• About

Paul Bigland

~ Blogging on transport, travel & whatever takes my fancy.

Paul Bigland

Tag Archives: Innotrans

Rolling blog. Innotrans day 3…

22 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Railways, Rolling blogs

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Travel

08:00.

Miracle of miracles, my train into Berlin is actually on time today! Oh, and it’s a beautifully sunny morning to boot so all’s well with the world. Admittedly, I have a slightly fuzzy head after a night out with the ‘boys’ but it’s nothing that a couple of cups of coffee in the media centre won’t cure.

I’m looking forward to a freerer day at Innotrans now that most of my commissions are done. Well, that I know of anyway – you never know what might crop up. Either way, today should be a lot more relaxed than the past two.

I’m beginning to get used to this commuting malarky after catching the same train three days in a row. I’ve not gone for the classic commuter behaviour of always heading for ‘my’ seat but I’m starting to recognise a few regulars on the route.

13:50.

Joy of joys – my last launch is done. My services were farmed out to an EU rail organisation rebrand and launch which kept me occupied most of the morning. Now I’m off the leash and free to wander around outside. Here’s a few shots.

If you wander down to the bottom of the site, Schweerbau are fuelling a party with free beer and bratwurst!

There’s some serious kit on display here…

Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham at the launch of the new Stadler battery trains for Merseyrail.
A bird’s eye view of some of the outdoor exhibits at Innotrans.

23:00.

The end of today turned in to a sociable one as I spent it catching up with friends from Siemens. Firstly Silke, who had tipped me off about the opportunity to get the photo shown above. We had a good catch-up on the huge Siemens stand. After the show closed I went out for dinner with Ellen and the pair of us had a great chin-wag about life, the universe and everything.

Now it’s nearly midnight, I’m back ‘home’ and ready to hit the sack before the final day of Innotrans. As yet, I’ve no commissions tomorrow so let’s see what I can get up to…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Innotrans day 2…

21 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by Paul Bigland in Berlin, Germany, Innotrans, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Berlin, Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs

10:45.

German railways let me down again this morning. My inbound train was 25 mins late so I didn’t get to Innotrans until way after 09:00. First job was to check in with my clients and find out what’s happening today. Luckily their presentation (which is on another stand) is literally next door – I was fearing it’d be in a hall on the other side of the Messe!

Next port of call was the press centre where I’ve bumped into a large chunk of the UK trade press. Tips and gossip swapped and pictures downloaded it’s time to hit the halls…

Another busy day beckons…

13:10.

Finally, a chance to sit down for a few minutes before the next gig. The problem with Innotrans is that there are so many launch or other events you’re always running from one to the other. I had Hitachi Energy unveiling a new transformer back to back with Talgo hosting the Spanish transport minister who was having a look at one of their new coaches for DB. Next I have a joint UK-Saudi signing. Still, it’s kept me occupied. Here’s a few phone pictures

Here’s one of two UK pavilions. This one has a Welsh flavour and a plan of the new £250m test track that’s under construction
It’s not just trains either. Transport needs to be integrated (and green). Here’s a new electric bus with a 450km range.

The countdown nears its end as Hitachi Energy prepare to unveil their new transformer that’s lighter and greener.

Don’t worry, there’ll be more trains soon!…

22:11.

Yet another day where my step count is getting silly! Right now I’m sat on the (late running -surprise, surprise) RER train to Frankfurt (Oder) after another great day. I still haven’t seen anywhere near enough of Innotrans but then I’ve been busy with various assignments. Then there’s the amount of people you bump into at random or by design. Innotrans is such a seminal event in the rail industry calender that almost everyone is here. It’s difficult to explain just what a vast event it is. A map doesn’t do it justice as it doesn’t give away the fact these huge exhibition buildings have several floors. I ended up recce’ing how long it would take me to get from one stand to another in a completely different building so that I knew I could do certain launches – hence one of the reasons for my step count.

