Railis a Britishmagazineon the subject of currentrail transport in Great Britain.It is published every two weeks byBauer Consumer Mediaand can be bought from thetravelsections of UK newsstands. It is targeted primarily at the enthusiast market, but also covers issues relating to rail transport.
 Cover of an issue from July 2024 | |
| Categories | Rail transport |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Fortnightly |
| Circulation |  20,063(January–December 2015)[1] |
| Publisher | Bauer Consumer Media |
| First issue | 1981(asRail Enthusiast) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | Peterborough |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 0953-4563 |
Railis more than four decades old, and was calledRail Enthusiastfrom its launch in 1981 until 1988. It is one of only two railway magazines that increased its circulation. It has roughly the same cover design for several years, with a capitalised italic redRAILalong the top of the front cover.
Editorial policy
editRailis customarily critical of railway institutions, including the Rail Delivery Group, theOffice of Rail and Road,as well as, since it assumed greater railway powers, theDepartment for Transport.Rail'scontinuing campaigns include one against advertising and media images showing celebrities and others walking between the rails (an unsafe practice), with another against weeds on railway lines.
The market for rail magazines has remained static but bounced back since then.[when?]To meet the change in the market, the magazine has repositioned itself from being purely enthusiast-based to being more business-oriented. This has met with some success.
Railalso organises conferences, including the annual National Rail Conference, the National Rail Awards and theRail100 Breakfast Club.
Regular features and contributors
editThis sectionneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2016) |
Railpublishes a mix of news, analysis and features written by its own editorial staff and freelance contributors.
The magazine takes a broadly supportive stance onHigh Speed 2and began running a regular column dedicated to it in 2013.
The magazine's managing editor wasNigel Harris,who was editor for 28 years between 1995 and September 2023.[2]Dickon Ross took over as editor in 2024. Other staff include Industry Editor Richard Wilcock and News Editor Dave Stubbings.[3]
Other regular contributors include transport commentatorChristian Wolmar,one of the most vociferous critics of the privatisation of railways in Britain; fares and ticketing expert Barry Doe (The Fare Dealer); an anonymous railway employee, theIndustry Insider,as well as Steve Broadbent, Andy Coward and Chris Leigh.
Many ofRail'seditorial staff frequently appear on television and radio when a rail expert is needed to comment on a story.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"RAIL – circulation".ABC.11 February 2016.Retrieved11 September2016.
- ^Clifton, Paul (6 September 2023)."Nigel harris to step down after 28 years leading rail - 6 Sep 2023 - Rail Magazine - Readly".Readly.Retrieved21 December2023.
- ^"RAIL welcomes Tom as new features editor".Rail Magazine.Retrieved27 August2021.