On the wrong track: Without a new strategic approach could the UK rail network be heading for a 'death spiral'?

Cecilia Keating
clock • 9 min read
Passenger train passing through countryside near greater Manchester, England | Credit: iStock
Image:

Passenger train passing through countryside near greater Manchester, England | Credit: iStock

Rail cuts, project scale-backs, and train fare rises could sabotage the UK's progress towards a green economy, campaigners have warned

Few industries have been more exposed to the impact of coronavirus than the rail sector, and as many other parts of the economy edge back towards some sort of normality rail operators continue to face...

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