Railfuture is frequently quoted by the media in newspapers, transport magazines, online and on radio and television.
Below are some recent examples of Railfuture being reported during 2023.
Click HERE for more recent examples of Railfuture in the media.
23rd December - Rail Advent
"Railfuture’s lukewarm response to government rail freight growth plans" is the title of an article picking up our earlier press release.
22nd December - LBC and LBC News
The two sister stations want Railfuture's opinion on the fare rises in March of 4.9%. First up, Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on LBC News, (listen here or download here.) and then Railfuture director Neil Middleton is on LBC (listen here or download here).
20th December - Southern Region Stakeholder Newsletter, Kent
Railfuture's helpful presence at the annual Faversham Transport Festival back in May is mentioned in Network Rail's review of the year, "Celebrating Community Rail".
17th December - BBC Radio 4
Michelle Handforth, who was Network Rail's managing director for the Wales and Western Region, has resigned after problems with the Elizabeth line and more. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears in a news report which is broadcast on the Six O'clock News, Westminster Hour and Midnight News, as well as being quoted on the BBC News website and the BBC News TV channel. Listen here or download here.
14th December - 5 News
The programme includes a report on the apparent growing attractiveness of coach travel. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is interviewed to put the case for rail.
3rd December - LBC
Aslef has commenced a series of strikes which will affect most services in England at some point. What's Railfuture's point of view? Spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on Matthew Wright's breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
20th November - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
The scheme to reopen the line to Wisbech seems to be stuck in perpetual delay. East Anglia branch vice-chair Peter Wakefield is invited on to the breakfast show to discuss the lack of progress. Listen here or download here.
18th November - Cambridge Independent
The paper devotes an article to Railfuture's campaign to reinstate the line between Cambridge and Haverhill. It writes: "Railfuture East Anglia has stepped up its campaign calling for the reopening of the railway line between Haverhill and Cambridge. The volunteer-run rail user group says the move could link the city’s forthcoming Cambridge South station on the Biomedical Campus to Granta Park, Linton and Haverhill, covering a catchment of about 100,000 people."
15th November - BBC Look East
London & South East regional branch vice-chair talks about fare evasion on c2c.
1st November - BBC Radio Bristol
The government's U-turn on ticket office closures is welcomed by Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson, who appears on the breakfast show. His comments also appear in later news bulletins. Listen here or download here.
31st October - Eastern Daily Press
The paper picks up on our press release about ticket office closures, and Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted: “Those proposals do not protect the many millions of passengers who cannot buy tickets other than at ticket offices. We are particularly concerned that, whatever the watchdogs say, having considered the views of over 680,000 respondents, their recommendations may ultimately be rejected by the Secretary of State for Transport.”
The story is also picked up by Rail Business UK.
30th October - BBC Radio Manchester
Avanti is reducing the number of services between London and Manchester, blaming staff shortages and industrial action. Do these excuses wash? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the lunchtime programme to offer his opinion. Listen here or download here.
24th October - LBC
The Transport Select Committee has said that ticket office closures are happening "too far, too fast". Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views. Listen here or download here.
7th October - Talk TV
In the aftermath of the cancelling of the HS2 second leg, Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the Talk TV Breakfast show to discuss where we go from here. Click here to view.
5th October - BBC Radio Sheffield
Yorkshire branch vice-chair Andrew Dyson is invited on to the breakfast show to give his view on the efffect of the cancellation of HS2 on services in the North of England. Listen here or download here.
30th September - LBC News
On a day of further rail strikes, what are the prospects for resolving this dispute and what will be the impact on the railway longer term? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his view. Listen here or download here.
26th September - LBC
There's a lot to complain about on the railway at the moment, and presenter Shelagh Fogarty has had some unpleasant experiences. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited onto her show to discuss the causes and possible solutions to Britains' railway woes. Listen here or download here.
24th September - LBC
The station reacts to rumours that Rishi Sunak will scrap the second leg of HS2 to Manchester. Nick Abbot talks to Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson at length about the issues. Listen here or download here.
21st September - Bury Free Press
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt is calling for upgrades at Haughley and Ely rail junctions to be ‘top of the agenda’. Christopher Burton, vice chairman of East Anglia branch agrees, and believes that works should start immediately on the two bridges immediately north of Ely.
He is quoted: “Because there are some question marks, so I’m told, over the durability of the two bridges immediately north of Ely station, money should be spent here first. After all, it would be catastrophic if the story of Nuneham Bridge near Radley, earlier this year, became replicated with these local bridges. If one of those bridges fails, it will cost millions of pounds.”
19th September - i News
Avanti and CrossCountry have been given new rail contracts.
Bruce Williamson, of passenger group Railfuture told i the reason the DfT has awarded the two underperforming companies new contracts was likely to be a case of “better the devil they know”.
He said: “Actually CrossCountry have pulled their socks up. You would hope that the threat of the Government pulling out of these nine-year contracts early would be enough to encourage better management.”
14th September - Daily Mail
Under the headline "Peak ScotRail fares scrapped to get more commuters travelling by train - but some could end up paying MORE," Railfuture Scotland's Jane Ann Lston is quoted: "‘Anything that encourages more people to travel by train is a good thing and it’s good they are recognising travel patterns are changing. But naturally people are going to be miffed if they discover, effectively, their rail fares are going to be increased. I think we will be keeping a very close eye on it."
13th September - York Press
Nina Smith, chair of the Yorkshire branch, is quoted in the York Press on fare rises, describing them as "unacceptable".
"Not only is this a difficult increase to bear when there is a cost of living crisis, bur fares of this level may discourage people from using trains,"
9th September - BBC Radio Oxford
Trains serving Oxfordshire are amongst the worst for punctuality. Dave Richardson from Thames Valley branch is invited onto the radio to discuss. Listen here or download here.
2nd September - BBC Radio Sheffield
Strikes, ticket office closures, rail fares - is there any good news for the railway? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to discuss these issues. Listen here or download here.
24th August - Modern Railways
"Tarka Line potential" - Railfuture's Fighting Fund, supporting an Initial Business Case for the Torridge & North Devon Connectivity Programme, is mentioned in a letter to the editor in the September issue which responds to part of an article in the August issue.
24th August - Oxford Mail
Railfuture is urging passengers to oppose ticket office closures. Dave Richardson of Thames Valley branch says many more passengers could lose out if there is no-one at stations to buy a ticket from, and some may be put off travelling by rail altogether.
“We know that train operators are being forced to make economies by the Government, but this isn’t the right thing to do,” he said. “If passengers are driven off the railways because of the difficulty buying tickets and ever increasing fares, it’s bad for everyone and undermines our efforts to travel ‘greener’ rather than by car."
