The view from my new flat in Leeds, can anyone tell which former railway is in view? (without checking the alt text!)

I'm not saying we should abandon electrical technology, it's very good. But I will say I think we should return to mechanical means for many things. You do not need an app for your door lock. You do not need a smart fridge. You do not need a coffee machine with a camera. Bring back the mechanical.

The irony of reading an article about the impact of AI on critical thinking skills, and being presented with the Time magazine built in AI assistant... is it supposed to help me read it? I'm capable of doing that myself, thanks.

RIP Sonny Rollins, a great jazz talent and the last surviving musician in one of the best photos of men in suits during the 20th century

Hard to believe I’m even writing this. Meteorological summer hasn’t even begun, yet Paris, France has already logged more days above 32°C than its annual average.

Leeds, 1962 A view of the current station, looking East. Much remodelled over the years, Platform 13 is now 15. 12 is still there but on the thru road. 12 in the photo was later made into the East and West facing dead end platforms 13 and 14. #Leeds #Yorkshire 📷 J Whiteley

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Interesting how the Czechs seems ok with managing most conflicts by relying on drivers' compliance. Here is a raised driving lane that doubles as boarding platforms with no signal, just a riad sign an painted markings.

400 miles of diesel running under wires ✅ Crap paths and worsens service recovery for the rest of the WCML ✅ Further abstraction of revenue from the public purse ✅

To all the Americans ICE trains exist in Germany since 1991 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interci... ICE as an immigration body in the USA since 2002 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_... So please stop being so US focused! The whole world doesn't revolve around you!

Peniche Fortress, where antifascists were imprisoned by Salazar's secret police during the Estado Novo. Always interesting to mix something like this into a beach/surfing holiday!

Second weekend in May means Moonlite in the Fox Inn, Corfe Castle, and some old trains of the Southern Region variety.

A nice mid-afternoon meander around Ribblehead, seeing as the Settle & Carlisle Railway is in fact on my doorstep.

Nice after-work pint in the King Charles 1st around the corner from King's Cross... before one last curry in the Great Nepalese in Euston.

Commuted from this station to Bristol Temple Meads for a couple of years: best commute I've ever had. Even better when the sole 166 that had leather seats in First Class turned up.

Can't quite believe these are still in traffic! I should try and fit in another trip via St. Die before they finish for real, there's an excellent little craft bar called La Cabane au Darou and it's a lovely run in the morning up to Strasbourg.

‘Quality of life’ isn’t a big house, luxury goods or a fancy car. It’s being able to cycle your kids on safe streets or run side by side down peaceful roads with your friends. Everyone can & should have this.

This time last week I was boarding the Zürich to Zagreb night train that, due to engineering works around Pfäffikon SZ , was diverted via St. Gallen. However, the paths in 🇨🇭 and 🇦🇹 clearly did not align, as the train was booked to dwell on the border in Buchs SG for a little over 90 minutes.

This drives me crazy... do I really have to part with cash in order to not be tracked and hand over my data? Solution, I won't read the Guardian, which is a shame as they do some excellent investigative journalism.

Just what I want from the FT Weekend. Perfect timing to inspire me to spend my Sunday afternoon walking across the dales, only to find out that the line is closed between Leeds & Keighley and I would have to take a bus instead! One for another weekend I think. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Paris metropolis: Striking reductions in car use due to proactive efforts to encourage bike, walking, transit: —Less car ownership: From 0.5 cars/HH in Paris to 0.36, 1999–2022. Outside of Paris: 0.88➡️0.8 —35% less gas sold 2005–24 —15% fewer gas stations between 2019–24 www.apur.org/sites/defaul...

What is Emmanuel Grégoire, the new Paris mayor, planning for the city over his new term in office? —60,000 new social housing units —15 express bus routes —Completion of city's full bike network —Transformation of ring highway into a boulevard —1000 new pedestrian streets —300 new hectares of parks

PARIS : THE LEFT HAS WON REELECTION AFTER A TIGHT RACE!

