Railfuture

Railfuture (formerly the Railway Development Society) is a UK advocacy group which promotes better rail services for passengers and freight across a bigger rail network.[2] The group's national policies are determined by its national board of directors (one-third elected by the membership every year, for a three-year term) and its national AGM. The group's campaigns are pursued nationally by three policy groups (Passenger, Infrastructure & Networks, Freight) and locally through regional branches (12 in England, plus one each in Wales[3] and Scotland[4]). Its honorary president is Christian Wolmar, a transport writer and broadcaster.[5] Its vice-presidents include former rail industry leaders Adrian Shooter CBE, Ian Brown CBE, Chris Green, and Stewart Palmer, and leading commentators such as Roger Ford of Modern Railways, fellow columnist Alan Williams, and Paul Abell, a former editor of Today's Railways UK.

Railfuture
Founded1978 (One predecessor founded 1951)
FocusTransport
Location
  • 14 Ghent Field Circle, Thurston, Suffolk IP31 3UP[1]
Area served
United Kingdom
MethodPolitical advocacy
Websitewww.railfuture.org.uk
Formerly called
Railway Development Society

Railfuture's opinions and campaigns receive coverage in the UK press, including national,[6][7][8][9] regional,[10][11][12][13] and rail[14][15][16][17] publications. It has been mentioned in both houses of Parliament,[18][19][20] and transport unions[21][22] and international press[23][24] also cite its reports and follow its actions. It claims to have 20,000 affiliated and individual members.[2][9]

History

The Railway Development Society (RDS) was preceded by the Society for the Reinvigoration of Unremunerative Branch Lines (UK) [SRUBLUK] founded in 1951 and which became the simpler-sounding Railway Invigoration Society (RIS). The RIS and the Railway Development Association (RDA, founded 1951[25]) merged in 1978 to become the RDS.[26] A founding member of the RDA was poet and rail enthusiast Sir John Betjeman.[25]

One of the society's main campaign points was the retention of railway lines threatened with closure, and now the reopening of closed lines and stations.[17][8] Campaigns with successful outcomes include the saving of the Settle–Carlisle line in the 1980s,[19][27] improvements to the Oxford–Bicester line,[28] and the reopening of the Borders Railway.[29][17][30]

Additionally, Railfuture publishes proposals for entirely new rail schemes. One such is Thameslink 2, an additional north-south route cross-London route, connecting the Brighton Main Line to routes north of London, via East Croydon, Lewisham, Canary Wharf, and Stratford.[31]

Structure

The group has an elected national Board of Directors, and twelve English regional branches, plus Railfuture Scotland and Railfuture Wales.[32]

Initiatives

The organisation has campaigned a reworking of concessionary fares on the British railway network by the introduction of a uniform "National Railcard" scheme to replace the railcards including the 16–25 Railcard, Network Railcard and Senior Railcard. Such a card was envisaged to take a similar form to existing BahnCard products offered by Deutsche Bahn in Germany. In April 2003, a study undertaken jointly by Railfuture and the Rail Passengers Council (later "Passenger Focus") stated that three million rail travellers might buy such a railcard if it were priced at £20.00, and offered a one-third discount for off-peak travel.[33]

Other work has included advice on access for disabled passengers, such as in Gloucestershire.[34]

Collaboration

Railfuture is a member of the European Passenger Federation.

Publications

Railwatch is a magazine published by Railfuture four times per year.

References
  1. "THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY LIMITED – Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  2. "Who we are". Railfuture. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. "Railfuture Wales". Railfuture.
  4. "Railfuture Scotland". Railfuture.
  5. "National Contacts". Railfuture.
  6. "Train fares rise by an average of 2.3%". BBC News. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  7. "Cambridge-Bedford rail link options proposed". BBC News. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  8. Wolmar, Christian (5 June 2016). "In the age of HS2, the past teaches us there are far better ways to run our railways". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  9. "Serco awarded contract to run the famous Caledonian Sleeper railway". The Independent. London. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  10. "Vision for future of Tayside and Fife rail services to be unveiled". The Courier. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  11. "Government accused of 'smoke and mirrors' as rail prices rise by 1 per cent". Western Morning News. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  12. "Wallet-busting rail fares set for massive overhaul". Daily Echo. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  13. "Could delays in electric trains provide benefits in other parts of the county?". Bicester Advertiser. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  14. "Rail fares "divorced from reality", claims Railfuture". www.railmagazine.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  15. "Network Rail's claim of 'record punctuality' runs into criticism". Railnews. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  16. "Railfuture makes the case for Uckfield – Lewes reopening". www.railtechnologymagazine.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  17. "After Borders, what next?". Rail Engineer. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  18. "British Rail (Settle-Carlisle Line) (Hansard, 12 March 1984)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 12 March 1984. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  19. "High Speed Rail – Hansard Online". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  20. "Wales Bill – Hansard Online". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  21. "Ticketless Train Travel". UNISON National. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  22. "SRA Reports delayed by Government". www.aslef.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  23. "Thema". Regionale Schienen. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  24. "Bahnberichte im Mai 2011". www.bahnnews.info. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  25. Haywood, Russell (2016). Railways, Urban Development and Town Planning in Britain: 1948–2008. Routledge. p. 127. ISBN 9781317071648. The RDA had been formed in 1951 to argue the case for the development of modern lightweight diesel railbuses and multiple units to sustain retention of the branch lines: Sir John Betjeman was one of the founders. The RDA became the Railway Development Society and continues to operate today, now known as Railfuture.
  26. "Railfuture | Railfuture history". www.railfuture.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  27. "How they defeated British Rail on points". Craven Herald. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  28. "All aboard the brain train". University of Cambridge. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  29. "Railfuture – Borders Railway Reopening". www.railfuturescotland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  30. "Borders Railway success – Conference this weekend shares the secrets – Rail Tube". railtube.info. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  31. "Railfuture | Thameslink 2". www.railfuture.org.uk.
  32. "Railfuture Branches". www.railfuture.org.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  33. "Proposed new National Railcard – press release".
  34. https://guide.glosnhs.net/guide/index.php/record/detail/138767. Guide Database: Gloucestershire NHS. Retrieved 2012-02-17.

Bibliography
  • Freeman Allen, G. (1966). British Railways after Beeching. Shepperton: Ian Allan.
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