22nd August - BBC Radio Somerset
Bath Spa ticket office has reopened after the earlier ceiling collapse forced tis temporary closure, giving passengers a taste of things to come if the government closes them permanently. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to offer his view. Listen here or download here.
His comments are also quoted in an article on the BBC News website
17th August - East Lothian Courier
The paper reports that RAGES (Rail Action Group, East of Scotland) won the gold award for best campaign in Railfuture’s Rail User Group Awards.
16th August - BBC Radio Bristol
There was a protest at Bath Spa station against ticket office closures. The ticket office at Bath has already closed because the ceiling has collapsed. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the drive time programme to discuss this and rail fare increases. Listen here or download here.
16th August - Daily Telegraph
July's inflation figures have just been released, which are used to set next year's rail fare increases. The government claims that fares will go up by less than inflation, but haven't said what that increase will actually be. Railfuture spokemsan Bruce Williamson is quoted: “What is shocking is the contrast between motorists’ fuel duty and rail fares. The Government has continued with their 5p cut in fuel duty for motorists yet they have still put up rail fares, making trains relatively more expensive than driving. We should be encouraging people to use trains, not deterring them.”
8th August - Devon Live
"Devon County Council wins rail service award" - a liberally-illustrated article. about RUG Awards.
1st August - Dundee Courier
Scotland branch secretary Jane Ann Liston has a letter printed entitled "Highland rail line must be doubled." She writes: "If we are to have a ghost of a chance of reducing harmful emissions, there has to be a switch from road transport, both for freight and people, to the much more environmentally friendly railway. .... the Highland line between Perth and Inverness must be doubled and should have been years ago."
1st August - BBC Radio Bristol
Portway Park & Ride station has opened, claimed to be the first station in Bristol for nearly100 years. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show and his comments are featured in news bulletins throughout the day. Listen here or download here.
29th July - RUG Awards in Tarka Rail Association's "Station News"
Railfuture's five Awards for three Devon organisations, after this year's national AGM in London, mentioned in the 8th edition of the TRA's twice-yearly poster which is displayed in their noticeboards at all 12 Tarka Line stations.
26th July - Community Rail News
"Friends of Bishopstone Station celebrate multi-award success" - reference to their Gold Award and two Commendations in Railfuture's RUG Awards, in the regular fortnightly bulletin from the Community Rail Network.
25th July - BBC Radio Sheffield
Yorkshire branch vice chair Andrew Dyson is interviewed on the breakfast show about the impact of the proposed ticket office closures. Listen here or download here.
24th July - Barnstaple Town Council - Mayor's announcements
"The Mayor reported the following:
~ Tim Steer, Town Centre Ranger and local rail campaigner has been awarded the Best Campaigner and best Social Media awards the Railfuture Rail User National Awards at the University of London, earlier this month.
~ At the same ceremony Devon County Council also received a special award for rail development and public transport."
23rd July - Great Torrington Town Council's "Celebrations, consultations and competitions ... oh my!"
"Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" - reflecting the Devon County Council story from 17th July (below).
21st July - Devon's five RUG Awards in Crediton Courier, Okehampton Times, Tavistock Times Gazette, Tamar Valley Times, Totnes Times
"Devon scooped most awards at national Railfuture ceremony" - the same report appears in several local newspapers!
18th July - RUG Awards in Rail Business Daily
"Triple awards success for Bishopstone station community volunteers" - winners of a joint Gold and two Commendations: the Friends of Bishopstone Station (Facebook).
17th July - RUG Awards in Sussex World
"Triple awards success for Bishopstone station community volunteers" - winners of a joint Gold and two Commendations: the Friends of Bishopstone Station (website).
17th July - Exeter Daily
"Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" - reflecting the Devon County Council story from 17th July (below).
17th July - RUG Award for Devon County Council
Following their Judges' Special Award received on Saturday, "Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" said the Council's press release. Councillor Andrea Davis, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, who received the award presented by Hon. President Christian Wolmar, said: "This award is an unexpected honour and an incredible achievement for the County Council. It’s extremely pleasing to know that effort has been recognised by Railfuture and we thank them for this award."
13th July - BBC Radio Nottingham
East Midlands branch spokesperson Ariadne Tampion gives her view on ticket office closures. Listen here or download here.
9th July - (Bradford) Telegraph and Argus
Yorkshire branch chair Nina Smith is quoted in a story on ticket office closures: “It’s absolutely disastrous. What this will do is inconvenience nearly 150 million passengers nationally, who use ticket offices. There isn’t the same choice of tickets at the ticket machine, and they are complicated to use...... We ask the government to scrap the plans.”
6th July - BBC local radio
There's more coverage of ticket office closures:
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on BBC Radio Somerset. Listen here or download here.
Railfuture director Neil Middleton appears on BBC Radio Humberside. Listen here or download here.
Neil then appears on BBC Radio Surrey . Listen here or download here.
The next day, Yorkshire branch vice-chair Andrew Dyson appears on BBC Radio Sheffield. . Listen here or download here.
5th July - BBC Radio 4
Railfuture director Stewart Palmer appears on the Today programme to comment on widespread ticket office closures. His comments are repeated in news bulletins on BBC local radio. Listen here or download here.
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson discusses the same topic on
LBC (Listen here or download here), and is also featured in Sky News Radio bulletins carried on stations across the country (Listen here or download here). Also commenting is Railfuture's Kent divisional organiser Chris Fribbins on
BBC Radio Kent . Listen here or download here.
3rd July - Ticket office closures
Several publications pick up on our press release about the expected announcement of widespread ticket office closures. Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted on the Sky News website: "If this change drives passengers off the trains, then we'll all be worse off, even though there may be a cost saving, if fewer passengers are on the trains it is very easy to see that income will reduce. It may be more expensive to sell to the 12% of travellers who buy in-person, but is it really a good idea to give up all of the fare of a traveller who decides not to travel by train in order to save some of the cost?"
He is also quoted in The Guardian, the Manchester Evening News, on the ITV News website and inews
16th June - Times Radio
The Office of Rail and Road is going to investigate station food and drink prices after complaints that prices are far higher than on the high street. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson Is invited on to the late night show and gives the proposal a warm welcome. Listen here or download here.
14th June - RAIL
Following our 11th May press release, RAIL magazine picks up the story in issue 985 under the headline "Railfuture presses for date for Marston Line reopening."
12th June - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
LNER has scrapped return tickets, meaning that passengers will now have to buy two singles instead. East Anglia branch chair Nick Dibben is invited on to the breakfast show to offer his thoughts. Listen here or download here.