We’re half way through the event so now I’m listing the trains/stands/people I’ve still not seen. Thankfully, my work calender should thin out a bit tomortow.

This evening I bunked off before the show closed as a bunch of us UK rail people had arranged to meet in the city centre for beers and food. The beers weren’t sobering but the reminiscing could be when we counted down the time and realised we’d been involved in group trips to Europe for 17 years – and I have the website pictures to prove it!

It wasn’t all a trip down memory lane, we had some new people join us which swelled our group to 13. It wasn’t a bad place to eat and drink either. It’s a bar in the railway arches West of Alexandetplatz that brews its own beer.

Rolling blog. Continental drift…

18 Sunday Sep 2022

Posted by Paul Bigland in Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Innotrans, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

12:20.

And we’re off! Well, I would been much earlier if I hadn’t been kicking my heels in Huddersfield for the past hour. As I’m handicapped by a suitcase and Dawn was driving in to Huddersfield so kindly offered to give me a lift I decided to head to Harwich this way.

What I hadn’t bargained on was Trans-Pennine Express excerable timetable. Forget the 5 trains an hour of the real timetable. Leeds are now hourly. I’d actually have been better sticking to Northern via Halifax. Ho hum…

Even so, i’m in no hurry. My ferry doesn’t leave Harwich until 23:00 so I’ve plenty of time to get there. Despite running such a wafer-thin service TPE still can’t run to time. The 12:10 arrived and left 7 minutes late. It’s a 6-car service that’s an all-stopper and it’s rammed. Some people have come from Manchester Airport with humongous suitcases which isn’t exactly helping.

Suitcase? I’ll bet my ferry will be carrying smaller life rafts!

13:07.

After the schlep from Huddersfield it’s a relief to be on LNER’s 13:05 from Leeds to Kings Cross. This is another busy train but I’ve managed to blag a table – for now anyway. The reservation system’s kaput so I might get turfed out at Wakefield or Doncaster.

14:05.

All’s well that ends well. Whilst we’ve picked up a load more passengers at both Wakefield and Doncaster no-one came forward to claim my table. Now we’ve just left Newark so it looks like I should be safe as far as my destination – Peterborough – as there’s plenty of spare capacity. I note from the news that people have been told not to travel to London to join the crowds queuing to pay their last respects to the Queen, so I don’t expect to encounter anyone on any of my trains today.

15:00.

Another train, another operator. Now I’ve swapped my fancy intercity ‘Azuma’ for an example of BRs finest “garden shed engineering” as the Class 158s were once described due to the many faults that bedevilled the first examples. Mine is one of East Midlands Railway’s fleet of 2-cars with high-backed seats but no USB or power-points, which is a retrograde step in this day and age.

My train arriving at the ‘new’ island platform at Peterborough en-route to Norwich having started from Sheffield at 12:45.
The high-backed seats are comfortable but they do make the unit feel claustrophobic.

15:40.

I’m now kicking my heels for an hour at the sleepy little junction of Ely. There’s not much happening here of a Sunday, so the local Starling population has found a different use for the overhead wires.

16:45

I enjoyed my break at Ely. Even on a Sunday the station has both a shop and cafe on platform 1 that remain open so I had time for a ‘swifty’ and chance to get a few pictures before moving on. Now I’m on what’s regarded by many (including myself) as the best modern train on the UK network, the Stadler Class 755 bi-modes. Swiss engineering at its best. They’re comfortable, have level access, a variety of seating configurations and plug-sockets and USB ports at every seat. Their performance is just as good too, they shift like sh*t off the proverbial shovel!

Heading for Stowmarket…
The smart, multi-level (and comfortable) seating aboard my Stadler train.

As you can see, this is a quiet train. A fair few got off at the newly reopened station at Soham which was good to see, otherwise this feels very much like a Sunday afternoon service.

18:45.

I’m getting closer to escaping…

I swapped trains yet again at Stowmarket, mainly for one purpose. I’ve always had an interest in railway architecture in general but signalboxes in particular and I’ve never managed a picture of the abandoned example at Stowmarket until now.

