What are the railways for? Radio 4 programme 29/05/23

[pdq]

Heard a trailer to this programme to be broadcast on Radio 4, Monday 29th May at 8pm, and subsequently on BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio 4 - What Are the Railways For?

The railways are soon to be reorganised, but what are they for?

www.bbc.co.uk

As the government prepares a major reorganisation
of Britain's railways, Daniel Brittain asks what are they
for. It's a question which has been ignored in previous
reorganisations - which typically take place after a crisis
or a disaster. So Daniel travels to Greater Manchester
meeting people on trains, people who want to be on
trains, and those who run the railways, to understand
how the rail industry has changed, and what its place in
Britain's society, economy and culture might be in the future.

May be of interest to some forum members.

 

[Class 170101]

Will they have invited Christian Wolmar I wonder?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Will they have invited Christian Wolmar I wonder?

Probably not. Imagine the programme will be more of a half hour 'vox pop'.

 

[45Fox]

Possibly the first person in a position of influence over the British railway system who ever tried to seriously ask this question was Dr. Beeching, although the conclusions he came to still invoke controversy to this day.
It's an interesting question though, one that is worthy of serious study.
I somehow doubt that this programme will address it in any great depth, as Mcr Warrior states, it'll probably be a vox-pop, rather than a truly insightful study.

 

[snowball]

It wasn't a vox pop. I don't think Radio 4 does vox pops. For a half-hour programme it managed to say an awful lot of the right things. I think this was because the presenter chose a lot of the right interviewees, including Lord Hendry and the former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, now chair of Transport for the North.

 

[32475]

A very good programme to listen to.
One issue highlighted was the recent shift towards the growth in leisure travel by rail at the same time that commuter numbers are falling.
My own very recent experience of this was on a journey from the recently reopened Okehampton station which was extremely busy with its hourly service to Exeter. The air of happy regeneration abounded!
The programme also highlighted efforts to allow a TOC to use the ELR route from Bury to Rawtenstall in order to improve commuting down the M66 corridor to Manchester. The ELR are resisting this as it’s at odds with their heritage service. There was no conclusion to this matter but quiet optimism that a compromise might be found. If there is a solution then it might produce a precedent for a few other heritage lines.