Britain is perceived to have high rail fares in comparison to other European countries. However, the entire package needs to be considered and few people appreciate some of the ’freebies’ that the fare buys, including a generous refund policy when trains are delayed. Unfortunately some people have abused this – fraudulently – for financial gain, as a news article in the London Evening Standard showed on 11th February 2016 (see photo and headline above).

On 4th February 1996 the most noticeable change arising from privatisation of Britain’s railway was the start of services by South West Trains, the first private company to carry passengers since 1948.The photo above, by Andrew Butcher and taken from Wikipedia, shows a British Rail Class 444 approaching Clapham Junction railway station

Railfuture campaigns for a bigger and better railway in Britain – one that is modern, innovative, welcoming and meets the growing expectations of passengers. There are a mountain of ideas that can be emulated from railways around the world. Salzburg provides a good starting point.

Ever wanted to send someone to Coventry? Well, the railway can certainly help you do that. The city is served by fast frequent trains. But supposing you wanted to send them to Coventry Arena? Well, that’s a different matter - unless you are using German (left) or Austrian (right) apps and sites because they know precisely where the stations are, as the map on their apps proves.

Railfuture succeeded in calling (along with other groups) for an end for RPI+1% fare rises, which were introduced by the government in 2004. Railfuture is now lobbying hard for the government to switch away from the obsolete RPI measurement to the modern CPI inflation figures, which are about 1% lower, when setting the annual regulate fare rises.

Railfuture looks forward to a lot of rail schemes coming to fruition in 2016 along with progress on longer-term schemes such as CrossRail, Thameslink and electrification. However, it’s important not to forget about the small things that improves the passenger experience. Railfuture has a wish list for those items too.

In a nine-day period in December 2015 passengers benefited from the opening of two tram extensions (the above photo shows the Midland Metro leaving Bull Street for Wolverhampton - by Ian Brown), two brand new stations, a relocated and much-improved station plus the resumption of train services through a re-bored and much larger tunnel allowing faster journeys and future electrification. It’s not a bad way to end 2015 – a year that also saw the longest ever rail reopening – and hopefully a sign of further progress in 2016.)

Annual passenger numbers on the London Underground grow each year and in December 2015 it had its busiest-ever day carrying 4.821 million passengers. Is the under-pressure system capable of carrying more, and if so, how? (Photo montage shows a new entrance at King’s Cross, Northfields station on a Sunday afternoon, interior of a Central Line carriage, passenger flow control around lifts at Heathrow Airport.)

Britain’s railway has seen a massive growth in the number of passenger journeys over the last 20 years. There are various reasons for this unexpected and unprecedented resurgence. However, looking at the graphic from the Shaw Report (interim) published in November 2015, one might ask how this has been possible without a corresponding increase in capacity.