I only had a few minutes to wait before my next train which was a case of swapping to the Stadler 755s bigger Intercity brother to get me to Ipswich where I took another short photographic break and went from the sublime to the ridiculous. Greater Anglia has the best train fleets but it also has one of the worst. Yet it’s brand new – and units are still being delivered!

These things are bloody awful. I’m not overweight but even I struggle to make my way down the narrow aisles – not helped by the fact the grab-handles are so low they dig into your ribs and made the space even more constricted.

22:30.

Is that the time? Apologies for the blogging gap but I’ve always been on the move and sometimes it’s about experiencing things so that you can write about them later. Right now I’m sitting on the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland waiting for departure time. I’ve not done this trip for so, so long. In fact the last time I did this the film they were showing was the then blockbuster ‘Flash Gordon’ with a soundtrack by Queen and the famous line from the actor Brian Blessed (delivered in his customary gusto) “Gordon’s alive!”. Gosh, so many things have changed since then. In those days I was hoping to make a home in Amsterdam with my girlfriend of the time. It never worked out but I’ve no regrets. It all seems like a different world. Mind you, so does this ferry. It’s massive compared to what I remember from those days. I’m on the ‘Stena Britannica’ and even have a cabin – but only because they’re mandatory nowadays. In the 1980s we used to get on as foot passengers and just curl up in a corner.

I arrived in Harwich in plenty of time and had chance to explore. It’s funny how things work out sometimes. I’d not been around this neck of the woods for years then end up here twice in the space of twelve months! Harwich Town’s a curious place that’s worth exploring because of it’s history and architecture, but like a lot of UK seaports it’s lost its mojo. The days of the train ferries are long gone. Now the port’s been eclipsed by Felixstowe due to the move to containerisation. Like this.

Looking across to Felixstowe from Harwich

Still, I’m looking forward to leaving Brexit Britain and the social and political museum the country’s fast becoming. The next week is going to be very different. And this ain’t a bad way to get there either..

One of several restaurants on board.
I’ve not had a cabin on a ferry for years!

23:15.

We’ve left port and we’re on our way, so it’s time for me to sign off until tomorrow. See you on the other side as they say…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Innotrans and Berlin

19 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Germany, Innotrans, Railways, Trams, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Germany, Innotrans, Railways, Trams, Travel

It’s my fourth day here in Berlin and apart from the fact i’ve been having a hectic time I’m also having a fabulous one.

Sunday left me shattered after my negative experiences of Stansted airport. Whilst I’ve been here I chatted to other UK colleagues, who share the same view of the place and now refuse to use it. What was once one of the UK’s best airports is viewed as having been ruined by concentrating on wringing every last penny of of passengers. After spending a few hours exploring and getting pictures I headed out to my hotel and ended up falling asleep by 21:30!

In contrast, my experiences here in Germany have been extremely positive. After all the madness that’s going on back home because of Brexit and our mad politicians, it’s lovely to be in a confident and outward looking, stable country. Berlin’s also one of my favourite capital cities. It has a bohemian heart and it’s all the better for it. There’s also massive investment in Berlin’s railway infrastructure, like this view East from the rebuilt Ostkreuz station which shows the new flyover and dive under built for the S-Bahn.

DG308451crop

On Monday I took time off to explore a couple of the delightful old rural tramways that link country towns with the S-Bahn. They’re rather timeless. Here’s the route out from Rahnsdorf to Waltersdorf.

DG308516crop

This one is the route nearby, from Friedrichshagen to Rüdersdorf.

DG308627cfrop

Right now I’m commuting in from Ludwigsfelde, a town just to the South, which is where I’m staying. It takes 30 mins to get to the amazing Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Hotel prices go crazy when Innotrans is on, so unless you book months (or years) in advance you can pay silly prices.

DG308679crop

Commuting, Berlin style. This is my ODEG service out to Ludwigsfelde from the magnificent Birlin Hauptbahnhof.

