Okay, so I've been teasing this for a while now, and at last it is here... We are going to spend this week's episode talking about what a FINISHED high speed rail network for the UK and Ireland would look like. Not shared lines, but dedicated high speed lines built from new. How does HS2 fit in? How might it link with HS1? What about Greengauge 21s "X" network? Scotland? You better believe that there will be much in the way of maps and CAD! All comments welcome... This won't be the last of these...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep 221•Transcript available on Metacast Everyone voted! The Conservative Party are toast! Labour got fewer votes than in 2019 and the era of two party politics in the UK is over... But what does this mean for transport and railways? What do we think of the government appointments that are pertinent to transport? This one will mostly be a Q&A! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 220•Transcript available on Metacast Well, with only a week left to go before the UK 2024 general election, which of the relevant* parties' manifestos is best for transport? We'll get them up side by side and have a close look at what is promised, how it compares to previous years and what it all might mean for the future. Transport is only one part of the picture, though - the most important stance of any party is its position on social issues, in particular on issues for the most vulnerable groups in society. Why? Because these t...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep 219•Transcript available on Metacast It's a short one, and I'm off on wanderings for the first time in a while... I'm sharing some thoughts on early railways and the need to push back on the oversimplified narratives associated with the Stockton and Darlington Railway and 1825 as a false date of the "start" of railways. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch. Join in the disc...
Jun 19, 2024•29 min•Ep 218•Transcript available on Metacast With the election approaching, we do a page-turn of the Public Accounts Committee's report into rail reform in Britain, as published back in May. Six years have passed since the DfT said the railway needed reform, and four years have passed since initiating that reform programme, via its white paper (we've been through the ill-fated Williams-Shapps Plan For Rail already) in 2021. We were supposed to have Great British Railways by March 2024. No such organisation has appeared. The reason it didn'...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr•Ep 217•Transcript available on Metacast Okay, a cheeky local one this week, amongst some news... Haxby station is looking increasingly likely to appear in the next few years, so let's talk about if it is in the right place, what the wider railway network around York ought to look like, some of the timetable challenges of achieving that, and why it is being designed to look so awful again when the HUB station designs are now formally part of Network Rail's design guidelines. Also: THE NEWS. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr•Ep 216•Transcript available on Metacast We're jumping back in time to October 2022, and flicking through Network Rail's strategic advice for the West Midlands and the urban area around Birmingham. Lots to learn from this one - there will be diagrams and pictures and thoughts galore! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch. Join in the discussion at https://garethdennis.co.uk/disc...
May 29, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep 215•Transcript available on Metacast It's a proper techy one this week, and we're talking all things CANT or SUPERELEVATION. What is it? Why do we need it? Why don't we need it? All your questions, answered. Oh, and dust off your GCSE mechanics because we will be doing some MATHS with EQUATIONS. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch. Join in the discussion at https://garethd...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 214•Transcript available on Metacast This one has been in the pipeline a while... Should we reopen the full Waverley Route from Tweedbank south to Carlisle? No! We shouldn't! I'll explain precisely how we shouldn't, using maps, showing the route that any new Borders Main Line should take, and explaining how and why you'd choose between the two available options. I might even tell you how much it would cost! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via ht...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep 213•Transcript available on Metacast Well, our original plans are out the window as Labour decided to publish their plans for Britain's railways. We have no choice but to go through them. And it might not take us a full episode. Let's see if they are worth the pixels... And whether nationalisation will mean that, and if it will deliver. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch....
May 01, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep 212•Transcript available on Metacast It's a Wales episode! AND it's a bus episode! When I talk about Wales being way out ahead of the rest of the UK when it comes to integrating its transport system, hopefully this report will make the case... We're doing a classic page turn of the Welsh Government's Roadmap to Bus Reform report, covering network, timetable, and ticket integration. Let's see how good these plans are! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at...
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep 211•Transcript available on Metacast I often rant and rail about SUVs - you know, the cars designed to maximise the harm they cause to other road users - but what is the data behind the proliferation of these hugely damaging vehicles. Why are so many being sold? What are some of the consequences? Thankfully, an actual expert is joining us this week to dive into the numbers - Ralph Palmer is the UK electric vehicles and fleet lead officer for Europe's leading sustainable transport NGO, Transport & Environment. I'm excited to cha...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep 210•Transcript available on Metacast As ever, quite a lot has happened since we last caught up with the news... Not least that vapourware VTOL grifters Joby Aviation have convinced the British government that flying taxis are the future at the expense of anything else. It's another news episode! *I lied, they won't. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis . Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch . Join in the discussion at https://ga...
Apr 10, 2024•2 hr 35 min•Ep 209•Transcript available on Metacast This week we've the pleasure of welcoming back Bessie Matthews, train driver, author, illustrator, columnist and all-round railway industry treasure. In her career so far, she's navigated a good slice of the rail industry, and so we'll take the chance to explore her story so far and see what she's learned... Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis . Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch . Join in...
Apr 03, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep 208•Transcript available on Metacast After our first pause in four years, 200+ episodes, 280 hours and countless guests, we're back again (we only skipped three weeks!)... And I'm very pleased to welcome Robin Davis onto the show to talk all things Designing New Trains. Robin has presided over the introduction of several new intercity train fleets over successive generations of rolling stock design, and there's not a lot about designing trains that he doesn't know - so who better to quiz with all of your questions? See you all LIVE...
