Feb 8, 2024 · 42 min
GS
News
Green Signals
Green Signals Productions
Green Signals is a show about railways - its politics, its economics, its people and history. We turn over the issues of the day and talk to the people making the decisions that affect all our lives. We also dig into many of the amazing events in the history of an industry that spans nearly 200 years. Nigel Harris (former Managing Editor and Events Director of the leading industry and opinion forming magazine RAIL) and Richard Bowker (former Chair & CEO of the Strategic Rail Authority) steer the show to make it sometimes controversial, frequently irreverent - but always topical and relevant.
- 240 episodes
- Updated Sunday
Episodes240
- GSFeb 6, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
18. The Big Interview - Train strikes: Finding the truth behind the headlines - with ASLEF boss Mick Whelan
Train strikes have hit the headlines frequently over the past three years as an increasingly bitter dispute between train drivers’ union ASLEF and the government and train operating companies continues. Our Big Interview guest is ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan. We find out how the rail strikes began in the first place and what has happened since… And, crucially, what it will take to end the long-running disruption to passengers.
- GSJan 31, 2024 · 54 min
17: When ministers can’t agree… & the simpler fares that aren’t!
Ministers seem unable to agree, either on transport decisions – or more embarrassingly – with each other at a Conservative Home conference. What is going on with LNER fares and ticketing? It’s now clear that its Simpler Fares trial is turning out to be anything but simple… Will HS2 now reduce capacity to Manchester? And is the wider world and mainstream media finally waking up to the true stupidity of Rishi Sunak’s scrapping of HS2 Phase 2a? Plus, a new Green Signals feature – positive and GOOD news from the grass roots railway, including the UK’s very first railway station railway library!
- GSJan 24, 2024 · 54 min
16. More train ticket booking confusion & is new plan for HS2 sunk already?
Why train ticket booking and rail fares in the UK are so confusing. With the help of fares expert The Man in Seat 61 Mark Smith, we demystify: LNER’s new Simpler Fares pilot The Great British Rail Sale Which? magazine’s report that railway ticket vending machines are twice as expensive as booking train tickets online How to buy the cheapest train tickets or get the best deal on train tickets We also cover: HS2 land safeguarding lifted north of Birmingham – has it struck a fatal blow to the high speed rail project? Northern Mayors Andy Burnham and Andy Street’s HS2 alternative and has Defence Secretary Grant Shapps just poured cold water on it before Mark Harper and Rishi Sunak have even heard what it is? Rail disruption in Network Rail’s Western region on 363 days out of 365 – is it really as bad as that?
- GSJan 17, 2024 · 49 min
15. Harry Potter’s ‘Hogwarts Express’ off the rails & has Keir Starmer bottled it on HS2?
Has Harry Potter’s favourite train the ‘Hogwarts Express’ hit the buffers now that Jacobite steam train operator West Coast Railways has been derailed by the ORR? Has Labour leader Keir Starmer bottled it on HS2? Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper responds to Richard’s letter on HS2… except that he doesn’t… And ASLEF announces yet more strikes. But are they working, and is it time to really ‘take the gloves off’?
- GSJan 11, 2024 · 40 min
14. Floods, HS2 land sale, Tube strikes & MORE misleading stats
It's been a week of severe weather disruption on the railway, news that HS2 land may not be sold before the next election, Tube strikes being called off, and the release of some disappointing train cancellation stats. On this week’s show… LNER’s #FreedomAllTheWay teaser campaign and advert HS2 land sell-off unlikely before the General Election and why mayors Andy Burnham and Andy Street are making a BIG mistake Pre-cancellation stats from train operators (translation: misleading stats!) Major weather disruption and floods this last week - and… Serious rail disruption in the South West, and finally some good news… Tube strikes called off This week's quiz!
