''Rail Professional'' is a monthly UK rail news magazine covering the business side of

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 ...

. Published by Rail Professional Ltd, the magazine is available free of charge to managers of UK

train operating companies A train operating company (TOC) is a business operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993. The ...

and

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

or by subscription to non-qualifying readers. Currently in its seventh edition, Rail Professional also publishes an annual guidebook to the United Kingdom's rail industry. The reference book provides up to date information on all the major train operating companies and light rail and tram networks across the country as well as a complete source for products and services from a rail supply chain of around 3,500 firms.

History and profile

''Rail Professional'' was established in 1996. The magazine was launched soon after the privatization of British Rail, with the aim of creating a forum for managers to communicate across the industry and stay updated on developments in other companies. Under British Rail, managers met regularly with their counterparts across the UK, but the fragmentation of the railways into separate train operating companies made it harder for managers to remain up-to-date on developments outside of their own organization. ''Rail Professional'', launched by former British Rail manager Andrew Goodman, aimed to fill this gap.

Content

''Rail Professional'' covers rail news from

, the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

and other organizations related to the UK rail industry, featuring expert analysis and case studies alongside interviews from the biggest names in rail in its monthly magazine and on its website alongside commentary from professionals that work in the railway industry in the United Kingdom and around the world. The current editor is Sam Sherwood-Hale.

Freight wars

In September 2009, freight operator First GB Railfreight issued a 'clarification' on its website after an unguarded comment by its managing director John Smith, reported in ''Rail Professional'', appeared to make a flippant reference to lifespan of one of his rivals. In an article celebrating ten years of GBRF, there was some discussion of the difficulties faced by the freight industry and the tendency of

Keith Heller Keith Louis Heller (born 3 April 1948) is a Canadian transport executive in the rail freight transport industry. In 2005 he was ranked 57 in the Power 100 listing published by '' Country Life'' magazine. Heller is notable for having run major ...

, the then head of the UK's largest rail freight carrier DB Schenker, to be outspoken on such matters. John Smith is quoted as saying: 'Someone does need to say these things, but I think he's pissing in the wind. The same with longer trains, which he also talks about. But Keith's 60, he'll certainly be dead before anything changes!' After the article was published, a clarification appeared on First GBRf's website saying: 'The context of the remarks were made in reference to the frustrations and difficulties the freight industry faces compared to the passenger sector and John's remarks were intended to highlight the length of time it can take for freight issues to be addressed, as opposed to any slight on Keith himself.'GBRF archived press releases http://www.gbrailfreight.com/news_archive.php?&newsid=611

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.railpro.co.uk/, ''Rail Professional'' official website 1996 establishments in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1996 Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom Professional and trade magazines

History and profile

Content

Freight wars

See also

References

External links