''Rail'' is a British magazine on the subject of current

rail transport in Great Britain The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest railway system in the world. The first locomotive-hauled public railway opened in 1825, which was followed by an era of rapid expansion. Most of the track is managed by Network Rail, which in ...

. It is published every two weeks by

Bauer Consumer Media Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 r ...

and can be bought from the

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...

sections of UK newsstands. It is targeted primarily at the enthusiast market, but also covers issues relating to rail transport. ''Rail'' is more than four decades old, and was called ''Rail Enthusiast'' from 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 red ''RAIL'' along the top of the front cover.

Editorial policy

''Rail'' is customarily critical of railway institutions, including the Rail Delivery Group, the

Office of Rail and Road The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain's railways, and the economic monitoring of National Highways. ORR regulates Network Rail by setting its ...

, as well as, since it assumed greater railway powers, the Department for Transport. ''Rail's'' continuing 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. 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. ''Rail'' also organises conferences, including the annual National Rail Conference, the National Rail Awards and the ''Rail'' 100 Breakfast Club.

Regular features and contributors

''Rail'' publishes a mix of news, analysis and features written by its own editorial staff and freelance contributors. The magazine takes a broadly supportive stance on High Speed 2 and began running a regular column dedicated to it in 2013. The magazine's Managing Editor is Nigel Harris. Other staff include Deputy Editor Stefanie Foster, News Editor Paul Stephen and Features Editor Tom Allett. Other regular contributors include transport commentator Christian 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, the ''Industry Insider'', as well as Steve Broadbent, Andy Coward and Chris Leigh. Many of ''Rail's'' editorial staff frequently appear on television and radio when a rail expert is needed to comment on a story.

Columns

* Comment * Industry Insider * Christian Wolmar * The Fare Dealer * Stop & Examine

References

External links

* {{Bauer Verlagsgruppe Bauer Group (UK) Biweekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1981 Rail transport magazines published in the United Kingdom 1981 establishments in England Mass media in Peterborough

Editorial policy

Regular features and contributors

Columns

See also

References

External links