- GSJan 9, 2024 · 1 hr 13 min
13. The Big Interview - Freight Expectations: Maggie Simpson & John Smith
The first of our new The Big Interview episodes, and we were so excited about it that we decided to invite two guests to join us! Director of the Rail Freight Group Maggie Simpson comes on to discuss freight strategy, including the effect of Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel HS2 Phase 2 and the "breach of trust" that it represents. And GB Railfreight Managing Director John Smith joins us for a fascinating and lively discussion about everything from HS2 to railfreight challenges and the economics of running a freight operating company.
- GSJan 3, 2024 · 47 min
12. Christmas chaos, cuts and Rishi's Acts of Railway Cruelty
The first of our new magazine-style episodes, where we focus on the big topical issues and what’s been happening on and around the railway over the festive period. Here’s what we delve into this time… The great Christmas getaway on the roads Rail disruption over the Christmas break Richard’s Monsal Trail video and an interesting fact about Dr Beeching Peter Townend tribute video success Storm damage and HSTs More cuts coming for TOC budgets New Year Honours Predicting what ‘rail hating Rishi’ might be cooking up this year, and… A new feature – our weekly quiz with the chance to get a namecheck on the next show (but you’ll have to listen to the end to find out how).
- GSDec 20, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
11. Christmas Special - Listener questions!
Getting into the festive spirit this time with our Christmas Special! Richard Bowker and Nigel Harris answer the questions listeners and viewers have been sending in over the past couple of weeks - and they really were about anything and everything on the railway! Q1 - Was privatisation a total disaster? Q2 - What might the impact of AI be on the rail industry? Q3 - In the last 30 years, who would you say has made the greatest contribution to the railway? Q4 - Can the railway community be part of the solution to homelessness? Q5 - Which is the finest type of locomotive ever to run on Britain’s railway? Q6 - Why does wheelslip occur on trains? Q7 - How would you enhance the customer experience on the West Highland Lines? Q8 - Has any politician ever made a really positive contribution to the railways? Q9 - How can we prevent Railcard fraud? Q10 Why are leaves on the line such a problem? Q11 - Which railway figure do you wish you had had a chance to work for or with?
- GSDec 14, 2023 · 1 hr 5 min
10. Clapham remembered, Scotland Part 2, and chaos at Paddington
It’s another busy episode with plenty to talk about… and this time, we’ve gone ‘on location’ too! Richard Bowker reports from Siemens Mobility’s HQ in Chippenham, where he attended a very special event on December 12 which marked 35 years since the notorious Clapham rail accident in which 35 people died and a further 69 suffered life-changing injuries. It was a tragic disaster that led to fundamental changes in railway safety management. Then we return to Scotland for part 2 of our exploration of railways north of the border, speaking to Director of Rail at Transport Scotland Bill Reeve, who gives us a strategic and government perspective… and it’s a fascinating chat! Finally, we have a frank discussion about the major incident at Paddington on December 7, which led to stranded passengers self-evacuating. And Richard doesn’t pull his punches on this one…
- GSDec 11, 2023 · 54 min
Peter Townend - A life remembered (1925-2023)
In this special extra episode of Green Signals, we remember the life of rail elder statesman Peter Norman Townend who died on October 18th at the grand old age of 98. A railwayman whose career began in 1941 at the age of 16, as a premium apprentice for the London & North Eastern Railway at Doncaster ‘Plant’ – as its headquarters was known locally – Peter was undoubtedly best-known for his time as Shedmaster at ‘Top Shed’ at London’s King’s Cross during the last great days of steam, in the later 1950s and early 1960s. Peter's is a legendary name to many on and around the railway. After steam went, he served the emerging modern industry with distinction too, as the King’s Cross Divisional Traction & Rolling Stock Engineer and took early retirement in 1984. To the end of his days, Peter acted as a unique adviser to organisations including the National Railway Museum and the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, during its audacious building of Tornado. No-one understood the Gresley ‘Pacific’ in particular like Peter Townend. In his days at King’s Cross, he had a squadron of 40 ‘Pacifics’ in his care. Presenters Nigel Harris and Stef Foster are joined by Tony Streeter (Associate Editor, Trackside magazine), Steve Davies (Former Director of the National Railway Museum), and Mark Townend (Peter's son).
