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
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
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 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?
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...
Ribeiro eyes UK after Jersey success
Having made a success of franchising in Jersey, Samuel Ribeiro and his Tower Transit colleagues are seeking further opportunities LibertyBus – a franchising success story When I look back on my 2024 by some distance the highlight was my first ever trip to the Channel Islands, which I made in June to...
Ownership has become a distraction
A fixation on whether public services should be privatised or nationalised misses the larger, more impactful considerations It has happened! The failed delivery model whereby a public sector authority specifies the services it wants and then contracts private firms to deliver them is over! Hooray for rail renationalisation. Unless, of course, you’re a...
RIP JP – a true transport visionary
John Prescott, who died last week, took transport policy in a revolutionary direction during New Labour’s first term in office John Prescott pictured at the wheel of a bus outside the first Bus Summit in November 1999 (PA Images / Alamy Stock) When the editor of this publication asked me to write...
‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint’
Dominic Booth is right to warn that taking too many franchises in-house too quickly won’t help passengers and could backfire Dominic Booth, CEO of Transport UK After generally a ‘free pass’ from significant criticism since presiding in the public sector, train company Northern recently received a stinging rebuke from Greater Manchester mayor...
The detail is very much up for grabs
We now know the direction of travel that the new government wishes to take but it’s not yet clear how we are going to get there Chancellor Rachel Reeves and transport secretary Louise Haigh during a visit to Greater Manchester this month It’s too early to predict in detail how the new...
Moving beyond the budget
We must now start to look towards the spending review in Spring and make a compelling case for investment in public transport We rely on good bus, rail and tram services and walking and cycling infrastructure I have just returned from a two-week break spent travelling through rural Western America in a...
Budgeting for Britain’s buses