8th June - BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
Strikes, rail fares and unreliability of services are conspiring to make rail less attractive. Can we trust the railways to get us where we want to go? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views. Listen here or download here.
31st May - Rail magazine
The magazine prints an article based on our press release, under the headline "Railfuture urges contactless rethink". Railfuture directors Ian Brown and Neil Middleton are both quoted.
29th May - BBC Radio 4
The station asks "what are the railways for?" Yorkshire branch chair Nina Smith
thinks she has part of the answer as she is interviewed at Hebden Bridge station.
Listen here or download here.
28th May - Sky News
Dennis Fancett from North East branch is interviewed on Sky News about Transpennine losing its contract after a long period of poor performance. lCick here to watch on YouTube.
23rd May - BBC Radio Sussex
Railfuture chairman Chris Page is interviewed on the breakfast show about TfL's proposal to scrap one day travelcards. Listen here or download here.
25th May - Rye News
Destination Winchelsea reports the return of all-day every day hourly services for Southern's MarshLink's stations at Winchelsea and Three Oaks after 17 years of campaigning by Three Oaks and Winchelsea Action for Rail Transport (THWART), and features L&SE Branch Vice-Chair Roger Blake display a Railfuture business card with the caption Does what it says on the tin.
22 May - The Guardian
The DfT is proposing to remove wifi from trains as a cost cutting measure. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is quoted:
“One of the great things about travelling by train is that you can work or watch a video or listen to a podcast – and wifi is pretty essential for that. We should be encouraging passengers to get back on the trains and this is a good example of a move that is going to make rail less attractive.”
The story is also picked up by inews, and Bruce is also quoted in The Telegraph: "All this is going to do long-term is make rail less attractive, and maybe put people off travelling by train at all. It might even be counterproductive for that reason."
20th May - Cambridge News
"The Cambridgeshire town that used to have 3 train stations but now has none" is the headline - that town being Wisbech. The story reports on Railfuture's campaign to link the town back to Cambridge by rail.
19th May - MyLondon
The website reports on TFL's response to Railfuture's criticism of its plans to scrap Day Travelcards. Remarkably, Sadiq Khan’s travel chief Seb Dance described Railfuture's criticism as a "fair comment"!
18th May - Gloucestershire LIve
There will be more frequent trains connecting Gloucester to Bristol and the South West after a timetable shake-up. A spokesman for Railfuture is quoted: “These new train services will improve journeys to work, school, college, hospital shopping and leisure and tourism facilities.”
15th May - BBC Radio Essex
Transport for London is planning to scrap one day travelcards. Railfuture spokesman "Bruce Williams" offers his thoughts on why this is a bad move for passengers. Listen here or download here.
15th May - MyLondon
Under the headline "Sadiq Khan slammed over 'exclusionary' TfL plans to scrap Day Travelcards", the website picks up on our press release, quoting Railfuture director Ian Brown: “Contactless isn’t yet fit for purpose – it’s still for individuals, not groups, such as families, nor does it yet support Railcards. Also it’s exclusionary – not everyone has debit/credit cards, or any spending power on a card, and if you are not 'fully digital' checking spend, getting refunds etc becomes difficult to impossible."
The story also features on RailBusinessDaily
13th May - BBC Radio Five LIve
Railfuture is again consulted about strikes and TransPennine Express, as Andrew Dyson of Yorkshire branch is interviewed at length on BBC Radio Five LIve, with a clip of him later appearing in the news on BBC Radio 4. Listen here or download here.
12th May - Rail Business Daily.
The website gives extesive coverage of Railfuture's recent conference with the theme: Turning Point for the Railway.
12th May - LBC
With another weekend of strikes looming, Railfuture chair Chris Page appears on Nick Ferrari's breakfast show alongside rail minister Huw Merriman and professor Gregor Gall. Listen here or download here.
Sister station LBC News invites Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson onto its breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
11th May - BBC Radio Five Live
TransPennine Express is being renationalised after a long track record of poor performance. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited on to the drive time show to discuss. Listen here or download here.
Bruce also appears on the drivetime show on BBC Radio Scotland. Listen here or download here.
11th May - Rail Advent
The website picks up on our press release under the headline "Railfuture calls for updates on Marston Vale Line services".
20th April - North Devon Journal
Rail link is "needed now more than ever" says front page headline. Inside headline: "Rail link is more vital than ever 60 years after Beeching cuts" says ACE over report which includes "Mr Steer said: "We have been successful in securing funding from Railfuture and Great Western Railway. The funding has now gone to commissioning an independent railway consultant who will look at the existing rail line and what can be done to improve the existing line as well as options to extend the service to Greater Bideford"" - see full story here.
1st April - Crediton Courier
"Enthusiasts vision for trains from the Torridge area through Crediton" headlines coverage of ITV's visit to Bideford for 60th anniversary of first Beeching report, to interview Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer with others in front of Railfuture-funded campaign banner.
30th March - Crediton Country Courier
"Enthusiasts vision for trains from the Torridge area through Crediton" headlines coverage of ITV's visit to Bideford for 60th anniversary of first Beeching report, to interview Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer with others at former Bideford station. Article mentions "Tarka Rail Association has been successful in securing funding from Railfuture ....."
29th March - BBC Radio Devon
Tim Steer of Tarka Rail Association is interviewed about his organisation's plans and gives Railfuture a mention. Listen here or download here for a 1-minute clip; listen here or download here for the full 32 minutes!
29th March - BBC Radio Oxford
Dr Beeching rears his ugly head again, and Thames Valley branch spokesman Dave Richardson appears on the breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
28th March - Rail Advent
The website picks up on our press release celebrating the more than 400 stations and 100 lines and links restored since the infamous Beeching report.
28th March - Oxford Mail
"Three new rail lines in a decade is unprecedented" headlines coverage of current Oxford developments informed by interview with Thames Valley branch spokesman Dave Richardson.
27th March - ITV regional news
On the 60th anniversary of the publication of the first Beeching report, ITV's regional news programmes feature four local Railfuture representatives talking about aspirations for reopenings in their area - Meridian (Thames Valley), Tyne Tees, West Country (South West) and West Country (West).
26th March - Liphook Herald
"Hope that new trains will improve Alton to London Waterloo service" is the title of the story based on comments by Railfuture's Wessex branch, looking forward to a better service when new Class 701 Arterio trains are introduced.
26th March - Devon Live
"North Devon needs back its lost rail links" - including a reference to Railfuture's support for the Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project campaign.
