Railfuture
UK railway advocacy group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Railfuture (formerly the Railway Development Society) is a UK advocacy group which promotes better rail services for passengers and freight across a bigger rail network.[2] The group's national policies are determined by its national board of directors (one-third elected by the membership every year, for a three-year term) and its national AGM. The group's campaigns are pursued nationally by three policy groups (Passenger, Infrastructure & Networks, Freight) and locally through regional branches (12 in England, plus one each in Wales[3] and Scotland[4]). Its honorary president is Christian Wolmar, a transport writer and broadcaster.[5] Its vice-presidents include former rail industry leaders Ian Brown CBE, Chris Green, and Stewart Palmer, and leading commentators such as Roger Ford of Modern Railways and fellow columnist Alan Williams.
- 3 Chandos Court, Martlesham, Suffolk IP12 4SU[1]
 | |
| Founded | 1978 (One predecessor founded 1951) |
|---|---|
| Focus | Transport |
| Location |
|
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Method | Political advocacy |
| Website | www.railfuture.org.uk |
Formerly called | Railway Development Society |
Railfuture's opinions and campaigns receive coverage in the UK press, including national,[6][7][8][9] regional,[10][11][12][13] and rail[14][15][16][17] publications. It has been mentioned in both houses of Parliament,[18][19][20] and transport unions[21][22] and international press[23][24] also cite its reports and follow its actions. It claims to have 20,000 affiliated and individual members.[2][9]
History
The Railway Development Society (RDS) was preceded by the Society for the Reinvigoration of Unremunerative Branch Lines (UK) [SRUBLUK] founded in 1951 and which became the simpler-sounding Railway Invigoration Society (RIS). The RIS and the Railway Development Association (RDA, founded 1951[25]) merged in 1978 to become the RDS.[26] A founding member of the RDA was poet and rail enthusiast Sir John Betjeman.[25]
One of the society's main campaign points was the retention of railway lines threatened with closure, and now the reopening of closed lines and stations.[17][8] Campaigns with successful outcomes include the saving of the Settle–Carlisle line in the 1980s,[19][27] improvements to the Oxford–Bicester line,[28] and the reopening of the Borders Railway.[29][17][30]
Additionally, Railfuture publishes proposals for entirely new rail schemes. One such is Thameslink 2, an additional north-south route cross-London route, connecting the Brighton Main Line to routes north of London, via East Croydon, Lewisham, Canary Wharf, and Stratford.[31]
Structure
The group has an elected national Board of Directors, and twelve English regional branches, plus Railfuture Scotland and Railfuture Wales.[32]
Initiatives
The organisation has campaigned a reworking of concessionary fares on the British railway network by the introduction of a uniform "National Railcard" scheme to replace the railcards including the 16–25 Railcard, Network Railcard and Senior Railcard. Such a card was envisaged to take a similar form to existing BahnCard products offered by Deutsche Bahn in Germany. In April 2003, a study undertaken jointly by Railfuture and the Rail Passengers Council (later "Passenger Focus") stated that three million rail travellers might buy such a railcard if it were priced at £20.00, and offered a one-third discount for off-peak travel.[33]
Other work has included advice on access for disabled passengers, such as in Gloucestershire.[34]
Collaboration
Railfuture is a member of the European Passenger Federation.
Publications
Railwatch is a magazine published by Railfuture four times per year.