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it is nice to see some of the smaller stations that have retained some authenticity and are now being valued. a few that spring to mind are Great Malvern, Hale, Knaresborough, Hebden Bridge, Heslby, Abergavenny, multiple stations in Scotland outside of the major conurbations. Kettering is my...

Im wondering if the railway almost by default will end up getting closer to balancing its books. The biggest swallower of subisdy is NR and the new Control Period does seem to focus much more on renewals rather than enhancements. If further electrification is off the cards for the foreseeable...

https://orr.gov.uk/news-and-blogs/press-releases/2019/orr-reports-network-rail-is-off-to-an-encouraging-start-in-delivering-its-3.5bn-savings-plans In last years financial report the amount of subsidy going into NR dropped by several hundred million. The overall subsidy was basically...

http://bit.ly/34la9fH Interesting numbers, new trains and routes showing untapped demand maybe. the next two years should be interesting reading with so many new trains coming in and additional routes and capacity opening up. Revenue growth is also decent. Growth should lag the increase in...

If HS2 is stripped out of the costs and also the enhancement costs being incurred by NR then you should have a more reflective no. for the actual cost of running the network. The fact that we are already at 7bn for HS2 in total is a surprise. I am interested in the railways funding structure as...

In RAIL tey are talking about up to 18 trains per day into and out of Willesden which will be the main hub for HS2 construction in that area. Spoil trains will form part of this. We mut assume that post if not all of these trains will find their way onto the MML as the WCML would seem to be...

I would be interested to know what the expected traffic levels will be for HS2 work. I know the tunnelling out to OOC will generate considerable tonnages of spoil (Croft Quarry was mentioned as taking up to 20m tonnes of HS2 spoil) and there could be comparisons with the traffic levels generated...

I would think DB will be able to handle the HS2 work on their own now they are losing the Mendip stone work. It also fits in nicely with where they will have surplus drivers (Acton) and the the surplus of heavy haul locomotion they will have after November. It would be a fair bet to assume DB...

I envisage the calculation on whether to install barriers is made by the accountants on a financial basis rather than with any overlying instinct about improving the travelling experience or protecting staff from the unruly. With so many stations now being gated there must be heaps of anecdotal...

It is a Curate's egg to be sure but that is also one of its strengths. The railway can be all things to all people from the suited and booted through to the great unwashed off to the beach on a summer Saturday. I think the real litmus test is coming for how popular the railways are and how far...

Interesting numbers that do tend to throw shade on any premise that rail growth has stagnated or even reversed. I am always interested that folks seem fixated on the passenger number when I am sure the Govt and Dft etc are more interested in the revenue growth which can then be reflected in the...

Is there anyway of estimating how much work HS2 will generate - are there numbers included in planning apps or proposals etc? Maybe looking at the French construction example will allow some estimates to be made. With coal having been run down so quickly the bigger companies do have some...

Possible silver linings in these numbers; income from passengers is still up so Govt will be happy! Drop in season tickets suggests less peak time commuting in SE which is an area that suffers from capacity constraints anyway. Increases in other ticket type sales suggest yield management is...

During a few infrequent visits to Crewe it has always struck me that the refurb that was done seemed to be unfinished. The central roof has been done but some of the platform extensions havent. Some of the central supports have been painted but others havent. Some of the walls have greenery...

With interest rates at historical low levels any 'normal' business with a high capital requirement would look this as being a good opportunity to load up on debt and invest now. Network Rail have shot their bolt in this regard having ran up massive debts previously which have now been...

Recent financial reports show that the passenger/taxpayer split is now around 75/25 for funding the railway as whole. In fact if the railway was being kept in a steady state without any upgrades it would actually be almost breaking even now. So my question is twofold. Firstly will it ever get...

I dont believe the argument for HS2 stacks up and I think it should be put on hold regardless.

These figures are always an interesting read but with the methodologies that are being used changing so often year on year comparisons are pretty pointless. The overall amount of subsidy is what really matters and as long as this keeps coming down the Govt will be happy. It would be interesting...

Drove past Swindon yesterday and I noticed that the stark old building that sits above the station is all boarded up and obviously deserted. Are the plans to take it down and give Swindon a station that befits its place in UK railway history?

i do.