23rd March - BBC Radio Bristol
Political leaders from South Wales and the West country have joined forces to push for improved rail services between the two regions. How realistic are these plans? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited on to the breakfast show to comment, and appears in news bulletins through the day. Listen here or download here.
18th March - Cambridge News
" An independent Cambridge initiative has sent an open letter to Cambridgeshire councils putting forward proposals for a light rail network in the city...Cambridge Connect, alongside Railfuture, have proposed an integrated light rail scheme that would serve Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire."
16th March - RailBusinessDaily
"Railfuture’s Annual National Conference still coming to Leeds despite strikes" reads the headline, as the website gives a plug to the event happening on the 30th March.
10th March - GB News
HS2 is to be delayed further in a move to delay costs. The station interviews Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson.
8th March - Bedford Independent
The headline is: "MP accused of misleading residents on lack of progress on Bedford to Bletchley rail services".
Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted: “The buses are a very unsatisfactory alternative to the train, which provides (when it runs) an effective public transport service for those in the area who do not have access to a car. This current gap in the train service is yet another service interruption after many years of poor service, including during long periods after the start of Covid, due to shortages of train drivers. It’s easy to think ‘it’s a branch line, it doesn’t really matter’ – but that’s to forget that the people who use the service are often really reliant on the service to get them from A to B (for instance, in this case, Ridgmont to Bedford).”
7th March - BBC Radio Wales
The morning show phone-in samples the public's view on the performance of Wales's railway system. Whilst most callers are critical, Peter Kingsbury, chair of Railfuture Cymru/Wales takes a more positive tone. Listen here or download here.
5th March - Metro
There's much coverage of rail fare increases, and Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is quoted in Metro and many other news outlets including the Evening Standard, Manchester Evening News , inews, Yahoo! and Sky.
He said: “I think very few people will be enjoying an income boost of 5.9% so the real impact is that it is taking a larger chunk out of people’s incomes.
“It’s going to deter people from travelling by train. Fortunately for some people they can work at home a bit, but there are some people who have no choice but to travel by train and go into work every day and they’re going to be worse off as a consequence of this.
“Year-on-year rail fares have gone up, the commuters generally speaking have had to grin and bear it and the Government has got away with making rail fares more and more expensive.
“I think we are starting to see, because of the working-from-home aspect, there is evidence that people are not buying season tickets anymore, they’re trying to cut down as much as they can, but for many people it will be a case of grin and bear it again.
“What can you do? If you have to get to work in order to make a living, and if you have no alternative, then you’ve got to grin and bear it and pay and find savings elsewhere in your life, but it’s not easy or pleasant.”
5th March - BBC One East
Phil Smart from Railfuture's East Anglia branch is interviewed on the Politics East programme about potentially relieving two rail bottlenecks in the area.
Two days later, Phil is pictured and quoted on the BBC News website.
5th March - LBC
Rail fares are going up by 5.9%. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to comment on the impact on passengers. Listen here or download here.
5th March - BBC News website
Railfuture appears on item on fare rise - "Whilst we understand the need for rail revenue to increase, a focus on extracting ever more money from current travellers seems to forget that persuading more to travel by train through better value and a more usable train service (frequent and reliable) has much more potential for reducing the gap between costs and income."
Railfuture gets a mention again on another BBC news web page:
"Another campaign group, Railfuture, said higher fares were likely to push more people to work from home and called for rail fares to be frozen, or even dropped, as fuel duty has been. "
4th March - The Courier
Railfuture's Scotland spokesperson Jane Ann Liston is featured in an article describing her 40-year campaign to get St Andrews back onto the rail network. The article notes: "Jane Ann’s decades of tireless campaigning means she was recently recognised with a Railfuture Campaigner of the Year award during a presentation in Holyrood."
19th February - Devon Live
Exciting plans to relink Bideford Tarka Line railway with rest of Devon runs the headline, before the full story The plan to link Bideford with the Tarka Line has support from parish councils along the tracks details the ceremonial unveiling and installation of a Railfuture-funded campaign banner at Crediton station (pictured).
16th February - Rail Business Daily
The web site plugs Railfuture's forthcoming conference: "Railfuture’s Annual National Conference comes to Leeds on Thursday 30 March 2023, with the needs of passengers and freight high on the agenda this year. Speakers will respond to the event’s headline, ‘Turning Point for the Railway’, discussing the importance of attracting more passenger and freight customers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic."
16th February - North Devon Journal
Campaigners confident over Bideford's rail bid says the headline above a photo of the installation ceremony for a Railfuture-funded campaign banner at Crediton station. Inside page 3 carries the full story.
9th February - BBC Radio Bristol
The government may extend its trial of abolishing return fares. Is this a good idea? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show and in news bulletins later in the day. Listen here or download here.
4th February - Crediton Courier
Campaign to connect north coast to Crediton - under a photo of two Tarka Rail Association members, including ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer, holding up a banner bearing Railfuture's logo: "The banners were made possible by funding from Railfuture which has 12 branches in England plus Wales and Scotland involved in local issues, which come together to support Railfuture on national campaigns. Railfuture is campaigning for a bigger and better railway in Britain. There is a Devon and Cornwall branch."
31st January - Fife Today
Campaigner of the Year Award - "Railfuture, which campaigns for better railways held its awards in the Parliament. Jane Ann Liston was named Campaigner of the Year for her work on the St Andrews Rail Link campaign as well as her efforts for other enhancements to rail services in Scotland."
26th January - The Times
In a full-page obituary for Adrian Shooter CBE: "He was ... vice-president of Railfuture, together with Andrew Adonis, the former Labour transport secretary and Chris Green, the former British Rail head of InterCity and Network SouthEast."
23rd January - LBC
Train reliability has reached an all time low with many services being cancelled. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views on the causes of this. Listen here or download here.
12th January - Cllr Zoe Nicholson - Lewes DC
In her online Q&A the Leader responded to a written question from Railfuture about progress with the new Local Plan - watch from 01:55 > 02:54.
7th January - Tarka Rail Association
A new Station News poster to be displayed in all 12 Tarka Line station noticeboards mentions Railfuture's recent RUG Awards to the TRA for its newsletter (Commendation) and ACE Rail campaign (Gold Award for Best New Group) with group photo including TRA committee member and ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer sporting the framed certificate for the Gold Award.
3rd January - LBC
The government claims that rail strikes risk losing a whole generation of rail travellers.
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the drive time programme to discuss. Listen here or download here.
He also is interviewed on this topic by Times Radio. Listen here or download here.
Click HERE for previous examples of Railfuture in the media.
Apply to join Railfuture now - click HERE.
Below are some recent examples of Railfuture being reported during 2023.
Click HERE for more recent examples of Railfuture in the media.
