Renewing Britain's Railways: Cumbria to Tyneside

Gordon D. Webster’s latest title examines the renewal – and revival – of railways in the north of England. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic changed the role of train travel in Britain forever. Gone were the swarms of rush-hour commuters to the city and the tourist season was dealt a very swift blow. New trains and new franchises signalled a new era on the East and West Coast main lines, only for trains to run empty as an emergency timetable took hold.

Across the Pennines, the famous Settle & Carlisle line was devoid of its usual summer charter traffic, though ‘Staycation Express’ loco-hauled services proved a success.