It was fantastic to meet with Sara Mitchell of ONU Mujeres España and Ángela Medina García and Francisco Alvarez Roca of the British Embassy Madrid to discuss mutual lessons for preventing violence against women and girls on #rail in both Spain and the UK.

Hugely excited to be speaking at the Fire Protection of Rolling Stock conference later this month! Find out more about the conference: lnkd.in/ec7triAY

It’s the final filming day for our anti-VAWG project! Northern and @tpexpress.bsky.social, supported by Rail North Partnership, are developing crucial training for #rail staff members surrounding incidents involving violence and intimidation against women and girls.

Brilliant to attend the Journeys for Everyone Accessibility Summit from Transport for West Midlands. Brilliant to hear the ambition to use co-production, co-design, and true collaboration to make the West Midlands an exemplary place for disabled people and all transport users.

Filming for our anti-VAWG project with VR company Juice Immersive is progressing well - great to work with our train operator partners Northern & @tpexpress.bsky.social to develop vital training for #rail staff members surrounding incidents involving violence & intimidation against women & girls.

A brilliant day at Rail Live! - from fascinating exhibitors & speakers, to finally meeting with East Japan Railway Company & discussing upcoming opportunities, to vital discussions & presenting on the issue of violence against women and girls on #rail. Here's to day 2!

Prague has the second best public #transport system in the world according to TimeOut magazine’s 2023 survey - and I can see why. A well-coordinated network of trams, buses, metro, and #trains link the city internally and to destinations beyond.

Day 1 of the The Rail Interiors Show off to a great start! Kirsty Dias and I delivered a double session on the issue of violence against women and girls on #rail - covering the scale of the issue, interventions, & the need to address this challenge collectively. #VAWG #Inclusion #Accessibility

Something fun to start the week! I wonder how many people know how gatelines really function?

Brilliant to join the Rail Cymru Awards today! Some superb speakers outlining the future potential for #rail in Wales, some incredible projects shortlisted, and some fascinating conversations had!

Brilliant to join the Accessible Transport Policy Commission Roundtable, hosted by Tanni Grey-Thompson. Really vital insights into challenges of transport access, ranging from seating availability, to social education, and onboard signage.

Something cool for a Monday morning - China is testing high-speed #trains with touchscreen windows that turn into an info display. I wonder if this creates a conflict between wanting to see an uninterrupted view, and the need for real-time information (as well as increased cleaning for windows)?

Horrified to hear of the Huntingdon incident. My thoughts are with all those affected; the injured, staff, passengers, and responding services.

It’s a fun Friday post and Halloween - there was only one real option!

Another fantastic Railway Interior Innovation Summit from RedCabin! Two days of brilliant networking, discussions, presentations and debates, plus superb workshops including one on the vital topic of sustainability and net zero from PriestmanGoode.

What a trip - my journey from Naples-Palermo on the Intercity Notte @trenitalia.bsky.social was brilliant. You can’t beat the feeling of travelling through the world, and waking up to spectacular views & breakfast delivered to your door! (Note; the washroom facilities could use an upgrade…)

The Rail North Dinner 2025 was superb, with great networking and engaging speakers. I was delighted to sit on a panel alongside fantastic speakers including Jo Griffiths, Tricia Williams & Andy Beard, covering topics from the future of Great British Railways to #innovation in #rail.

Whoosh - 197mph 🇫🇷

Practical note: as I will not upload my ID to Bluesky, I am unable to view any messages. Please contact me via comments or LinkedIn if you need to speak with me.

I’m already so excited for the Railway Interior #Innovation Summit in October! It’s one of my favourite #rail events, and always has inspiring speakers as well as great #networking around rolling stock interiors.

A great opportunity to explore #rail #funding opportunities; Europe's Rail Brokerage Event in the UK. www.b2match.com/e/europes-ra...

Making #rail travel cheaper and simplifying ticketing - bravo ScotRail! www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotra...

In 1962 the New York Transit Authority introduced Etti-Cat to scold and cajole commuters into courteous behavior. Posters featuring the superbly polite feline's admonitions were placed in almost 3,000 subway cars.

I’m so pleased to be speaking at The Rail Interiors Show on 1. #safety and #inclusion for women & girls on #rail, including my developing @churchillfship.bsky.social programme & work within training for staff, & 2. embedding #culture & #heritage in design. www.rail-interiorsshow.com/news/article...