23rd December - Rail Advent
"Railfuture’s lukewarm response to government rail freight growth plans" is the title of an article picking up our earlier press release.
22nd December - LBC and LBC News
The two sister stations want Railfuture's opinion on the fare rises in March of 4.9%. First up, Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on LBC News, (listen here or download here.) and then Railfuture director Neil Middleton is on LBC (listen here or download here).
20th December - Southern Region Stakeholder Newsletter, Kent
Railfuture's helpful presence at the annual Faversham Transport Festival back in May is mentioned in Network Rail's review of the year, "Celebrating Community Rail".
17th December - BBC Radio 4
Michelle Handforth, who was Network Rail's managing director for the Wales and Western Region, has resigned after problems with the Elizabeth line and more. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears in a news report which is broadcast on the Six O'clock News, Westminster Hour and Midnight News, as well as being quoted on the BBC News website and the BBC News TV channel. Listen here or download here.
14th December - 5 News
The programme includes a report on the apparent growing attractiveness of coach travel. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is interviewed to put the case for rail.
3rd December - LBC
Aslef has commenced a series of strikes which will affect most services in England at some point. What's Railfuture's point of view? Spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on Matthew Wright's breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
20th November - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
The scheme to reopen the line to Wisbech seems to be stuck in perpetual delay. East Anglia branch vice-chair Peter Wakefield is invited on to the breakfast show to discuss the lack of progress. Listen here or download here.
18th November - Cambridge Independent
The paper devotes an article to Railfuture's campaign to reinstate the line between Cambridge and Haverhill. It writes: "Railfuture East Anglia has stepped up its campaign calling for the reopening of the railway line between Haverhill and Cambridge. The volunteer-run rail user group says the move could link the city’s forthcoming Cambridge South station on the Biomedical Campus to Granta Park, Linton and Haverhill, covering a catchment of about 100,000 people."
15th November - BBC Look East
London & South East regional branch vice-chair talks about fare evasion on c2c.
1st November - BBC Radio Bristol
The government's U-turn on ticket office closures is welcomed by Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson, who appears on the breakfast show. His comments also appear in later news bulletins. Listen here or download here.
31st October - Eastern Daily Press
The paper picks up on our press release about ticket office closures, and Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted: “Those proposals do not protect the many millions of passengers who cannot buy tickets other than at ticket offices. We are particularly concerned that, whatever the watchdogs say, having considered the views of over 680,000 respondents, their recommendations may ultimately be rejected by the Secretary of State for Transport.”
The story is also picked up by Rail Business UK.
30th October - BBC Radio Manchester
Avanti is reducing the number of services between London and Manchester, blaming staff shortages and industrial action. Do these excuses wash? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the lunchtime programme to offer his opinion. Listen here or download here.
24th October - LBC
The Transport Select Committee has said that ticket office closures are happening "too far, too fast". Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views. Listen here or download here.
7th October - Talk TV
In the aftermath of the cancelling of the HS2 second leg, Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the Talk TV Breakfast show to discuss where we go from here. Click here to view.
5th October - BBC Radio Sheffield
Yorkshire branch vice-chair Andrew Dyson is invited on to the breakfast show to give his view on the efffect of the cancellation of HS2 on services in the North of England. Listen here or download here.
30th September - LBC News
On a day of further rail strikes, what are the prospects for resolving this dispute and what will be the impact on the railway longer term? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his view. Listen here or download here.
26th September - LBC
There's a lot to complain about on the railway at the moment, and presenter Shelagh Fogarty has had some unpleasant experiences. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited onto her show to discuss the causes and possible solutions to Britains' railway woes. Listen here or download here.
24th September - LBC
The station reacts to rumours that Rishi Sunak will scrap the second leg of HS2 to Manchester. Nick Abbot talks to Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson at length about the issues. Listen here or download here.
21st September - Bury Free Press
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt is calling for upgrades at Haughley and Ely rail junctions to be ‘top of the agenda’. Christopher Burton, vice chairman of East Anglia branch agrees, and believes that works should start immediately on the two bridges immediately north of Ely.
He is quoted: “Because there are some question marks, so I’m told, over the durability of the two bridges immediately north of Ely station, money should be spent here first. After all, it would be catastrophic if the story of Nuneham Bridge near Radley, earlier this year, became replicated with these local bridges. If one of those bridges fails, it will cost millions of pounds.”
19th September - i News
Avanti and CrossCountry have been given new rail contracts.
Bruce Williamson, of passenger group Railfuture told i the reason the DfT has awarded the two underperforming companies new contracts was likely to be a case of “better the devil they know”.
He said: “Actually CrossCountry have pulled their socks up. You would hope that the threat of the Government pulling out of these nine-year contracts early would be enough to encourage better management.”
14th September - Daily Mail
Under the headline "Peak ScotRail fares scrapped to get more commuters travelling by train - but some could end up paying MORE," Railfuture Scotland's Jane Ann Lston is quoted: "‘Anything that encourages more people to travel by train is a good thing and it’s good they are recognising travel patterns are changing. But naturally people are going to be miffed if they discover, effectively, their rail fares are going to be increased. I think we will be keeping a very close eye on it."
13th September - York Press
Nina Smith, chair of the Yorkshire branch, is quoted in the York Press on fare rises, describing them as "unacceptable".
"Not only is this a difficult increase to bear when there is a cost of living crisis, bur fares of this level may discourage people from using trains,"
9th September - BBC Radio Oxford
Trains serving Oxfordshire are amongst the worst for punctuality. Dave Richardson from Thames Valley branch is invited onto the radio to discuss. Listen here or download here.
2nd September - BBC Radio Sheffield
Strikes, ticket office closures, rail fares - is there any good news for the railway? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to discuss these issues. Listen here or download here.
24th August - Modern Railways
"Tarka Line potential" - Railfuture's Fighting Fund, supporting an Initial Business Case for the Torridge & North Devon Connectivity Programme, is mentioned in a letter to the editor in the September issue which responds to part of an article in the August issue.
24th August - Oxford Mail
Railfuture is urging passengers to oppose ticket office closures. Dave Richardson of Thames Valley branch says many more passengers could lose out if there is no-one at stations to buy a ticket from, and some may be put off travelling by rail altogether.
“We know that train operators are being forced to make economies by the Government, but this isn’t the right thing to do,” he said. “If passengers are driven off the railways because of the difficulty buying tickets and ever increasing fares, it’s bad for everyone and undermines our efforts to travel ‘greener’ rather than by car."