I’m heading to day two of Innotrans, the world’s biggest rail trade fair. Around 160,000 people will visit over the four days, after which it’s opened to the public for another two days after that. I’m expecting another hectic day as one of the magazines I’m working for has a shortlist of stuff for me to get and today the British Transport Minister, Chris Grayling is touring the show. He’s tipped to be signing some contracts…

Oh, did I mention the weather? Innotrans is renowned for always getting the sun. Yesterday we baked in the heat, today’s expected to hit 26 degrees! I’m just glad us photojournalists are allowed to dress down!

Right now I’m in the Press centre, where I can grab a coffee, use the wifi and all the other facilities provided for Journalists before hitting the stands. It’s quiet at the moment, but here’s what the place looks like.

If you want to see pictures from the show, take a look at this gallery on my Zenfolio website as that’s where I’m putting them. I’ll flesh this blog out more when I have time.

18:51.

I’ve finally left the show and begun my journey home, but first there’s time to stop of at the Alkopole Bar at Alex, have a quiet beer and catch my thoughts. The day was busier than I thought for the simple reason that Chris Grayling visited a lot of trade stalls. We may fundamentally disagree over politics but I can’t fault him for keeping such a busy schedule. David Davis he ain’t!

I did manage to take up a certain train builders invitation to visit their version of platform 9 & 3/4, which was an mock English pub hidden on the back of one of their trains, but I’ll say no more.

The rest of my time was spent flitting between trade stands and the press centre with the occaisional foray to have a look at some new train interiors. The problem was that some of the ones I wanted to check out had a shore supply. This meant they were extremely popular as the air-conditioning worked – a real blessing in this heat!

I’m not sure what the temperature is now but it’s a lovely evening for sitting outside with a beer.

The ‘press pack’ has scattered to the four winds this evening due to a multitude of receptions and events to go to, which has spared my liver, so I’m not complaining. Besides, I have another 05:50 start in the morning…

Rolling blog; Berlin bound…

15 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in Germany, Transport, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Germany, Innotrans, Travel

Time at home never lasts long. After 48 hours I’m on the road again, this time bound for Berlin. The timing could have been better as I’ve been torn away from a very pleasant afternoon with friends. We’ve been celebrating Tony Allan (of Phoenix brewery fame) 50th anniversary in brewing with a barbecue at his home in Halifax. Tony has set up a cellar bar with two of his beers on – plus plenty of other refreshments.

Now I’ve had to begin the schlep to Stansted airport for a silly ‘o clock Sunday morning flight to Berlin in readiness for the Innotrans rail trade fair. Dawn was kind enough to drive me to Huddersfield to catch a TPE service direct to Manchester Piccadilly so I’ve dodged a bullet in the shape of another futile Northern Rail strike.

Touch wood, things are going well. We left early as Huddersfield Town were playing at home today, so traffic can always be hit and miss. Add to the fact TPE are often late which means it always pays to give yourself a one train cushion. I’d planned to catch the 18:29 but found I was in time for a late running 18:08 which gives me plenty of time to get my London connection.

The trip across the Pennies was, fine. I missed the footy crowds and secured a tip up seat outside the disabled toilet where I heard a fascinating conversation between two TPE chaps with their refreshment trolleys who were on their way home. One was from Greece and the other Georgia. They were talking about their native foods and comparing recipes. It was delightful to overhear but it also made me angry. Not at them, but the whole Brexit shambles and the fact it’s causing such uncertainty for people like this pair.

19:31.

Oh joy. This is going to be a long trip…I’m now on Virgin’s 19:35 to Euston. Not only is this 11 car rammed, it has that delightful combination of football fans, inconsiderate people – and drunks. On the bright side, the football fans are Man City supporters. If they were United fans I’m sure there would be far more of them heading back to London!

