An HS2 construction update this week with the completion of an incredible 4,500 tonne deck slide for a viaduct at Small Dean in Buckinghamshire Richard takes a trip to see the wonderful semaphore signals and manual signalboxes at Shrewsbury And… We find out all about hotly anticipated The Greatest Gathering at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane to celebrate Railway 200 In this episode: (00:00) Intro(01:28) HS2’s Small Dean deck slide(21:45) The Greatest Gathering launch(27:16) Shrewsbury semaphore si...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Has Chancellor Rachel Reeves given the economy the growth serum it needs, or is she on a planet looking increasingly like it’s far, far away? Great British Railways could have the ‘scale and impact’ of the NHS. Seriously?! And the Transport Select Committee grills the Chair of Shadow GBR and the Rail Minister on progress setting up the new organisation – and we ask - have they made any?! In this episode: (00:00) Intro(00:55) Rachel Reeves speech on economic growth(14:17) GBR to have ‘scale and i...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Rail Partners is a trade body that was set up to promote and focus on the interests of the private sector train operators, both passenger and freight, on the railway. But it has become a casualty of the Labour government’s approach to railways and the increasing drive towards nationalisation of operators. Rail Partners announced recently that from March 2025 they will wind up their operations. They have been quite fierce critics of the approach being adopted that instead of combining the best of...
Jan 28, 2025•44 min
Forget trains, roads are the way forward – or that seems to be the message from the National Infrastructure Commission’s Chairman Sir John Armitt CBE at a recent Transport Select Committee session. … Not helped by news reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering scaling back rail spending. Big time. And we starting investigating what’s going on with planned upgrades on the West Coast Main Line and the Trilink project. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:35) Sir John Armitt at the Transpo...
Jan 23, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 68
A brand new railway is being built in Wales. They have theland. They have the planning permission. Some of the ballast is even laid. All they need is the rest of the money to finish it and they can reconnect a railway with its town. The Bala Lake Railway (home of the beautiful Quarry Hunslets) on the banks of the glorious Bala Lake in Snowdonia is raising the money to take the railway from its current terminus on the outskirts of Bala, where there are no facilities to a brand new station in the ...
Jan 21, 2025•39 min
Railway accidents and train crashes are investigated thoroughly to find out what caused them and how they can be prevented from happening again. We spoke to Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Lewis to find out how accident investigation has changed, what RAIB’s role is, and to learn about recent accidents. We discuss the Flying Scotsman collision at the Strathspey Railway in Aviemore in September 2023, and the more recent fatal accident at Talerddig in Wales in...
Jan 20, 2025•24 min
Is Virgin Trains about to make a comeback in the UK with a £500m train order to operate services through the Channel Tunnel to compete with Eurostar? Is passenger revenue now on the rise as well as passenger numbers? We review Office of Rail and Road figures and Great British Railways Transition Team analysis of the latest data. We speak to RAIB Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Lewis about the Strathspey and Talerddig accident reports in a preview to an upcoming full interview.And… the Elizabeth Line...
Jan 16, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 67
We take a trip to the Transport for Wales Taffs Well depot to find out about progress on a remarkable project - the South Wales Metro. TfW CEO James Price talks to us about what’s happening on the project and plans for the future, as well as delving into the wider challenges (and successes) of running the railways in Wales. Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too. YouTube - ...
Jan 14, 2025•33 min
Is Northern Powerhouse Rail dead? And levelling up with it…? Has the Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander signalled the beginning of the end for Open Access operators on the railway? Richard visits Transport for Wales to talk to CEO James Price and learns about South Wales Metro as well as the challenges of delivering rail in Wales January train strikes hit the railway with RMT taking action on Avanti West Coast In this episode: (00:00) Intro (01:10) Is Northern Powerhouse Rail dead ...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 66
What does 2025 have in store for the railway? We first take a look back at the big stories of 2024, before looking forward to the year ahead… And an HS2 construction update – Euston station is confirmed at just 6 platforms, but the first Tunnel Boring Machine completes its journey under the capital to Ealing In this episode: (00:00) Intro (01:49) Biggest stories of 2024 (08:15) Good news from 2024 (14:53) Bad news from 2024 (16:23) HS2’s progress since the General Election (31:14) Train cancella...
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 65
Richard Bowker is in conversation with his father Roger Bowker, a legendary transport industry professional who spent 62 years in the bus industry working for Eastern National, Oldham Corporation, SELNEC, Greater Manchester Transport, Rossendale Transport, Eastbourne Buses, London Transport and Stagecoach Group. A pioneer with the industry, Roger Bowker’s passion for excellence in service whilst at the same time delivering a profitable business means he is highly respected amongst his peers. His...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min
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. In this episode: (00:00) ...
Dec 19, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 64
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’...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 63
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 Acce...