22nd August - BBC Radio Somerset
Bath Spa ticket office has reopened after the earlier ceiling collapse forced tis temporary closure, giving passengers a taste of things to come if the government closes them permanently. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to offer his view. Listen here or download here.
His comments are also quoted in an article on the BBC News website
17th August - East Lothian Courier
The paper reports that RAGES (Rail Action Group, East of Scotland) won the gold award for best campaign in Railfuture’s Rail User Group Awards.
16th August - BBC Radio Bristol
There was a protest at Bath Spa station against ticket office closures. The ticket office at Bath has already closed because the ceiling has collapsed. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the drive time programme to discuss this and rail fare increases. Listen here or download here.
16th August - Daily Telegraph
July's inflation figures have just been released, which are used to set next year's rail fare increases. The government claims that fares will go up by less than inflation, but haven't said what that increase will actually be. Railfuture spokemsan Bruce Williamson is quoted: “What is shocking is the contrast between motorists’ fuel duty and rail fares. The Government has continued with their 5p cut in fuel duty for motorists yet they have still put up rail fares, making trains relatively more expensive than driving. We should be encouraging people to use trains, not deterring them.”
8th August - Devon Live
"Devon County Council wins rail service award" - a liberally-illustrated article. about RUG Awards.
1st August - Dundee Courier
Scotland branch secretary Jane Ann Liston has a letter printed entitled "Highland rail line must be doubled." She writes: "If we are to have a ghost of a chance of reducing harmful emissions, there has to be a switch from road transport, both for freight and people, to the much more environmentally friendly railway. .... the Highland line between Perth and Inverness must be doubled and should have been years ago."
1st August - BBC Radio Bristol
Portway Park & Ride station has opened, claimed to be the first station in Bristol for nearly100 years. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show and his comments are featured in news bulletins throughout the day. Listen here or download here.
29th July - RUG Awards in Tarka Rail Association's "Station News"
Railfuture's five Awards for three Devon organisations, after this year's national AGM in London, mentioned in the 8th edition of the TRA's twice-yearly poster which is displayed in their noticeboards at all 12 Tarka Line stations.
26th July - Community Rail News
"Friends of Bishopstone Station celebrate multi-award success" - reference to their Gold Award and two Commendations in Railfuture's RUG Awards, in the regular fortnightly bulletin from the Community Rail Network.
25th July - BBC Radio Sheffield
Yorkshire branch vice chair Andrew Dyson is interviewed on the breakfast show about the impact of the proposed ticket office closures. Listen here or download here.
24th July - Barnstaple Town Council - Mayor's announcements
"The Mayor reported the following:
~ Tim Steer, Town Centre Ranger and local rail campaigner has been awarded the Best Campaigner and best Social Media awards the Railfuture Rail User National Awards at the University of London, earlier this month.
~ At the same ceremony Devon County Council also received a special award for rail development and public transport."
23rd July - Great Torrington Town Council's "Celebrations, consultations and competitions ... oh my!"
"Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" - reflecting the Devon County Council story from 17th July (below).
21st July - Devon's five RUG Awards in Crediton Courier, Okehampton Times, Tavistock Times Gazette, Tamar Valley Times, Totnes Times
"Devon scooped most awards at national Railfuture ceremony" - the same report appears in several local newspapers!
18th July - RUG Awards in Rail Business Daily
"Triple awards success for Bishopstone station community volunteers" - winners of a joint Gold and two Commendations: the Friends of Bishopstone Station (Facebook).
17th July - RUG Awards in Sussex World
"Triple awards success for Bishopstone station community volunteers" - winners of a joint Gold and two Commendations: the Friends of Bishopstone Station (website).
17th July - Exeter Daily
"Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" - reflecting the Devon County Council story from 17th July (below).
17th July - RUG Award for Devon County Council
Following their Judges' Special Award received on Saturday, "Devon honoured to receive Railfuture award" said the Council's press release. Councillor Andrea Davis, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, who received the award presented by Hon. President Christian Wolmar, said: "This award is an unexpected honour and an incredible achievement for the County Council. It’s extremely pleasing to know that effort has been recognised by Railfuture and we thank them for this award."
13th July - BBC Radio Nottingham
East Midlands branch spokesperson Ariadne Tampion gives her view on ticket office closures. Listen here or download here.
9th July - (Bradford) Telegraph and Argus
Yorkshire branch chair Nina Smith is quoted in a story on ticket office closures: “It’s absolutely disastrous. What this will do is inconvenience nearly 150 million passengers nationally, who use ticket offices. There isn’t the same choice of tickets at the ticket machine, and they are complicated to use...... We ask the government to scrap the plans.”
6th July - BBC local radio
There's more coverage of ticket office closures:
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on BBC Radio Somerset. Listen here or download here.
Railfuture director Neil Middleton appears on BBC Radio Humberside. Listen here or download here.
Neil then appears on BBC Radio Surrey . Listen here or download here.
The next day, Yorkshire branch vice-chair Andrew Dyson appears on BBC Radio Sheffield. . Listen here or download here.
5th July - BBC Radio 4
Railfuture director Stewart Palmer appears on the Today programme to comment on widespread ticket office closures. His comments are repeated in news bulletins on BBC local radio. Listen here or download here.
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson discusses the same topic on
LBC (Listen here or download here), and is also featured in Sky News Radio bulletins carried on stations across the country (Listen here or download here). Also commenting is Railfuture's Kent divisional organiser Chris Fribbins on
BBC Radio Kent . Listen here or download here.
3rd July - Ticket office closures
Several publications pick up on our press release about the expected announcement of widespread ticket office closures. Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted on the Sky News website: "If this change drives passengers off the trains, then we'll all be worse off, even though there may be a cost saving, if fewer passengers are on the trains it is very easy to see that income will reduce. It may be more expensive to sell to the 12% of travellers who buy in-person, but is it really a good idea to give up all of the fare of a traveller who decides not to travel by train in order to save some of the cost?"
He is also quoted in The Guardian, the Manchester Evening News, on the ITV News website and inews
16th June - Times Radio
The Office of Rail and Road is going to investigate station food and drink prices after complaints that prices are far higher than on the high street. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson Is invited on to the late night show and gives the proposal a warm welcome. Listen here or download here.
14th June - RAIL
Following our 11th May press release, RAIL magazine picks up the story in issue 985 under the headline "Railfuture presses for date for Marston Line reopening."
12th June - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
LNER has scrapped return tickets, meaning that passengers will now have to buy two singles instead. East Anglia branch chair Nick Dibben is invited on to the breakfast show to offer his thoughts. Listen here or download here.
8th June - BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
Strikes, rail fares and unreliability of services are conspiring to make rail less attractive. Can we trust the railways to get us where we want to go? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views. Listen here or download here.
