we round up the latest railway stats for passenger journeys, rail freight, performance and more from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR’s) latest Rail Statistics Compendium

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Open Access railway operation is a divisive topic. Whilst there have been undoubted success stories with major communities such as Hull and Bradford previously sidelined by the big operators suddenly being reconnected with through services to London, there have been challenges. How much do Open Access services abstract from existing operators, and can they really claim to be operated entirely at the risk of the open access operator, free from public subsidy?

GO-OP rail is a new type of Open Access operator who may just provide an alternative. It’s local, very community based and with a co-operative ownership model that means it is there to serve passengers and workers. It’s all very laudable but it is credible?

Richard went to Taunton to meet GO-OP Chair Alex Lawrie and Vice Chair David Northey to find out.

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Heritage railways face an existential threat as Autumn

Heidi Alexander becomes the new Transport Secretary

The Public Ownership Bill to nationalise Britain’s railways

And Richard finds out more about Britain’s latest open

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Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has stunned her colleagues, the DFT and everyone in the railway by announcing her shock resignation just hours after a story broke regarding a Magistrates’ discharge almost 10 years ago.

Her decision to go quickly rather than try and ride out the storm has thrown the rail industry into yet another period of uncertainty, right at the moment that it looked like a clear plan for the way forward was emerging.

Nigel and Richard discuss the challenges facing the industry in the immediate aftermath of the news and what may lie ahead for pace of the promised reforms.

UPDATE: Almost as soon as we had recorded the show, it was announced that Heidi Alexander, previously Minister for Courts and Social Justice, has been appointed as Secretary of State for Transport. She has also previously been Deputy Mayor of London for Transport from 2018 and departed her role in 2022 to prepare for a return to Parliament which she did at the 2024 General Election. She is the MP for Swindon South.

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Storm Bert wreaks havoc across the railway with heavy flooding and high winds causing major disruption for trains. Richard visits Northampton station, which experienced major flooding when the River Nene burst its banks. Here’s just a snapshot of some of the problems:

A new Network Rail and South Western Railway initiative is tackling leaf fall and wheel slip on the network.

Plus… the Young Railway Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries.

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Have you ever wondered what goes into make a locomotive naming happen? Well, this is the story… following the process to name GB Railfreight 66312 Nigel Harris on November 4. From choosing the location, to negotiating timetable changes, casting the nameplate, moving the locomotive, to the final naming ceremony, we discover the logistical challenges behind a nameplate finally appearing on an engine.

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Great British Railways - Will it really take 2 years to create? We discuss Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh’s appearance at the Transport Select Committee and her comments on the creation of GBR.

Is Northern Rail performance about to improve, or is there still a long road ahead? A deal is done on Rest Day Working for conductors, but many challenges remain.

£26bn – that’s what rail’s value to the economy, environment and society has been valued at in a new report from the Rail Delivery Group – we find out how it could be worth so much more…

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We take a behind the scenes tour of the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway to chat to WyvernRail Plc Chairman Neil Ferguson-Lee about how the railway is doing in the current climate of heritage railways that are struggling. We find out about the challenges of running a heritage railway and what it takes to make it work. And we learn about this wonderful little railway, while on a journey from Wirksworth to Duffield.

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HS2’s £100 million ‘bat shed’… and the real story behind it. Why Natural England have taken issue with HS2 Chairman Sir Jon Thompson’s discussion at the Railway Industry Association annual conference of a bat mitigation tunnel in Buckinghamshire to protect Bechstein’s bat.

Jacobite steam train - is West Coast Railways considering another Judicial Review over central door locking in its dispute with the Office of Rail and Road over the operation of Mk 1s carriages.

And… Rail Minister Lord Hendy apologises for the tone of his letter to SYSTRA about engineer Gareth Dennis

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