On February 13th, 2024, Sarah Atherton MP published a piece in the Wrexham Leader criticising a number of Welsh Government decisions and/or implications thereof of as regards transport. 'Plan for increased use of public transport is fundamentally flawed' | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk) Whilst I have no problem with an honest and reasoned critique, most of … Continue reading There must be an election coming up…
Category: Westminster
The UK rail industry, Wales, HS2, Trans Pennine Upgrade, Network Rail spend, etc…
Some of you will know I am busy writing a book about the South Wales Metro (or the Cardiff Capital Region metro as it used to be called…and will again I suspect). I have devoted one chapter to the dysfunction of the UK rail industry ecosystem as regards Wales (so yes UK Government investment, Barnett, … Continue reading The UK rail industry, Wales, HS2, Trans Pennine Upgrade, Network Rail spend, etc…
No rail devolution? No Swansea Bay Metro!
Without fundamental constitutional reform, a Swansea Bay Metro will likely never happen. A version of this blog appeared in the business section of Business News Wales / Western Mail on January 5th 2024. I want here to summarise its initial concept development, more recent scheme and business case development and the very real obstacles to … Continue reading No rail devolution? No Swansea Bay Metro!
Pride and the Global Centre of Rail Excellence
Earlier this week (on Tuesday 29th November 2023) I took a trip up to the top of the Dulais Valley, Onllwyn and the site of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence. My previous trip had been over five years earlier with MP Christina Rees and colleague Katie Allister to see what was then, Celtic Energy’s … Continue reading Pride and the Global Centre of Rail Excellence
Cardiff Airport…stick or twist?
Its ten years since Welsh Government bought Cardiff Airport…leading again to a polarised debate. In another shorter than usual article I want to try and unpack some of the issues and choices …and my views have been shaped by experts in the field of aviation (they know who they are!). So, do we stick or … Continue reading Cardiff Airport…stick or twist?
Political, Economic & Environmental Hopes for 2023/4…
PS Still relevant in 2024.... I shared some Metro themed Hopes and Moans in two related blogs yesterday (1st Jan 2023). Here I want to quickly share some broader political, economic and environmental hopes (mostly naïve I suspect) that I hold for 2023 and beyond (with links and references to some of my blogs over … Continue reading Political, Economic & Environmental Hopes for 2023/4…
Metro Hopes for 2023…
I’m normally pretty positive and optimistic…and have talked and written about Metros in Wales in such a manner, even with some small measure of critique. For example, in these blogs from 2022: Wales’ Metros – Update Feb 2022 Do you believe in Metro? and these earlier papers from 2018 (Which events have overtaken somewhat): My … Continue reading Metro Hopes for 2023…
Metro Moans for 2023…
(PS still relevant in 2024....) Single track Coryton line limiting service frequency to an inappropriate 2tph I’m normally pretty positive and optimistic…and have talked and written at length about Metros in Wales in such a manner, even with some small measure of critique. For example, in these blogs from 2022: Wales’ Metros – Update Feb … Continue reading Metro Moans for 2023…
200 to 1: English Rail Investment V Wales Rail Investment !
PS October 2023. Given PMs announcement cancelling HS2 north of Birmingham and a suggestion of £1Bn for OLE on the NWML I was going to update the ratio below (to something like 60:1). However, as I set out, there is no firm commitment on rail funding or timing thereof for Wales, so the issue has … Continue reading 200 to 1: English Rail Investment V Wales Rail Investment !
UK Government Cock Ups, Wales, Zen and The Art of Independence…
Whilst a student in Manchester in the 1980s, studying the Philosophy of Science (as part of my Physics degree) I read Robert Pirsig’s famous work, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. I’ll probably summarise this very poorly, but in his book, Pirsig explored, two world views which he manifests in his characters. One world view … Continue reading UK Government Cock Ups, Wales, Zen and The Art of Independence…
GBR – WISP Consultation. My response…Jan 2022
The nascent Great British Railways and their transition team are/will be responsible for the new "Whole Industry Strategic Plan". They are are currently consulting on that and have a call for evidence open until Feb 2022. I submitted my response to that "call for evidence" which is as set out below... PS I also submitted … Continue reading GBR – WISP Consultation. My response…Jan 2022
South Wales Metro & Devolution
This is the full version of the article that appeared in the December 2021 edition of Rail Technology Magazine and the February 2022 edition of Rail Professional. As many will know, I have been involved in the South Wales Metro project in various roles since my first report on the subject, “A Metro for Wales … Continue reading South Wales Metro & Devolution
Severnside – My 2012 Blog
I just found an old blog (see below), that was originally published by the IWA in 2012 on the subject of "Severnside", which I thought I should share unedited! Interesting to see how much, and how little, has changed since 2012. Especially the Climate Emergency, Brexit, the cancellation of GWML electrification to Swansea, a recognition … Continue reading Severnside – My 2012 Blog
What sort of Britain do we want?
July 2021... In February 2020, I published a blog “What sort of Wales do we want?” followed up by “The environment, Tax and Wales” earlier in 2021, and then augmented by a blog to counter the fallacious, "Wales isn't capable and cant afford independence" trope in March 2022. Collectively they explore, in very broad terms, … Continue reading What sort of Britain do we want?
Mark Barry 