31st May - Rail magazine
The magazine prints an article based on our press release, under the headline "Railfuture urges contactless rethink". Railfuture directors Ian Brown and Neil Middleton are both quoted.
29th May - BBC Radio 4
The station asks "what are the railways for?" Yorkshire branch chair Nina Smith
thinks she has part of the answer as she is interviewed at Hebden Bridge station.
Listen here or download here.
28th May - Sky News
Dennis Fancett from North East branch is interviewed on Sky News about Transpennine losing its contract after a long period of poor performance. lCick here to watch on YouTube.
23rd May - BBC Radio Sussex
Railfuture chairman Chris Page is interviewed on the breakfast show about TfL's proposal to scrap one day travelcards. Listen here or download here.
25th May - Rye News
Destination Winchelsea reports the return of all-day every day hourly services for Southern's MarshLink's stations at Winchelsea and Three Oaks after 17 years of campaigning by Three Oaks and Winchelsea Action for Rail Transport (THWART), and features L&SE Branch Vice-Chair Roger Blake display a Railfuture business card with the caption Does what it says on the tin.
22 May - The Guardian
The DfT is proposing to remove wifi from trains as a cost cutting measure. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is quoted:
“One of the great things about travelling by train is that you can work or watch a video or listen to a podcast – and wifi is pretty essential for that. We should be encouraging passengers to get back on the trains and this is a good example of a move that is going to make rail less attractive.”
The story is also picked up by inews, and Bruce is also quoted in The Telegraph: "All this is going to do long-term is make rail less attractive, and maybe put people off travelling by train at all. It might even be counterproductive for that reason."
20th May - Cambridge News
"The Cambridgeshire town that used to have 3 train stations but now has none" is the headline - that town being Wisbech. The story reports on Railfuture's campaign to link the town back to Cambridge by rail.
19th May - MyLondon
The website reports on TFL's response to Railfuture's criticism of its plans to scrap Day Travelcards. Remarkably, Sadiq Khan’s travel chief Seb Dance described Railfuture's criticism as a "fair comment"!
18th May - Gloucestershire LIve
There will be more frequent trains connecting Gloucester to Bristol and the South West after a timetable shake-up. A spokesman for Railfuture is quoted: “These new train services will improve journeys to work, school, college, hospital shopping and leisure and tourism facilities.”
15th May - BBC Radio Essex
Transport for London is planning to scrap one day travelcards. Railfuture spokesman "Bruce Williams" offers his thoughts on why this is a bad move for passengers. Listen here or download here.
15th May - MyLondon
Under the headline "Sadiq Khan slammed over 'exclusionary' TfL plans to scrap Day Travelcards", the website picks up on our press release, quoting Railfuture director Ian Brown: “Contactless isn’t yet fit for purpose – it’s still for individuals, not groups, such as families, nor does it yet support Railcards. Also it’s exclusionary – not everyone has debit/credit cards, or any spending power on a card, and if you are not 'fully digital' checking spend, getting refunds etc becomes difficult to impossible."
The story also features on RailBusinessDaily
13th May - BBC Radio Five LIve
Railfuture is again consulted about strikes and TransPennine Express, as Andrew Dyson of Yorkshire branch is interviewed at length on BBC Radio Five LIve, with a clip of him later appearing in the news on BBC Radio 4. Listen here or download here.
12th May - Rail Business Daily.
The website gives extesive coverage of Railfuture's recent conference with the theme: Turning Point for the Railway.
12th May - LBC
With another weekend of strikes looming, Railfuture chair Chris Page appears on Nick Ferrari's breakfast show alongside rail minister Huw Merriman and professor Gregor Gall. Listen here or download here.
Sister station LBC News invites Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson onto its breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
11th May - BBC Radio Five Live
TransPennine Express is being renationalised after a long track record of poor performance. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited on to the drive time show to discuss. Listen here or download here.
Bruce also appears on the drivetime show on BBC Radio Scotland. Listen here or download here.
11th May - Rail Advent
The website picks up on our press release under the headline "Railfuture calls for updates on Marston Vale Line services".
20th April - North Devon Journal
Rail link is "needed now more than ever" says front page headline. Inside headline: "Rail link is more vital than ever 60 years after Beeching cuts" says ACE over report which includes "Mr Steer said: "We have been successful in securing funding from Railfuture and Great Western Railway. The funding has now gone to commissioning an independent railway consultant who will look at the existing rail line and what can be done to improve the existing line as well as options to extend the service to Greater Bideford"" - see full story here.
1st April - Crediton Courier
"Enthusiasts vision for trains from the Torridge area through Crediton" headlines coverage of ITV's visit to Bideford for 60th anniversary of first Beeching report, to interview Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer with others in front of Railfuture-funded campaign banner.
30th March - Crediton Country Courier
"Enthusiasts vision for trains from the Torridge area through Crediton" headlines coverage of ITV's visit to Bideford for 60th anniversary of first Beeching report, to interview Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer with others at former Bideford station. Article mentions "Tarka Rail Association has been successful in securing funding from Railfuture ....."
29th March - BBC Radio Devon
Tim Steer of Tarka Rail Association is interviewed about his organisation's plans and gives Railfuture a mention. Listen here or download here for a 1-minute clip; listen here or download here for the full 32 minutes!
29th March - BBC Radio Oxford
Dr Beeching rears his ugly head again, and Thames Valley branch spokesman Dave Richardson appears on the breakfast show. Listen here or download here.
28th March - Rail Advent
The website picks up on our press release celebrating the more than 400 stations and 100 lines and links restored since the infamous Beeching report.
28th March - Oxford Mail
"Three new rail lines in a decade is unprecedented" headlines coverage of current Oxford developments informed by interview with Thames Valley branch spokesman Dave Richardson.
27th March - ITV regional news
On the 60th anniversary of the publication of the first Beeching report, ITV's regional news programmes feature four local Railfuture representatives talking about aspirations for reopenings in their area - Meridian (Thames Valley), Tyne Tees, West Country (South West) and West Country (West).
26th March - Liphook Herald
"Hope that new trains will improve Alton to London Waterloo service" is the title of the story based on comments by Railfuture's Wessex branch, looking forward to a better service when new Class 701 Arterio trains are introduced.
26th March - Devon Live
"North Devon needs back its lost rail links" - including a reference to Railfuture's support for the Tarka Rail Association's ACE Rail project campaign.
23rd March - BBC Radio Bristol
Political leaders from South Wales and the West country have joined forces to push for improved rail services between the two regions. How realistic are these plans? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is invited on to the breakfast show to comment, and appears in news bulletins through the day. Listen here or download here.
