#Railnatter

Hosted by Gareth Dennis

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319

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The world's leading independent railway podcast. Join award-winning rail engineer Gareth Dennis and many guests talking about all things TRAINS and TRANSPORT. #Railnatter goes out LIVE every Wednesday at 8pm, UK time, with the audio podcast following on all common platforms.

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60 recent

September 2, 202659 min

Will the Washington Metro extension work? | #Railnatter 319

Tonight, Gareth is looking over the proposed Washington extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to see if it works, and what to look out for as the proposals develop. We'll go through a short history of the system and think about the wider integrated transport context. Also: there's news to catch up on! Respond to the consultation with your thoughts here: https://bit.ly/metwash Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

August 26, 202653 min

CrossCountry Trains Cannot Be Saved | #Railnatter 318

By pure chance, the entirety of the CrossCountry Trains service fell over the weekend just gone, cancelling countless services and exporting disruption across the network. But this failure is just the tip of the iceberg. Tonight, we look at what is broken at CrossCountry and how a new fleet of trains could solve many of the problems. However, the biggest question we will tackle is: should we destroy the CrossCountry operation altogether?Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

August 19, 20261 hr 7 min

York to Hull: Yorkshire's crucial missing rail link? | #Railnatter 317

This is it! We are building a new railway from York to Hull, looking at route options, stations, services and costs, and most importantly setting the railway into its local, regional and national context. We're LIVE so bring your thoughts, opinions and proposals! Watch the first episode of the series here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHYjemzb7rY Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

August 5, 202651 min

Why GBR's AI plan is a SHAMBLES | #Railnatter 316

A year after being created, GBRX has done one thing: write a rail industry AI action plan. And it is absolutely shambolic. It is also insightful about the direction Britain's railways are being taken in, and who is taking them there. Featuring: Amazon, Google, NVIDIA, OpenAI and... Palantir. It's grim, but it's important. Read Cory Doctorow's essay: https://pluralistic.net/2026/08/01/dare-snot/#i-will-fucking-piledrive-you-if-you-mention-ai-again Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

July 29, 202619 min

How Britain lost THOUSANDS of train services in 2026 | #Railnatter 315

Since 2020, Britain's railways have seen drastic cuts in timetabled services across much of the country. But what have these cuts done for overcrowding? How have they impacted on growth? And which cities and operators are now chronically overcrowded? Thanks to MUCH DATA, we'll fling at high speed through a detailed picture of the railway that we have, and the railway that we need. Read the NEF report here: https://neweconomics.org/2026/07/cutting-the-transport-cost-of-living Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

July 22, 20261 hr 2 min

What Great British Railways should ACTUALLY be | #Railnatter 314

We've had a change in leadership for the country, but not for transport, and that means that the creation of GBR continues unaltered. In an episode of two halves, we'll first look at what the IDEAL railway organisation looks like, and how it fits into the wider transport picture. In the second half, we'll talk to Jo Grew, strategy director for GWR and NR Western, to understand what integrated operations like in practice, and remind ourselves: what is this all for? Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

July 15, 202649 min

Rebuilding Yorkshire's Broken Railway Network | #Railnatter 313

It's a corker tonight - the long-awaited network development episode for Yorkshire and the North East (outside of WY, SY and Tyne/Wear). Where are the gaps? What are the new bits of railway we need to maximise the railways' ability to get people and goods off the road? Join us for the first of a four-part mini-series! Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

July 8, 20261 hr 8 min

The Titfield Thunderbolt Predicted Today's Transport Crisis | #Railnatter 312

Tonight, we’re talking about the Titfield Thunderbolt! To celebrate its re-release in 4K we’ll be speaking to the team behind its loving restoration, talking about its impact and where its predictions hit the mark (and where they perhaps didn’t) and we’ll be taking a deeper look at the railway that inspired it all – the @TalyllynRailway1865 .Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

July 1, 20261 hr 9 min

Labour’s rail promises versus reality | #Railnatter 311

We have a packed show for you tonight! We start at the new Cambridge South station, taking stock of what major station budgets can buy you. Then we review Starmer's Labour legacy for railways, and how much of Louise Haigh's original vision remains intact. Then we blast our way through two months of news - joined by @MikeWillSee of @NetworkNewsUK !Support #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways

June 24, 202658 min

Why Safety Systems Failed At Talerddig | #Railnatter 310

On 21 October 2024, two Welsh regional trains collided with each other at Talerddig on the line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury, resulting in the death of a passenger and serious injuries to three others. A week ago, the RAIB released their final report into this terrible crash.Given extra poignance by the appalling crash between two East Midlands trains near Bedford last week, this episode we'll ask the question: how do trains crash into each other on today's highly protected railway?Full RAIB report: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-08-slash-2026-collision-between-two-passenger-trains-near-talerddigSupport #Railnatter at https://patreon.com/garethdennis. Merch at https://merch.railnatter.uk. Join in the discussion at https://discord.railnatter.uk. You can also buy my book #HowTheRailwaysWillFixTheFuture: https://bit.ly/HowTheRailways