Let's make transport better, greener and fairer for all.
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
Forward to a friend ([link removed])
[link removed]


** Lessons from history: let's expand our rail network
------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Supporter

When new rail lines are built, or old ones are reopened, they tend to be massively popular:
* Half a million passengers have travelled on the Northumberland Line since it opened in December 2024.
* The reopened Dartmoor Line was an instant success, with passenger numbers far exceeding expectations.
* Amazingly, one in every seven national rail journeys are now made on London's Elizabeth Line!

Looking further back, similar success stories can be found. I've recently been poring over the Campaign for Better Transport archive, which spans our 50-year history. Why? Because the wonderful archivists at the National Railway Museum have been working to preserve and catalogue it as an important strand of transport history.

Our archive is a treasure trove of reports, letters, posters and photos, capturing the passion and persistence of campaigners and communities determined to protect and increase public transport. You can explore it at the National Railway Museum ([link removed]) in York, and it will soon be available online ([link removed]) too.

One of my favourite success stories is the legendary campaign to save the Settle-Carlisle line. In 1981, this famously scenic line was threatened with closure. A coalition of campaigners came together, including the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, the Railway Development Society, and ourselves. Together with local councils and key allies in British Rail, the campaigners breathed new life into the route, and passenger numbers more than quadrupled. The line was officially saved in 1989, and today around 1.2 million passengers a year can marvel at its beauty.

I've written about historic rail campaigns in more detail in my latest blog post ([link removed]) . But the key message is: let's expand our rail network, connect more communities, and see just what a success it can be.
Photo of Michael Solomon Williams
Yours

Michael

Michael Solomon Williams
Head of Campaigns, Campaign for Better Transport
P.S. Changing the subject from rail to roads: at the Highways UK conference next month, I'll be speaking about the relationship between roads, health and equality; and our CEO, Ben Plowden, will lead a session on integrated transport. Roads need to work for buses and coaches, cyclists, pedestrians, and shared transport users. Get a free conference ticket here ([link removed]) .

============================================================
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** X ([link removed])
** X ([link removed])
** LinkedIn ([link removed])
** LinkedIn ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])

Support Campaign for Better Transport

** Donate button ([link removed])
We are a small charity making a big difference. But we can't do it without your help. ** Please make a donation today ([link removed])
and help us to fight for better, greener, fairer transport for all.
** Campaign for Better Transport logo ([link removed])
Copyright © 2025 Campaign for Better Transport, All rights reserved.
You received this email because you've signed up to receive emails from Campaign for Better Transport, or one of our campaigns.

Our mailing address is:
Campaign for Better Transport
Unit 303
164-180 Union Street
London, SE1 0LH
United Kingdom
** Unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
** Update subscription preferences ([link removed])