- GSDec 6, 2023 · 59 min
9. Scotland: Are they showing us the way?
This time, we’re heading north of the border with special guest Alex Hynes (Managing Director, Scotland’s Railway) to find out why they seem to keep getting it right on railways in Scotland when the rest of the UK struggles. We talk alignment of track and train, the Sleeper, and rolling stock. Richard Bowker puts his cynical accountant’s hat on to question the gamble Scotland has taken to scrap Peak fares for a six-month trial period. And we find out how Scotland is responding to one of its biggest challenges – resilience in the face of climate change. Away from Scotland, we pay tribute to the late Alistair Darling, Baron Darling of Roulanish and former Secretary of State for Transport, who died shortly before we recorded this episode.
- GSNov 29, 2023 · 1 hr
8. Strikes, Skills & Suitcases
As the country braces for more rail strikes in early December, we decided that Green Signals should focus some time this week on understanding how and why we've got to where we have with industrial relations. What are the strikes on the railway all about? What should the Government be doing to put an end to them? We are joined by Graham Eccles, former Co-Chair of the Virgin Rail Group and one of the most experienced industrial relations specialists the railway has ever produced. Graham tells it like it is and provides the best explanation we've ever heard of why the industry has got into this position. In this magazine-style episode, we also discuss the growing problem of luggage on trains and the decision by some operators to start actively restricting what passengers can bring on board. And we top it off with a chat with NSAR's Neil Robertson on the results of the Annual Rail Workforce Survey and the impending skills and experience shortage faced by the railway.
- GSNov 22, 2023 · 55 min
7. Lord Peter Hendy: Railway 200 & how the railway made the modern world
Network Rail Chairman Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill joins us for his first media interview about Railway 200... and it's a good one! Peter tells us all about the plans for celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of the modern railway in 2025 and how he wants all of you to get involved. But beyond that, he also discusses the wider importance of the railway and why it is so vital that we take this opportunity to celebrate its origins both to inspire the next generation of railway workers and to reset the public's relationship with rail. Outside our 'big interview' we also talk about Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper's recent appearance at the Transport Select Committee... spoiler alert - we weren't impressed. We also discuss news of Alstom's announcement that it is going to start of the process of winding down train building in Derby.
- GSNov 15, 2023 · 1 hr 14 min
6. Why scrapping HS2's 36 miles from Birmingham to Crewe is utter madness!
Reflecting on our recent appearance at the Transport Select Committee, in this episode of Green Signals we are delighted to be joined by Andrew McNaughton. Not only did Andrew give evidence with us at the TSC recently, he was HS2's Technical Director and one of its first two employees back in 2009. There is no-one better to talk to in detail about why HS2 was designed the way it was (and, perhaps more importantly, why it wasn't designed differently)! Andrew brilliantly describes reasons for HS2's alignment, speed and capacity. But the really important discussion is that we all agree just how vital it is to fight for Phase 2A to go ahead, for a whole host of reasons that you really do need to hear. Without it, we have all kinds of problems ahead. We also explain in this episode what a White Paper is and what a select committee does. Aside from HS2, Richard has a bit of a Victor Meldrew moment while giving his views on the King's Speech. To say he was underwhelmed by the announcement of a Draft Bill for GBR is a bit of an understatement...