Still got my gripes with Rail Alphabet 2... are those dividing lines really necessary? And the 'Way out' looks off centre to my eye.

One final run on a Mk3 set on this mornings commute into the King's Cross office. These coaches are arguably the greatest to grace the UK railway and I have been travelling on them for as long as I can remember. In the days of Azumas and Everos, I'm already missing the comfort of the Mk3 coach.

NCP has gone bust, apparently because of reduced demand for parking www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The city’s transition away from the car, though fantastically chaotic, has become a global role model, says Simon Kuper: ft.trib.al/CWZvaG8

Today I will be mostly walking along the former Edgware, Highgate, & London Railway, well the bits that aren't fenced off anyway!

I can't draw any more circulation plan diagrams today (I'm dreaming of arrows and lines at night), so I made a quick visualization of my pet theory: "North America inherited teeny tiny main stations, with short platforms and narrow throats, and that's a problem for rail planning."

"The argument for electrifying our railways will become clearer in time." British Rail, 1979.

Nice to listen to @garethdennis.uk talk about rail today at Uni of York. More importantly, nice to drag along my non-railway friends to hear about the potential rail has from someone other than myself. Awful photo so I have included one from my lunch time walk through the museum gardens too.

In the early hours of this morning, we took an InterCity 225 to Newcastle for testing before we start using them on passenger trains from the 30th of March. Great to see the safety team in action! @225group.org.uk @lner.co.uk

Well that is an excellent start to my day. Great to see such a comprehensive victory over Reform. 👏👏

As a 'train guy' by profession, and of wider interest, this is deeply insulting.

End of the line. The train used to continue all the way to the Swiss border where it linked to the Swiss rail system, but it hasn't for a long time, which is a pity, because now thousands of people commute by road every day instead.

My favourite #BrexitBenefit has to be seeing that half of my weekly grocery shop would not meet standards to be sold in the EU 🙃

A nice day out in Nottingham for beers! Various Castle Rock beers sampled plus some Osset & Beartown classics. Topped off with a nice quiet train home thanks to the ECML being closed south of Peterborough.

Today the northern rail access into Milan's Malpensa airport was inaugurated. Initially, only one of the two half-hourly Regio-Express serving the airport (formerly the Malpensa Express) has been extended to Gallarate.

Exciting news for France. Hopefully this will pave the way for more cross-border freight and hopefully night trains too. Having a loco change at the border was one of the big constraints of the Paris to Wien NightJet. railcolornews.com/2026/01/19/n...

Free bus travel for under 22s is just one step to help support those areas devastated by years of austerity. KMPG analysis shows that for every £1 invested in bus services, we get an economic benefit ranging from £4.55 to £5. news.sky.com/story/green-...

Yesterday I posted my last ever Tweet and called on the Government to do the same. Read more below on why I think it’s time to leave the cesspit formerly known as Twitter. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Another interesting article pulished at the same time: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

Oh that's it all sorted then. Cheers.

This is the fizzy water company adding AI to their website. Why does a train company need passengers to use a GPS app that generates QR codes? Make it stop.

Well said Dublin! Photo credit to @RakenyEnjoyer seen on r/Dublin on Reddit.

A year on #TIDAL now and I haven't looked back. All whilst continuing to purchase my favourite records on vinyl. #deletespotify open.substack.com/pub/tedgioia...

Oxford, Bristol, Sheffield, and arguably Newbury to Exeter all should have been electrified decades ago. Our continued inability to invest in public infrastructure is hard proof of the economic and social embarrassment this country has become.

EXCLUSIVE: @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social will be sworn in as mayor on midnight on January 1 inside the old abandoned City Hall subway station, saying that he sees the venue as a symbol for the aims of his upcoming administration.

🧠: gondolas for ski 🧠🧠: gondolas for urban transit 🧠🧠🧠🤯: gondolas for apples The gondola connecting the central treatment hub of the largest apple producers consortium in Italy to the underground storage facility. Opened last November.

Stewart Lee on how Australia’s social media ban could help teens fight back against their misinformed relatives ⏯️🔉