The downside? As I was (foolishly) intending to try and do some work I’d reserved a table seat with a power socket. When I arrived I found that a young woman travelling alone had spread her unruly brood (and the contents of of their McDonald’s meal) all over the table & didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned other people had reserved seats as she was too busy talking on her phone (on speakerphone). We had ‘words’ when she expected me to accommodate her noisy ‘bin lids’ and their mess whilst she ignored them as she was far more interested in her phone. One chap behind her’s already told her to take the damned thing off speaker mode, so I know I’m not the only one hacked off.

Meanwhile, drunk woman and her boyfriend 3 groups of seats ahead have broken volume controls….

20:14

Mercifully, phone woman and her brood have left the train at Stoke. In fact, many people have in this coach (B) whilst a handful have joined us. Next stop is Milton Keynes…

20:37

The evening’s not completely wasted. I might not be able to write, but I can edit pictures. The slightly frustrating thing is the chap who’s sat next to me (And who does a very good job of filling his seat) has made no effort to move and spread out into the empty ones around us, but then they’re all backwards facing seats, which I know some people are funny about. Oh well, if he won’t…

21:22

After Milton Keynes this train’s less than 50% full. I can stretch out and work on photos whilst listening to music. The old iPod’s been dug out and I’m taking a bittersweet trip down memory lane, listening to The Waterboys and Fisherman’s Blues…

22:27

Not a vintage journey with VWC: we were right time to Berkhampstead, then ended up crawling the rest of the way on the slow lines into Euston where we arrived around 15m late. The frustrating thing was the complete lack of any real information, just generic announcements. There was no ticket check nor any apology (or explanation) for the delay – which in this day and age really isn’t good enough.

To add insult to injury I’m now on the 205 bus from Euston to Liverpool St as the tube is shut for engineering work! Good job I’m in no hurry…

23:11

When I said I was in no hurry, that wasn’t entirely true. I’m currently sat on the last Stansted Express of the night, the 23:25. If I’d missed this it would have meant spending a night on Liverpool St station until 04:30 tomorrow! I’d like to think my days of kipping on railway stations are long gone.

The bus journey across London brought back many memories. So much of it was familiar yet so much has changed. I passed through places I remember from my days with the National Federation of Housing Co-ops back in the late 1980s, plus areas Lynn and I would regularly cycle through on her way to/from work when we lived in the East End.

Liverpool St itself holds lots of memories, as does the areas of London we’re about to pass through now. Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Compared the old 317s they replaced on the Stansteds the 379s are a great bit of kit. They fast, comfortable and roomy. The wifi’s pretty good too – which is why you’re reading this now! Here’s a view of the interior of set 026.

Odd to think these EMUs will be surplus to requirements in 2020 isn’t it?

00:23

I’m now ‘settled’ at Stansted airport. It’s times like this you realise how passenger unfriendly these places are. There’s literally hundreds of people here who are on ridiculously early flights who’ve decided it’s not worth shelling out for a hotel room so have decided to stay at the airport and maybe get a couple of hours shut eye. But Stansted (the bastards) – unlike any other UK or international airport I’ve ever used has got a nasty surprise in store. Take a look at this!

To say that I’m not happy is a f*****g understatement!

In all my 40 plus years travelling around the world I’ve never known an airport that holds its passengers in such contempt. I’ve just been told off for reclining on my suitcase as it’s a breach of the rules. Stansted makes its money out of cheap flights at silly hours of the day, but (cynically) it won’t provide the facilities to cater for then and even forbids them from trying to sleep. This is what happened to a young girl who tried to lie down outside an area of closed desks, so wasn’t blocking anything.

Well congratulations Stansted, not only is this the last time I use you. I’ll be publicising your contemptuous attitude to your passengers far and wide.

It’s 03:00 now and the rest of the airport building’s been opened. Until 02:30 it was blocked off, hence us being corralled in a tiny space. The only reason I can see why they’ve opened it is that flights have started arriving, so we’re in the way. I can’t see any logical reason why the rest of the airport was closed other than a desire to save money. I can’t understand any rational security excuse as Heathrow can keep vast spaces open overnight without a problem. So why can’t Stansted – which is far smaller?