Dec 10, 2024•26 min
Heritage railways face an existential threat as Autumn Budget tax changes will cost some more than £200,000 a year! We speak to Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway General Manager and Acting Chair of the Heritage Railway Association Paul Lewin to find out just how challenging things have become for steam and heritage railways. Heidi Alexander becomes the new Transport Secretary following the shock resignation of Louise Haigh The Public Ownership Bill to nationalise Britain’s railways receive...
Dec 05, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 62
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 indust...
Nov 29, 2024•18 min
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: Great Western Railway was running very limited services at the start of the week and advising people not to travel. Greater Anglia stopped running from Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport and Cambridge, along with other routes. Th...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 61
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. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (01:33) Planning a locomotive naming (07:29) Timetabling (15:43) Ch...
Nov 26, 2024•33 min
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 Delive...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 60
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. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (03:30) Interview with Neil Ferguson-Lee, Chairman Wyver...
Nov 19, 2024•41 min
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 a...
Nov 15, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 59
Wales train crash new evidence: RAIB (the Rail Accident Investigation Branch) issues a further update with new information on the Talerddig rail crash on October 21st What is going on at Northern Rail? And why is performance SO bad? A week after the Autumn Budget, what have we learnt about what it means for railways? The Welsh Highland Railway gets complaints from nearby residents about ‘acrid smoke’ from steam engines And East West Rail is finally going to be electrified! Or is it? In this epis...
Nov 08, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 58
On November 7th, Green Signals was live in person and on YouTube for the very first time at the Railway Industry Association (RIA) Annual Conference, joined by special guest Chris Green. Chris is a career railwayman in both the public and private rail industry. Among his industry achievements are creating the ScotRail brand during his time as General Manager Scotland and then Network SouthEast when Managing Director (MD). He also became MD InterCity before privatisation and then Chief Executive ...
Nov 07, 2024•52 min
Electrification and battery technology are never far from discussions about decarbonisation of the railway. There are a number of solutions, including discontinuous electrification and battery-hybrid technology. We visited Salisbury Traincare Depot, home to South Western Railway’s Class 159 fleet. Richard speaks to Neil Drury, Engineering & Infrastructure Director for SWR about how the operator is thinking about the electrification challenge on its network. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (01...
Nov 05, 2024•23 min
The Rail Accident Investigation branch releases its initial findings into the fatal train crash at Talerddig, Powys, Wales on October 21. Euston station sees some progress on the Government’s 5 point plan – but will it deliver real improvement? Plus… Richard speaks to Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan about electrification, battery trains and Chiltern’s future In this episode: (00:00) Intro (04:15) Wales train crash RAIB initial findings (11:34) Euston station industry summit on ...
Oct 31, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 57
This is a recording of a YouTube Live we did on October 30th - Autumn Budget Day 2024. Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget statement to MPs in the House of Commons and Richard and Nigel then went live for Green Signals members on YouTube to discuss what was in the Budget speech and how it affects the railways and wider transport. Membership: If you want to see even more from Green Signals, including exclusive content, become a member and support the channel further too. YouTube -...
Oct 31, 2024•19 min
Sir David Higgins is known to most on the railway for holding two of the biggest roles there are – as a former Chairman of Network Rail and former Chairman of HS2. But he was also Chief Executive of the London 2012 Summer Olympics Delivery Authority before that. Australian-born, Higgins has returned to the HS2 spotlight as chair of a private sector consortium proposing the Midlands-Northwest Rail Link (the alternative to the cancelled HS2 Phase 2). He speaks candidly of his time at HS2, the deci...
Oct 29, 2024•55 min
Ahead of the Autumn Budget on October 30 2024, Richard spoke to the Railway Industry Association’s (RIA’s) Chief Executive Darren Caplan about what the railway’s supply chain wants to see announced. They discuss: the economic value of investment in the railway, the importance of a pipeline of work to secure the supply chain, the part private finance might play, and some specific projects such as Euston station, new rolling stock orders and electrification. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (02:36) ...
Oct 28, 2024•26 min
It’s an HS2 special this week! Is an HS2 Phase 2a Euston to Crewe revival on the cards? We look into rumours that the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to reverse Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel the project. Sir David Higgins – we preview an exclusive interview with the former HS2 Chairman. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh launches an independent review into HS2 Phase 1, led by James Stewart… and we’re pretty underwhelmed. In this episode: (00:00) Intro (00:59) HS2 Special (01:20) Is...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Green Signals was exclusively invited to visit Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane train building and maintenance works to have a look around in the wake of the news earlier in the year that a follow-on order would be made for Elizabeth Line trains – securing the future the site. Richard speaks to a process manufacturing engineer who started as an apprentice, and to Alstom’s Communications Director about the Railway 200 The Greatest Gathering event that will be taking place at the site in 2025. Princi...
Oct 23, 2024•55 min