18th March - Cambridge News
" An independent Cambridge initiative has sent an open letter to Cambridgeshire councils putting forward proposals for a light rail network in the city...Cambridge Connect, alongside Railfuture, have proposed an integrated light rail scheme that would serve Cambridge city and South Cambridgeshire."
16th March - RailBusinessDaily
"Railfuture’s Annual National Conference still coming to Leeds despite strikes" reads the headline, as the website gives a plug to the event happening on the 30th March.
10th March - GB News
HS2 is to be delayed further in a move to delay costs. The station interviews Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson.
8th March - Bedford Independent
The headline is: "MP accused of misleading residents on lack of progress on Bedford to Bletchley rail services".
Railfuture director Neil Middleton is quoted: “The buses are a very unsatisfactory alternative to the train, which provides (when it runs) an effective public transport service for those in the area who do not have access to a car. This current gap in the train service is yet another service interruption after many years of poor service, including during long periods after the start of Covid, due to shortages of train drivers. It’s easy to think ‘it’s a branch line, it doesn’t really matter’ – but that’s to forget that the people who use the service are often really reliant on the service to get them from A to B (for instance, in this case, Ridgmont to Bedford).”
7th March - BBC Radio Wales
The morning show phone-in samples the public's view on the performance of Wales's railway system. Whilst most callers are critical, Peter Kingsbury, chair of Railfuture Cymru/Wales takes a more positive tone. Listen here or download here.
5th March - Metro
There's much coverage of rail fare increases, and Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson is quoted in Metro and many other news outlets including the Evening Standard, Manchester Evening News , inews, Yahoo! and Sky.
He said: “I think very few people will be enjoying an income boost of 5.9% so the real impact is that it is taking a larger chunk out of people’s incomes.
“It’s going to deter people from travelling by train. Fortunately for some people they can work at home a bit, but there are some people who have no choice but to travel by train and go into work every day and they’re going to be worse off as a consequence of this.
“Year-on-year rail fares have gone up, the commuters generally speaking have had to grin and bear it and the Government has got away with making rail fares more and more expensive.
“I think we are starting to see, because of the working-from-home aspect, there is evidence that people are not buying season tickets anymore, they’re trying to cut down as much as they can, but for many people it will be a case of grin and bear it again.
“What can you do? If you have to get to work in order to make a living, and if you have no alternative, then you’ve got to grin and bear it and pay and find savings elsewhere in your life, but it’s not easy or pleasant.”
5th March - BBC One East
Phil Smart from Railfuture's East Anglia branch is interviewed on the Politics East programme about potentially relieving two rail bottlenecks in the area.
Two days later, Phil is pictured and quoted on the BBC News website.
5th March - LBC
Rail fares are going up by 5.9%. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show to comment on the impact on passengers. Listen here or download here.
5th March - BBC News website
Railfuture appears on item on fare rise - "Whilst we understand the need for rail revenue to increase, a focus on extracting ever more money from current travellers seems to forget that persuading more to travel by train through better value and a more usable train service (frequent and reliable) has much more potential for reducing the gap between costs and income."
Railfuture gets a mention again on another BBC news web page:
"Another campaign group, Railfuture, said higher fares were likely to push more people to work from home and called for rail fares to be frozen, or even dropped, as fuel duty has been. "
4th March - The Courier
Railfuture's Scotland spokesperson Jane Ann Liston is featured in an article describing her 40-year campaign to get St Andrews back onto the rail network. The article notes: "Jane Ann’s decades of tireless campaigning means she was recently recognised with a Railfuture Campaigner of the Year award during a presentation in Holyrood."
19th February - Devon Live
Exciting plans to relink Bideford Tarka Line railway with rest of Devon runs the headline, before the full story The plan to link Bideford with the Tarka Line has support from parish councils along the tracks details the ceremonial unveiling and installation of a Railfuture-funded campaign banner at Crediton station (pictured).
16th February - Rail Business Daily
The web site plugs Railfuture's forthcoming conference: "Railfuture’s Annual National Conference comes to Leeds on Thursday 30 March 2023, with the needs of passengers and freight high on the agenda this year. Speakers will respond to the event’s headline, ‘Turning Point for the Railway’, discussing the importance of attracting more passenger and freight customers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic."
16th February - North Devon Journal
Campaigners confident over Bideford's rail bid says the headline above a photo of the installation ceremony for a Railfuture-funded campaign banner at Crediton station. Inside page 3 carries the full story.
9th February - BBC Radio Bristol
The government may extend its trial of abolishing return fares. Is this a good idea? Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the breakfast show and in news bulletins later in the day. Listen here or download here.
4th February - Crediton Courier
Campaign to connect north coast to Crediton - under a photo of two Tarka Rail Association members, including ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer, holding up a banner bearing Railfuture's logo: "The banners were made possible by funding from Railfuture which has 12 branches in England plus Wales and Scotland involved in local issues, which come together to support Railfuture on national campaigns. Railfuture is campaigning for a bigger and better railway in Britain. There is a Devon and Cornwall branch."
31st January - Fife Today
Campaigner of the Year Award - "Railfuture, which campaigns for better railways held its awards in the Parliament. Jane Ann Liston was named Campaigner of the Year for her work on the St Andrews Rail Link campaign as well as her efforts for other enhancements to rail services in Scotland."
26th January - The Times
In a full-page obituary for Adrian Shooter CBE: "He was ... vice-president of Railfuture, together with Andrew Adonis, the former Labour transport secretary and Chris Green, the former British Rail head of InterCity and Network SouthEast."
23rd January - LBC
Train reliability has reached an all time low with many services being cancelled. Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson offers his views on the causes of this. Listen here or download here.
12th January - Cllr Zoe Nicholson - Lewes DC
In her online Q&A the Leader responded to a written question from Railfuture about progress with the new Local Plan - watch from 01:55 > 02:54.
7th January - Tarka Rail Association
A new Station News poster to be displayed in all 12 Tarka Line station noticeboards mentions Railfuture's recent RUG Awards to the TRA for its newsletter (Commendation) and ACE Rail campaign (Gold Award for Best New Group) with group photo including TRA committee member and ACE Rail project lead Tim Steer sporting the framed certificate for the Gold Award.
3rd January - LBC
The government claims that rail strikes risk losing a whole generation of rail travellers.
Railfuture spokesman Bruce Williamson appears on the drive time programme to discuss. Listen here or download here.
He also is interviewed on this topic by Times Radio. Listen here or download here.
Click HERE for previous examples of Railfuture in the media.
Apply to join Railfuture now - click HERE.