04:52.

I’m now airside. Once the rest of the airport opened I managed to find a space to pay my head for nearly an hour before it was time to check-in. To be fair to Ryanair that was pretty quick even though the airport’s buzzing now. Security was pretty good to although my lack of sleep was starting to tell.

Once I got through I realised where all the space I used to remember from the past has gone. After security you’re led along the yellow brick road and a meander through shops. Lots of shops. When you get through you’re deposited in a packed seating area that’s surrounded with-more shops!

Essentially, Stansted treats you as an economic battery hen. Facilities are minimal, this is about squeezing as much cash out of you as possible before you catch your plane. Of course, this time of the morning airports exist in their own time zone. I walked through the huge Wetherspoons at 05:20 and it looked like this.

06:13

We’ve just boarded! Now for some sleep….

I’ll start blogging again from a civilised country later.

Desk-bound…

20 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by Paul Bigland in I love my job, Innotrans, Railways, Travel

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Innotrans, Railways, Travel

It had to happen sooner or later, the the past few days have seen me pretty much stuck at my desk. Admittedly we did get to nip over to Southport for a gathering of the Bigland clan on Saturday, but the rest of the time’s seen me on household duties or trying to deal with a rather large backlog of paperwork. The good news is that I can now get into my  office without worrying about being crushed by unstable piles of magazines and bumpf which were reaching Himalayan heights.

It’s not before time as the next month or so are going to be rather busy. I’ll be embarking on my bi-annual round-Britain trip for RAIL magazine shortly so I need to clear the decks for that and the time to write it up before I head off to the National Rail Awards, which is going to be a little different this time. I’ve been at the awards every year since 2003 as the event photographer. Now Dawn and I will be VIP guests, instead of being on duty with a job to do I’ll be able to chat and enjoy the company of the many people from the rail industry I’ve got to know over the years, like this bunch!

DG282576

Thankfully, the NRA doesn’t clash with another important event in the railway calendar as it has in the past: Innotrans.

This massive bi-annual event is the largest rail trade show in the world. It’s held in Berlin and it’s an absolute must for anyone who wants to see what the railway industry’s up to.  I’ve arranged to be there for 4 of the 5 days. The show’s so massive you need that amount of time to get around the place! Outside at the Messe Hall there’s acres of trains on display, inside there’s even more as the event takes over dozens of buildings on several levels. Here’s a link to pictures from the last time I was there in 2014 which will give you an idea of what to expect.

The next few weeks are going to be rather interesting. Obviously, my work for RAIL will be restricted to being published in the magazine, but I’m sure I’ll be publishing a few teasers! In the meantime, there’s a few other trips to do…

 

 

Recent Posts

  • Asian adventure day 21. Bangkok day 4.
  • Asian adventure day 20. Bangkok day 3.
  • Asian adventure day 19. One night in Bangkok…
  • Asian adventure day 18. Bangkok. Same same, but different.
  • Asian adventure day 17. From Kuala Lumpur into Thailand…

Recent Comments

Paul Bigland on Whatever happened to the anti…
James K on Whatever happened to the anti…
Paul Bigland on Whatever happened to the anti…
James K on Whatever happened to the anti…
James K on Whatever happened to the anti…

