It was great to hear Keir Starmer talk about rail accessibility being a ‘basic requirement’ following the dreadful experience Tanni...

<p>It was great to hear Keir Starmer talk about rail accessibility being a &#8216;basic requirement&#8217; following the dreadful experience Tanni Grey-Thompson suffered on an LNER train earlier this week. He was also correct in pointing out that many other people, without Tanni&#8217;s profile and reach, would have had similar experiences across the UK rail network. &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/09/01/starmer-rail-accessibility-and-tanni-gt/" class="more-

<p>In 2015, Sir Peter Hendy, now Lord Hendy and currently Minister of State for Rail, was appointed as Chair of Network Rail and tasked to conduct a review of the enhancement programme for Control Period 5, which ran from 2014-2019. From the resulting &#8216;Hendy Report&#8217; this programme was &#8220;prioritised to reflect the government&#8217;s commitments to &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/08/09/a-decade-of-step-free-delay/" class="more-link">Continue r

In 2015, Sir Peter Hendy, now Lord Hendy and currently Minister of State for Rail, was appointed as Chair of Network Rail and tasked to...

<p>Farage talks about “something going wrong in our once beautiful country”. Yes, something is going wrong with this country, it is grifters like him, aided and abetted by the hard right media, who for years have sown the seeds of hate and division for personal and political gain. However, it is vital that ALL politicians &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/08/07/taking-on-the-far-right/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Taking

Farage talks about “something going wrong in our once beautiful country”. Yes, something is going wrong with this country, it is grifters...

<p>Today, Wednesday 24th July, we met once again with Network Rail and local stakeholders including local Councillors and local MP, Richard Fuller. You can read my previous update from our last meeting in May, which announced a further delay here: <a href="http://julianvaughan.blog/2024/05/09/lifts-at-biggleswade-delayed-until-summer-2025/">http://julianvaughan.blog/2024/05/09/lifts-at-biggleswade-delayed-until-summer-2025/</a> At the last meeting, we were told that a new quo

Today, Wednesday 24th July, we met once again with Network Rail and local stakeholders including local Councillors and local MP, Richard...

On 24th May 2024, the government announced the 50 stations set to benefit from the £350 million of funding for step-free access as part...

<p>On 24th May 2024, the government announced the 50 stations set to benefit from the £350 million of funding for step-free access as part of the funding settlement for Control Period 7 (2024-2029). You can find the full list here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/railway-stations-awarded-access-for-all-accessibility-funding/railway-stations-awarded-access-for-all-accessibility-funding" rel="nofollow">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/railway-stati

<p>On 24th May the Department for Transport announced the railway stations set to benefit from the latest round of &#8216;Access for All&#8217; (AfA) funding for Control Period 7 which runs from 2024-2029. Having been part of the campaign group, I was delighted to see Leagrave station on the list. However, the £350 million allocated for &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/07/16/can-we-afford-not-to-have-an-accessible-railway/" class="more-link">Continue reading

On 24th May the Department for Transport announced the railway stations set to benefit from the latest round of ‘Access for All’ (AfA)...

<p>I have been a train driver for 21 years. Last year I was involved in an incident at work where someone jumped in front of my train, and very sadly this incident resulted in a fatality. I am deliberately vague about the specific details of the incident to maintain anonymity. Having now returned to driving &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/06/17/fatality-on-the-railway-a-drivers-perspective/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text"

I have been a train driver for 21 years. Last year I was involved in an incident at work where someone jumped in front of my train, and...

After standing as a Labour candidate in the last two General Elections, when you are offered a candidacy in one of the safest Tory seats...

<p>After standing as a Labour candidate in the last two General Elections, when you are offered a candidacy in one of the safest Tory seats in the UK, it dawns on you rather quickly that your face just doesn’t fit and it is time to move on. So, after politely declining the opportunity to stand &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/05/23/down-but-not-out/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Down, but not&nbsp;out</span> <span class=

<p>As a campaigner for rail accessibility, a train driver and a proud member of the ASLEF union, I am delighted that yesterday ASLEF adopted the motion which I wrote for debate at ASLEF&#8217;s Annual Assembly of Delegates (AAD), which means that supporting improved rail accessibility on the UK rail network is now official ASLEF policy. &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/05/22/aslef-union-backs-uk-rail-accessibility/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span cl

As a campaigner for rail accessibility, a train driver and a proud member of the ASLEF union, I am delighted that yesterday ASLEF adopted...

<p>Biggleswade station, located on the East Coast Mainline in Bedfordshire, and a growing commuter town, was awarded &#8216;Access for All&#8217; funding in April 2019. Since then the project, now on its fifth Network Rail project lead, has faced several delays and we have moved from a completion date of Summer 2022, to a provisional date &hellip; <a href="https://julianvaughan.blog/2024/05/09/lifts-at-biggleswade-delayed-until-summer-2025/" class="more-link">Continue reading

Biggleswade station, located on the East Coast Mainline in Bedfordshire, and a growing commuter town, was awarded ‘Access for All’...