- GSNov 8, 2023 · 1 hr 10 min
5. How to run a railway in the era of micro-management
MD Mark Hopwood lifts the veil at Great Western. In this episode of Green Signals we are delighted to welcome to the show Mark Hopwood CBE, the Managing Director of Great Western. Mark is a career railwayman but is widely and properly recognised as one of the most visionary railway leaders of his generation. His ‘can do’ attitude backed by years of experience with a passion for delivering for his customers has enabled Great Western to deliver outstanding results, year after year.Mark himself accepts it’s not easy and the period we are living through is one of the toughest in recent times. In a wide ranging interview we talk about the challenges of day to day operations and the very basics of running a railway company in 2023. We cover projects such as the electrification of the Great Western Main line, the opening of the Elizabeth line and the reopening of the line to Okehampton, pretty much the first and so far most successful of the “Reversing Beeching” projects. Mark explains in detail why it is perfectly reasonable of the Government to want to keep a firm grip on costs – who could disagree – but we discuss whether the split of the P&L on today’s railway with the DfT in charge of costs and the Treasury receiving all the revenue really makes sense and whether it is holding us back in a return to growth. We finish with a discussion on whether it still makes sense to be running sleeper trains and Pullman dining cars in these cash constrained modern times. Away from Great Western we talk about whether a Judicial Review of the Government’s decision to cancel HS2 north of Birmingham is a possibility. This is a cracking episode with one of the railway industry’s best known and most experienced leaders and is one not to miss!
- GSNov 1, 2023 · 54 min
4. DfT's Humiliation and the great ticket office U Turn
Some 700,000 respondents objected to the DfT and train companies proposals to close some 1000 ticket offices. Transport Focus rejected all the proposals. The result is a humiliating climbdown and U Turn for the Government. On this week's Green Signals, we welcome THE expert when it comes to Fares & Ticketing Policy, Mark Smith aka the Man in Seat 61. Mark is a career railwayman but he was also head of the Fares & Ticketing team at the DfT. There is literally no-one with more experience and knowledge. Mark, Richard and Nigel discuss the issues surrounding fares and ticketing on Britain's railway, agree that it was absolutely right that the proposals were rejected as the Government and the train companies had done everything in completely the wrong order. We also discuss what could and indeed should now be done to sort out the mess. Richard explains why this latest debacle provides irrefutable evidence, if any were needed, that the 20 year experiment, started when the SRA was abolished, to bring increasing micro management of the railway into the heart of central Government has completely and utterly failed. He calls for the industry to grow a spine and to now say, and do, what is right instead of meekly parroting the latest 'line to take' from government. We also have a lighthearted chat about favourite railway journeys and the fact that Green Signals was mentioned in dispatches in Transport questions in the House of Commons no less!
- GSOct 25, 2023 · 52 min
3. How the West Coast was won 20 years ago....and why it might not work again!
In the light of the decision on HS2, we look at the West Coast Route Modernisation of 1997 - 2009 and discuss how close it came to being binned and how bold decisions got it done. We also consider whether the same environment exists today - and draw some depressing conclusions. Nigel and Richard also launch a new feature on great railway journeys they have made and with surprising selections for their first choices! We also touch briefly on a growing problem in the Heritage Railway sector and ask is there a crisis brewing?
- GSOct 18, 2023 · 57 min
2. HS2 - the top 10 myths debunked!
In this episode, Nigel and Richard discuss the top 10 myths about HS2 and explain why so many people have misunderstood what HS2 delivers for the country - and why we are in trouble now that so much of it appears to have been cancelled. There's also a bit about Richard's new role as Hon. President of the Class 40 Preservation Society and why without volunteers, the heritage rail sector in the UK wouldn't exist.
- GSOct 10, 2023 · 20 min
Welcome to Green Signals, a beginners guide to Blackburn & Burnley, and what on earth were the Government thinking cancelling HS2!
Welcome to Green Signals, the essential new railway podcast for anyone interested in railways: what they are for, how they work, and why we need them more than ever. In this Trailer, Nigel and Richard reveal their first meeting on a Virgin Trains press trip to Italy, discuss the relative merits of Blackburn and Burnley and most importantly, consider whether the decision to scrap the northern section of HS2 to Manchester was a really, really bad idea. Or far worse than that.