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • June 2013

Categories

  • 'Green' madness
  • 'Think Tanks'
  • 144e
  • 2005 London bombing
  • 2017 General election
  • 3 peaks by rail
  • 3 Peaks by ral
  • 51M
  • 7/7
  • Abandoned railways
  • Abu Dhabi
  • ACoRP
  • Adam Smith Institute
  • Adrian Quine
  • Advertising
  • Air Travel
  • Aircraft
  • Airports
  • Airshows
  • Allan Cook
  • Amsterdam
  • Andrea Leadsom MP
  • Andrew Gilligan
  • Andrew Haylen
  • Andy Burnham MP
  • Anti Hs2 mob
  • AONBs
  • Arambol
  • Architecture
  • Art
  • Australia
  • Bali
  • Bangkok
  • Bank holidays
  • Barrow Hill
  • Belgium
  • Bereavement
  • Berlin
  • Bigotry
  • Birmingham
  • Blists Hill
  • Blue passports
  • Boris Johnson MP
  • Brexit
  • Brighouse
  • Brighton
  • British Railways
  • British Railways (BR)
  • Byline media
  • Calder Valley
  • Canals
  • Carillion
  • Carolyne Culver
  • Censorship
  • Charities
  • Cheryl Gillan MP
  • Cheshire
  • China
  • Chris Packham
  • Claire Perry MP
  • Class 155
  • Class 313
  • Class 314s
  • Class 317
  • Class 320
  • Class 321
  • Class 365
  • Class 455
  • Class 456
  • Class 507
  • Class 508
  • Class 60s
  • Class 91
  • Climate Change
  • Communications
  • Community
  • Community rail
  • Community Rail Network
  • COP26
  • Corbynwatch
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19
  • CP5
  • Crap journalism
  • Crazy anti Hs2 campaigner of the week
  • Crazy kippers
  • Crewe Hub
  • Crossrail
  • Cuba
  • Cumbria
  • Customs
  • Cyberattacks
  • Cycle India
  • Cycling
  • Dawn
  • Democracy
  • Denmark
  • Derbyshire
  • Desiro City
  • Diary
  • Dispatches
  • Doha
  • Donald Trump
  • Doomed
  • Down memory lane
  • East Midlands Railway franchise
  • East Midlands Trains
  • Easter fairy stories
  • ECML
  • Economic illiteracy
  • Economics
  • election2015
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Essex
  • Eurostar
  • Euston
  • Extinction Rebellion
  • Fake News
  • Festivals
  • Film and TV
  • Flooding
  • Flora and Fauna
  • Food
  • Food and drink
  • Foot in mouth
  • Gardening
  • GBRf
  • General election
  • General election 2019
  • Georgetown
  • Germany
  • Glasgow
  • Glossop
  • GNGE
  • GNRP
  • Goa
  • Grand Central trains
  • Grant Shapps MP
  • Great Western Railway
  • Greater Anglia franchise
  • Greece
  • Green issues
  • Green madness
  • Green Party
  • Gt Missenden
  • GTR
  • Guido Fawkes
  • GWML
  • GWR franchise
  • Gwyll Jones
  • Halifax
  • Harvil Rd Hs2 protest
  • Harz railway
  • Heathrow 3rd runway
  • High Speed 1
  • High Speed UK
  • History
  • Hitachi
  • Hong Kong
  • House of Lords
  • HS North
  • Hs2
  • Hs2 Bow Group
  • Hs2 petitions
  • Hs2 Phase 2B
  • Hs2 to Crewe
  • Hs2aa
  • HS2Rebellion
  • HSUK
  • Huddersfield
  • Humberside
  • Humour
  • Hurricane Ophelia
  • Hypocrisy
  • I love my job
  • Imperial College London
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Infrarail
  • Innotrans
  • Internet
  • Iolo Williams
  • Ireland
  • Islamophobia
  • Jacob Rees Mogg
  • Jeremy Corbyn
  • Jeremy Corbyn MP
  • Jo Johnson MP
  • Joe Rukin
  • John McDonnell MP
  • John Poyntz
  • Johnathan Bartley
  • Journalism
  • Kent
  • Kuala Lumpur
  • Labour election
  • Lancashire
  • Laos
  • Law and order
  • Lazy journalism
  • Leicestershire
