Transwatch is an independent organisation not connected with any business, organisation or political party initially funded by a private trust and dedicated to making the best use of land already committed to transport in the interests of the community as a whole

Director Paul F Withrington BSc MSc MICE CEng
Formerly project manager Transport Planning Northamptonshire County Council

We are to support research at universities and welcome factual comment and discussion.

Who should be interested in this website?

This site aims to be as factual as possible. Hence the data will be of particular interest to people considering investment in transport systems and those responsible for transport policy generally. Tax payers will also find the site revealing particularly with regard to rail.

For contents see site map

News and Updates

1. Fact sheet 5c Electric cars
2. See new topic 'Sample Letters to MP's'
3. See new topic 'Letters to Local Transport Today and the New Civil Engineer'
4. Fact sheet 5 dealing with high speed rail and air carbon emissions is updated
5. Fact sheet 5 dealing with the fuel and carbon emission of rail is updated
6. See new topic 'Nata Refresh Consultation'
7. See new topic 'Snippets to the Times'
8. Broken Dreams
9. The Air Engine
10. See new topic 'Railway Lunatics'
11. See new topic 'Climate Change'
12. See new topic 'Train Delays'
13. See news section for letters to the press.
14. Have fun with the railway lobby group, Transport 2000.
15. See the new Facts Sheet 5(a), comparing emissions by road and rail.
16. See the new High Speed Rail topic available May 2006
17. See the new Rail Conversion topic available from May 2006
18. See update to facts sheet 12 - Costs of conversion and rates of retunes of return available from May 2006
19. Spiked-on line; concrete over the railways
20. See our chapter from page 170 in the Institute of Economic Affairs publication "the New Rural Economy" Click Here
21. See news section for comment on "careless" driving and speed cameras
22. See news section for comment on Maglev and for comment on the plan to spend £5-10 billion on expanding the capacity of London's rail network
23. See Historic quotes compiled by the Railway Conversion league in 1974
24. See new link www.Reason.org and read about:
    1. Great rail disasters: The impact of rail transit on urban liveability by Randal 0'Toole
    2. Busways vs. Rail capacity: Separating myth from fact by Peter Samuel
    3. Railroading the poor: Transit for the Rich by Ted Balaker.
25. See the Transport Watch Advert as placed in Private Eye, The Week and The New Statesman, December 2004 - February 2005. (click here to see it)
26. See our rebuttal of the "Forensic Demolition" of the advert by Rail Forum Director General, Adrian Lyons and Managing Editor, Nigel Harris in the Rail Magazine.
27. See the complaint to the Adverting Standards Authority by Rail Future and Railway Forum along with our response.
28. See The Case for Rail Demolished.
29. See the new section on Rural Rail
30. See the update to speed cameras
31. There is some additional data in Facts Sheet 2 - Rows 4(a), 6(a) and 6(b) of the tabulation.

Train Delays

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 15th JANUARY 2007 - N/A

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 22nd JANUARY 2007

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 15th JANUARY 2007

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 8th JANUARY 2007

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 1st JANUARY 2007

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 25th DECEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 18th DECEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 11th DECEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 4th DECEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 20th NOVEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 13th NOVEMBER 2006

DELAYS 5 DAYS COMMENCING MONDAY 6th NOVEMBER 2006