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Aviation is in  the ascendancy

Aviation is in the ascendancy

  The prime minister and chancellor seem willing to ignore climate concerns in the hope that airport expansion can deliver growth   An artists impression of how Heathrow Airport could look after the opening of a new runway   “There is no more important challenge than the climate emergency. That’s why I voted against Heathrow...
Do you love or loathe company away days?

Do you love or loathe company away days?

  Away days can inspire and motivate teams and help to build strong and successful cultures – but they can also go spectacularly wrong   The level of debate and passion around customer service from Megabus and Citylink staff was fabulous   In the last couple of weeks, I’ve facilitated customer experience training courses and...
An agonisingly slow tram renaissance

An agonisingly slow tram renaissance

  Over the past three decades trams have been returning to the UK streets – but the process is a protracted and expensive one   Trams in the French city of Dijon. Across the channel the return of light rail has been much more rapid   In 1992, Manchester’s city centre once again reverberated to...
Tackling the scourge of crime on buses

Tackling the scourge of crime on buses

  Bus-related violence seems to be getting worse. A concerted effort by transport and crime prevention authorities is urgently required   Safety officers on patrol to tackle anti-social behaviour on the buses in the West Midlands   Eight days into 2025 and there were two murders on the UK bus network. On January 7, 14-year-old...
Transport’s three malign influences

Transport’s three malign influences

  I have identified three negative influences that have held transport back, or led it in the wrong direction, through the decades   HS2’s River Tame West Viaduct. The entire HS2 project has been subject to regular chopping and changing   The turn of the year is a good time for reflection, to step away...
My hopes and fears for the New Year

My hopes and fears for the New Year

  Will rail price itself out of existence? Will England’s bus users bulk at £3 fares? Will small businesses be squeezed out? We will see   Commemorative rail coin 1825-2025 (credit: The Royal Mint)   UK Rail, 1825-2025 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the railway in the UK, but could this be the year...
Budgeting for Britain’s buses

Budgeting for Britain’s buses

  Public transport is back on the political agenda – but the financial ammunition to make bus services better remains in short supply   Transport secretary Heidi Alexander visited Greater Manchester’s Bee Network this week. Those who take back control of buses will face the same pressure to balance the books as commercial operators  ...
Let’s put railways before rhetoric

Let’s put railways before rhetoric

  Louise Haigh targeted ‘hobbyists who really, really love trains’ when our main problem is politicians who are addicted to bluster   Louise Haigh’s ‘can do’ mentality felt like the dose the rail industry needed to emancipate it from its seemingly interminable stupor   Well, the moral of the story of the past fortnight is...
A year of transport in transition

A year of transport in transition

  As the end of the year approaches, let’s celebrate and champion the progress being made in some key policy areas of transport   Louise Haigh was photographed with seven English metro mayors at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in September   On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…...
It’s time to change the narrative on rail

It’s time to change the narrative on rail

  NSAR’s 2024 Workforce Survey reveals the urgency of addressing the skills shortage in UK rail – and the sector’s image problem   Women now represent 17.4% of the UK rail workforce   UK rail plays a central role in holding the country’s social fabric together. Not only is it of critical importance economically –...
Buses have an image problem

Buses have an image problem

Buses are the answer to so many challenges but they are often overlooked. How can we change that?   LadBible is amenable to bus stories and recently covered Stagecoach’s autonomous bus trial   BY Andrew Clark An ultra-modern convention centre in Brussels. Eurocrats in button-down shirts nibble croissants and drink espresso. The topic for discussion...
ROSCOs are rolling in it - so why not act?

ROSCOs are rolling in it – so why not act?

  Renationalisation of the TOCs is at the heart of the government’s strategy for rail – but what about the far more lucrative ROSCOs?   One mystery of the new Labour government’s rail policy is why it seems so uninterested in rolling stock issues.  Public control has been the driving force of their approach. They...