  • Liam Halligan
  • libel
  • Lilian Greenwood MP
  • Liverpool
  • LNER
  • Local elections
  • Local elections 2018
  • Lockdown
  • London
  • Lord Berkeley
  • LRT
  • M62 motorway
  • Major Projects Authority
  • Malaysia
  • Manchester
  • Manchester Airport
  • Manchester Victoria
  • MAPA
  • Mark Keir
  • Marketing
  • Martin Tett
  • Melton Mowbray
  • Memory Lane
  • Merseyside
  • Michael Dugher MP
  • Michael Fabricant MP
  • Mid Cheshire against Hs2
  • Miscellany
  • Modern Railways
  • Monorails
  • Music
  • Musings
  • Mytholmroyd
  • Natalie Bennett
  • National Rail Awards
  • National Trust
  • Nepal
  • Network Rail
  • Never a dull life
  • New Economics Foundation
  • New trains
  • New Year
  • New York
  • New Zealand
  • NHS
  • Nigel Farage
  • Norfolk
  • Norland scarecrow festival
  • Northern Powerhouse
  • Northern Rail
  • Nostalgia
  • Nottingham
  • Obituaries
  • Old Oak Common
  • ORR
  • Ossett
  • Our cat, Jet
  • Oxfordshire
  • Pacers
  • Paris terror attack
  • Parliament
  • Pasenger Growth
  • Patrick McLouglin MP
  • Penny Gaines
  • Peter Jones
  • Peterborough
  • Photography
  • Photojournalism
  • Picture of the day
  • Poetry
  • Politics
  • Porterbrook
  • PR nightmares
  • Protest
  • Public Accounts Ctte
  • Pubs
  • rail ale
  • Rail electrification
  • Rail fares
  • Rail Investment
  • Rail Live 2021
  • Rail Live 2022
  • RAIL magazine
  • Rail Moderinsation
  • Rail PR
  • Railfreight
  • Railstaff awards
  • Railtex
  • Railway Benefit Fund (RBF)
  • Railways
  • Rant
  • Religion
  • RFEM
  • Richard Wellings
  • Ride India
  • Road accidents
  • Rolling blogs
  • ROSCOs
  • Royal Mail
  • Royal Wedding 2018
  • RSPB
  • Rugby Observer
  • Rushbearing
  • SAIP
  • Scores on the doors
  • Scotland
  • Scotrail
  • Sheffield
  • Shrewsbury
  • Shropshire
  • Siemens
  • Signalling
  • Silly season
  • Simon Heffer
  • Simon Jenkins
  • Singapore
  • Sleeper trains
  • Snail mail
  • Social media
  • South West Trains
  • Southport
  • Sowerby Bridge
  • Spectator magazine
  • Sri Lanka
  • St Pancras station
  • Stafford
  • Stamford
  • Station buffets
  • StopHs2
  • Surrey
  • Talgo
  • Teresa May
  • Terrorism
  • Tesla
  • Thailand
  • Thameslink
  • The 'Beast from the East'
  • The BBC
  • The Big 6
  • The Daily Express
  • The end of the line
  • The fog
  • The Grauniad
  • The Great Central railway
  • The Green Party
  • The Independent
  • The Moorcock Inn
  • The Piece Hall
  • The Railway Children
  • The Rodelblitz
  • The USA
  • The Woodland Trust
  • Tilford
  • Tony Allen
  • Torquay
  • Tourism
  • TPE
  • Traffic congestion
  • Trams
  • Trans-Pennine electrification
  • Transport
  • Transport for Wales (TfW)
  • Travel
  • Twilight years
  • Twitter
  • Twitter (and how not to use it)
  • UK
  • UK steel industry
  • UKIP
  • Uncategorized
  • Vandalism
  • Victoria Prentis MP
  • Virgin Trains
  • Virgin West Coast
  • Vivarail
  • Wales
  • Walking
  • Warwickshire
  • WCML
  • Weather
  • West Yorkshire
  • Wigan
  • Wildlife Trusts
  • Worcester
  • Work
  • World War 1
  • World War Two
  • Yorkshire
  • YorkshireStopHs2

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Paul Bigland
    • Join 400 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Paul Bigland
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...