Railnews

Railnews used to be the in-house newspaper for rail employees in BR days and was published by the BRB from 1963 onwards. It ceased publication in 1996, but was reinstated a year later by a group of former BR managers. Today, online and print versions cover all aspects of the railway, though not from any particular standpoint. It aims to be dispassionate, objective and accurate in its coverage of the key issues facing the industry. 

My friend, John Beck, pointed me towards the January edition and in particular a feature article by the managing editor, Sim Harris, summarising the major changes that have always been part of the railway scene and going on to look at some of the challenges resulting from technological advances in the current era.

It made me think how much the railways have changed during the many decades that I have shown an interest, and especially with regard to its workforce. In a nutshell, rapid advances in technology mean that fewer people are needed to run the railway, a trend set to continue with plans to close booking offices, control signalling from a few command centres and make more use of driver only trains. It’s difficult to imagine a rail system without railway people, given what we were brought up on, but automation eventually saves money and wages tend to be a big component of overall costs. But a railway without visible railwaymen and women? That would take a bit of getting used to.