#Railnatter

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Latest episodes

• How Treasury Broke Britain: The History of PFI (Part 1) | #Railnatter 323

  September 30, 2026 · 1 hr 26 min

  In the first of an EPIC two-parter, I'm delighted to say that Britain's best podcaster November Kelly will be joining us to tell the story of PFI, how it was thrust upon an unwilling public by about six guys, how it is completely…

• Why This Beautiful Main Line Is A Mess | #Railnatter 322

  September 23, 2026 · 1 hr 12 min

  The East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Edinburgh is possibly the most beautiful mainline in Britain, but from an operational perspective, it’s a mess. It might not be as slow as you think, but thanks to heavy usage by intercity…

• Are We Headed For Another Railtrack Crisis? | #Railnatter 321

  September 16, 2026 · 37 min

  The Lewes and Wickford derailments have been confirmed as being triggered by track buckles. But what has led us to the point where two trains can derail in two days? How have we let our track condition across the country get so poor? And…

• Can California's long term rail plan fix HSR? | #Railnatter 320

  September 9, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min

  California High Speed Rail is stumbling onwards, and we'll be catching up with progress as best as we can. However, tonight's main feature will be a run through of the 2024 state rail plan to see if HSR is being set into its wider…

• Will the Washington Metro extension work? | #Railnatter 319

  September 2, 2026 · 60 min

  Tonight, Gareth is looking over the proposed Washington extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to see if it works, and what to look out for as the proposals develop. We'll go through a short history of the system and think about the wider…

• CrossCountry Trains Cannot Be Saved | #Railnatter 318

  August 26, 2026 · 54 min

  By pure chance, the entirety of the CrossCountry Trains service fell over the weekend just gone, cancelling countless services and exporting disruption across the network. But this failure is just the tip of the iceberg. Tonight, we look…

• York to Hull: Yorkshire's crucial missing rail link? | #Railnatter 317

  August 19, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

  This is it! We are building a new railway from York to Hull, looking at route options, stations, services and costs, and most importantly setting the railway into its local, regional and national context. We're LIVE so bring your thoughts…

• Why GBR's AI plan is a SHAMBLES | #Railnatter 316

  August 5, 2026 · 52 min

  A year after being created, GBRX has done one thing: write a rail industry AI action plan. And it is absolutely shambolic. It is also insightful about the direction Britain's railways are being taken in, and who is taking them there…