Mar 27, 2024•2 hr 48 min•Ep 207•Transcript available on Metacast The UK government have finally published their plans for Great British Railways, or rather, the hollow shell of the original proposals, now called the Integrated Rail Body. If it's anything like the Integrated Rail Plan, we are in for trouble. Much as these plans are intended not to be enacted, the likelihood is that Labour will pick them up and deliver them largely intact, so it actually is worth us digging into them. We can also learn what a better structure might look like by picking through ...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep 206•Transcript available on Metacast CalTrain are pressing ahead with their completely bizarre obsession with hydrogen as a means of powering commuter and intercity trains. It is completely baffling. And it isn't the only nonsense that's been going down over the last few weeks! Join us as we chat about ROSCO profits, devolved mayors talking big, Euston station's big horrible LED billboard, London Overground's new line names, corruption on Greece's railways, progress on Levenmouth's rail link and a quick mention of the demise of Gre...
Feb 21, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep 205•Transcript available on Metacast A much requested topic - we are going to dive into the waters of when British Rail ran boats (ships) in the form of British Rail Shipping and International Services, then Sealink UK, then Sealink British Ferries, then Stena Sealink Line, then Stena Line, then... Well, you get the picture. We'll try to demystify things. If you like boats (ships), arguably the trains of the sea, then this is the episode for you! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loo...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 204•Transcript available on Metacast It's @Youngrailpro Rail Week! In the fourth (we missed one last year) of our YRP Rail Week specials, we are joined by the most guests we've ever squeezed into the format. Five mid-career panelists (most of whom are also former apprentices) are quizzed about building a career in the railway by an audience of current apprentices - because YES, it is also National Apprenticeship Week. And the questions are BRILLIANT. Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/gar...
Feb 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep 203•Transcript available on Metacast Why is the railway network in the North so abysmal? Well, a lot of it comes down to a rather dismal series of bad policy decisions made through the 1990s and 2000s inflicted by - you guessed it - the over-centralised UK government. Constant cancellations of previous projects has led us to the point where the current "TRU" is only going to finish delivering its outputs in the 2030s, over 50 years after the project was originally mooted. This week, we'll look at that history and working out where ...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 202•Transcript available on Metacast There's plenty of news to catch up on, but the big question we'll be answering this episode is "are track defects a particular problem on the Great Western?" - and we'll answer this by looking at data freely available on the @office-of-rail-and-road 's online data portal, accessible here: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/ Join LIVE to find out the answer and to pitch in! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep 201•Transcript available on Metacast This has been much requested given the number of viewers from Ireland - to warm us up in advance of the release of the All Ireland Strategic Rail Review at some point in Spring, I thought we'd flick through the consultation paper (which is really good!) as well as getting our heads around the geography of the island of Ireland. We'll use our patented* population network method to work out what the ideal railway system should look like, as well as considering the suburban needs of the big cities....
Jan 17, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep 200•Transcript available on Metacast It's our official 200th episode! How have we got here?! To celebrate, I'm running back through the previous episodes since the Episode 100 round-up - but this time not in running order. We'll group episodes with common themes to see if we can remember what we learnt - and if we've learnt anything new since... Watch the Episode 100 round-up: • #RailNatter | Episode 100: Every epis... Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://...
Jan 10, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep 199•Transcript available on Metacast Now I've been going at Hyperloop's jugular for years now, and suffice to say it remains total and utter nonsense unworthy of any technological debate and only marginally worth one at all. We all know it is guff intended to both delay real railway solutions and to allow car and plane people a seat at governmental and regulatory "mass transit" tables. Yet Hyperloop refuses to die. Even when probably its most well-known company has now bitten the dust, entirely as predicted. Well, we'll dig into wh...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep 198•Transcript available on Metacast Now this one really is festive - and it will be live, so you are very much encouraged to bring along your favourite festive tipple... We're asking the big Christmas questions: should the railway shut down around Christmas, and should we concentrate the vast majority of our engineering works over a period when so many people make the sorts of trips the railway is perfectly placed to cater for, and at a time when weather and blood-alcohol levels are at their most dangerous? Join LIVE to share your...
Dec 27, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep 197•Transcript available on Metacast Gather round the hearth for the first of our (still live!) festive episodes... This time we are exploring the story of the Torksey Viaduct, a tale which navigates the intertwining histories of railway companies, engineers, bridge design, competency, Megawatt Valley and more besides. Grab a mince pie, pour a port, and listen in! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Merch at https...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep 196•Transcript available on Metacast The UK government's "Plan For Drivers" didn't end up being as popular as they thought it might be... For a festive treat, this week's episode is doing a traditional page turn of what we at Natter Towers are sure is a well thought-through piece of long-term transport policy* - join us at the usual time to take a look for yourselves! *we do not think this Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/ga...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast Lots of people have been asking for this one! You may notice I use a lot of maps and diagrams on here, on Twitter, and elsewhere too... People act surprised when I tell them I do them all in PowerPoint, because it is the best tool for the job in most cases! To get a free, interactive tutorial via the medium of me making up a few maps on the hoof, join LIVE on Wednesday at 8pm... Suggestions are coming in via the Discord server (link below) for where those maps are, by the way, and the Bristol Me...
Dec 06, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep 194•Transcript available on Metacast The Department for Transport have stopped up the datafeed that gives us the UK's full rail passenger ridership, so instead we're going to take a whizz through the ORR's latest passenger rail usage report to give us a feel for what's going on, how demand is looking across rail operators, and what this means when we think about the future. Join LIVE at 8pm on Wednesday! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garet...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast This week, friend of the show Zach joins us to talk about the tramways and railways of Jersey, what they looked like at their zenith and what became of them... We'll even have a stab at reckoning if there's a good case for bringing them back! Join LIVE at 8pm on Wednesday! Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #Railnatter at / garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis . Merch at https://garethdennis.co.uk/merch . Join in the discussion at https://garethden...
Nov 22, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep 192•Transcript available on Metacast 
