1) The entire GWR regional fleet consists of three cattle trucks and a modified Jaguar XJS.
2) HS2 is "on hold", and has been since 2025. The Transport Secretary has been due to make a statement on it for well over 35 years, but keeps putting it off until next Monday.
3) Enthusiasts are still reminiscing of the days before the Harper Report of 2030, which closed half of Britain's railway lines. Government policy since 2031 has been to reverse these closures. The Transport Secretary has been due to make a statement on it for well over 35 years, but keeps putting it off until next Monday.
4) Crossrail 2 (the Charles Line), Crossrail 3 (the William Line), Crossrail 4 (the Theatre Line, because we ran out of monarchs), Crossrail 5 (the Garden Line, because it goes past someone's back garden), and Crossrail 6 (serving the brand new Peckham Airport) are all open. Due to this new network, the entire Tube network has been shut because "we don't need it". The Elizabeth Line has long been closed because "nobody remembers the Queen any more".
5) The government has had an embargo on new trains being built since 2035, because "the economic climate does not support new railways". Transport Secretary Digby Unceman turned down the opportunity to meet with the major railway campaigners RailUK Forums in order to open the new M253 motorway through central London, which has taken six years to build at a cost of £2.5 billion.
6) Rail fares have been shooting up by an average of 12% a year since 2047.
7) Due to the antiquated rolling stock and staff cutbacks, accident rates have been steadily increasing since 2040. The Transport Secretary has blamed these accidents on the rail unions, despite the fact that they were disbanded under the Trade Unions Act 2029. Every successive government has pledged to repeal this controversial legislation, but nobody has yet bothered.
8) No new electrification projects have occurred since 2063, because "the economic climate does not support electrification". The quantity of rail freight carried per annum has decreased by 97% from 2054 totals, due to "the increased levels of efficiency afforded by road freight". Since 2070, work has been ongoing to build a new £5bn container lorry facility in Devon, which has necessitated the demolition of the ancient town of Dawlish, whose rail route was closed during the Harper cutbacks.
9) Every InterCity route was closed this year due to the recent 2071 Fabricant study which suggested the replacement of all long-distance rail services with flights.
10) The average summer day in the UK hits 45 degrees, and the temperature record is 68.3: the government has stressed its commitment to "climate action". Recent predictions show that the Earth will be in a state of runaway greenhouse effect by 2075.
In all seriousness, I hope that the railways will be thriving in 50 years' time. I hope that I will be able to show my grandchildren the joys of railways, a network of vital connections run well and sensibly, the backbone of the UK as we attempt to reduce carbon emissions. I hope that the UK will still be leading the way in terms of safety and practicality. I have a dream of a railway that is fast, efficient, clean, and reliable. I have a dream of a railway that successfully blends this with character, and magnificent displays and restorations of old station architecture. I have a dream of a railway supported well by the government but not micromanaged by them. I have a dream of a network that is cheap and easy to use, attractive for families and large groups, utilised to its fullest potential, cared for, loved.
I have a dream. It is a wild dream, I know. But I have faith, faith that such reform can be achieved, faith that the railways can be a symbol of national pride and joy.
My biggest hope is that it receives the support it needs for that.
