#Railnatter

#RailNatter Episode 163: Just how much more public transport does the UK need?

Last week, the TUC published their report "Public transport fit for the climate emergency" and, in classic #RailNatter style, we are going to sift through it page by page!
Having only really flicked through it up to this point, this report appears to dig deeper into my "rail capacity needs to double by 2050" figure and comes out showing this looks to actually be an underestimate. Union researchers are pretty rigorous, and so I'm keen to see what they've found...
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#RailNatter Episode 162: Using weird transport systems to break the #NotAMetro sorter

It's another #NotAMetro episode! This time, though, we are diving into the strangest transport systems to see if we can break the #NotAMetro sorter...
Intensive bus services, monorails, airport doodads, all welcome! Throw your most bonkers urban transit solution at me, LIVE!
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/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 161: The Five Ways That High Speed 2 Should Have Been Better

As one of the UK's most prominent pro-HS2 voices, you might be under the impression that I think the proposals (the pre-Integrated Rail Plan ones, anyway) are flawless and couldn't be improved upon... Well, that couldn't be further from the truth.
But what are the five most significant design shortcomings of High Speed 2, as I see it? You'll have to join LIVE to find out!
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/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 160: Reshaping At 60, and Beeching’s Real Legacy

Last week was the sixtieth anniversary of the release of The Reshaping of British Railways, and everyone was talking about it... I had to dig deeper into the legacy of this document, and of its author, for a piece in RAIL, and in doing so I had a chance to further re-evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Dr Beeching's proposals...
Yes, it's our third Beeching episode! Join LIVE to get involved in the fun.
Read my full piece here: https://garethdennis.medium.com/the-r...
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/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 159: Why Britain’s railway headquarters WON’T be in Derby

It's a news episode! We're headlining with talking about the Great British Railways HQ announcement - apparently, they will be basing 100 roles (?) in Derby, probably (and rightly) in the old Railway Technical Centre.
They can plonk a flag in Derby, but while the industry is in the shape it currently is, the headquarters will never actually be in Derby... Join LIVE to hash this one out!
Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at https://garethdennis.co.uk/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 158: There’s no such thing as the ”last mile problem”

We're back! This week we return to the studio to attempt to demystify the supposedly intractable "last mile problem" that is oft repeated by policymakers, technoprats and car people.
What is it? Why doesn't it really exist? Why do people keep saying it does? Let's take a look!
Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at https://garethdennis.co.uk/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 157: Why does the UK find it so hard to integrate transport modes?

We talk about it a lot, but what is "integrated transport" when it isn't just a meaningless buzzword? Why is the UK so bad at doing it?
Transport researcher Martha Lauren joins us to talk about this history of truly integrated transport, including how the UK was actually ahead of its time until bus deregulation ruined everything...
Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at https://garethdennis.co.uk/discord.

#RailNatter Episode 156: What’s happening at the National Railway Museum?

The @NatRailwayMuseum in York is hallowed ground for me and is loved by nearly a million visitors a year, but it has always struggled with being more of a collection than a museum.
Vision 2025 will be a great leap forwards in the ability of the museum to tell the story of the railways rather than just telling the story of its objects... And it is happening now!
With the sound of saws and hammers ringing around us, I have a chat with the brilliant Charlotte Kingston (the NRM's head of design, exhibitions and communications) to understand what's happening and what's next.
Enjoyed this? Please do consider supporting #RailNatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis or throw loose change at me via https://paypal.me/garethdennis. Join in the discussion at https://garethdennis.co.uk/discord.