Wind chimes to highlight the arrival of the train is a new one to me! Kurama station in Japan is filled with furin (Japanese wind chimes).

Happy Monday! Who fancies easing into the week with a smoky full English breakfast?

There are many interesting ticket types in the UK, one of them being the BritRail Pass. A BritRail Pass allows tourists / visitors to travel across the UK on as many trains as they like, for a set number of days. BritRail Passes start at £96 for 2 days. www.thetrainline.com/trains/rail-...

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on a #train? A sheep took a trip via ScotRail and was spotted at Paisley Gilmour Street station last week. ScotRail said there is nothing to say sheep are not allowed on trains and that the animal complied with its rules that pets should be on a lead.

A fun fact for a Friday (at least I think it’s fun)! Have you ever wondered what the dots are along #train / tram (etc) windows? They’re “frits”, a patterned that is baked-on because the glass and the frame expand at different rates. The pattern distributes heat more evenly to prevent cracking.

I absolutely love this example of modern style that compliments classic rail architecture; in Albi, a UNESCO heritage town in southern France, a #railway viaduct has found new life. A steel footbridge added to the existing masonry stitches the old and new into a seamless route across the Tarn River.

It’s #Monday again! Let’s start the week with something cute and #train related.

One of the coolest #Pride #trains I’ve seen - the "inclusivity train" entered service last month on Rome's Metro A, covered inside and out with the colors of the Pride progress flag. #LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #rail

A brilliant day at Rolling Stock Networking - from seeing too many friends to even mention, to great merch, to learning about new and exciting #innovations in rolling stock design, materials, maintenance, and more!

It’s so exciting to be at the #ConnectAndInspire25 event for the @churchillfship.bsky.social - meeting other Fellows, and discussing our forward planning for a wide range of vital research! #ChurchillFellow25

Delighted to finally be able to share that I have been awarded a @churchillfship.bsky.social to research interventions to strengthen the #safety of women and girls on #rail. #ChurchillFellow25

Always a pleasure to write for RailStaff - this time on the vital topic of culture and hiring. #Rail must continue to improve its image and internal culture to attract minority and marginalised staff. www.railstaff.co.uk/2025/06/26/h...

The latest Rail Director is here, featuring my latest column, this time looking at all the weird and wonderful ways we could enhance leisure travel on #rail! From dog services to chips, there are a myriad of ways we can attract and retain passengers. issuu.com/raildirector...

Based on my observations, this training would be useful for many adult #rail users (especially on the Tube!)

Another brilliant day at Rail Live - ☀️ 🍦 and 🚆 - discussing all things #performance, #accessibility and #inclusion in #rail!

A brilliant day 1 at Rail Live! My amazing panellists covered the skills crisis in #rail, Alex Hynes outlined the future of GBR and what we can learn from Scotland, and the sun is shining! ☀️ #rail #innovation @garethdennis.bsky.social

Happy Friday, via the Love Train with Network SouthEast in 1986! Will we see new national network railcards in the future perhaps?

The contributions of women to engineering and many other areas of industry and society were often deliberately erased, ignored, or credited to men, so when I encounter a great example I like to share it. Mary Elizabeth Walton was a 19th century inventor who pioneered innovative solutions in US rail.

Any online content encouraging women to get into a male dominated industry always attracts vitriol, which is extremely depressing, but how much of an impact do these comments have?

"Cars make us lonely." —Donald Appleyard, Livable Streets, 1981. 🧵

Something unusual for a Friday - the Čierny Hron Railway runs along the Čierny Hron River in Central Slovakia, but it also runs right through a local football ground! I wonder if it ever distracts the players?

Metropol, a Hungarian newspaper, recently published a piece encouraging readers to send in covertly-taken photos of women on the metro.

On my way through Chester I stopped to say hello to the new statue of railway contractor and engineer Thomas Brassey. During his lifetime he built one third of Britain’s railways, including many lines in and around Chester. As interesting as the statue, however, is the human behaviour you can see.

Representation and visible allyship matters - it’s our duty to make sure everyone feels included on #rail.

At the weekend I took a jaunt between a few excellent railway pubs / cafés - at Patricroft, I visited (allegedly) the oldest railway pub in the world. Now run as a Japanese pub-restaurant (izakaya), the Queens Arms represents both the changing nature of rail and the consistency it can provide.

An interesting video - certainly some kind of safety demonstration or training regarding the platform edge, but I wonder what the full intention of this exercise is?