Nigel Harris (editor)

English journalist

For other people with the same name, see Nigel Harris.

Nigel Harris (born March 1957) is an English journalist and media commentator. He was managing editor of RAIL, a UK rail industry magazine and is now Co-Presenter of the Green Signals podcast[1] with Richard Bowker.[2] He has been in the railway publishing industry since 1981 where he started as assistant editor of the publication Steam World.[3] He is often invited to speak on British television about accidents and other rail related matters.[4][5] He is regularly called before the Transport Select Committee of the UK Parliament to give evidence and opinion.[6][7] In November 2024 had had a Class 66 locomotive named after him.[8]

## Education and early career

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Harris was born in March 1957[9] in Burnley, Lancashire and educated at Burnley Grammar School. He then attended and graduated from the University of Wales, Lampeter, in 1978 with Honours in History. He started his career in journalism at The Westmorland Gazette in 1979 as a trainee reporter. In 1981 he started as assistant editor of the publication Steam World. He has also edited Steam Railway and Trains Illustrated.[10] He co-founded and managed a book publishing company, Silver Link, from 1984 to 1990 which has since been acquired.[11][12]

## Journalistic and publishing career

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Harris was appointed editor of Rail in 1995.[13] The magazine is currently produced every two weeks by Bauer Consumer Media. Since 1995 he has written extensively about the privatisation of British Rail and the impact of the privatisation of British Rail.[14] He has written opinion and analysis for The Times, and provided specialist rail industry comment for, among others, the BBC's Today programme. He has also specialist books on railways and shipping to his credit.[15][16][17] One major project has been editing and researching for A New Illustrated History of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate, by Ian Prosser and David Keay.[18]

Harris has provided expert evidence to the Transport Select Committee of the UK Parliament.[6] He was the principal witness at a televised select committee meeting on 26 May 2021 discussing the Williams-Shapps White Paper on Great British Railways formation.[7] He has also given evidence to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. He is a regular conference speaker, panelist and chair.

### Conferences

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Rail moved into the business events sector, launching the National Rail Awards, with categories including station of the year.[19] Harris has planned and presented NRA presentation ceremonies at Grosvenor House in London's Park Lane. Later events have included the National Rail Conference, the RAIL 100 Breakfast Clubs,[20] and the National Rail Recovery conference (February 2021).[21] Speakers at the latter included Huw Merriman (chair of the Transport Select Committee), Jim McMahon (Shadow Transport Secretary) and Lord Peter Hendy CBE (chairman of Network Rail).[22][23] The 2021 Awards were again held at Grosvenor House on 16 September 2021.[24]

### Television and radio appearances

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Harris is also a television programme-maker having produced, scripted and presented programming for this rail industry market.[25] His description of British Rail Class 46 locomotive number 46009 being destructively smashed into a nuclear flask to demonstrate safety was shown on national television.[26][27][28]

He is often invited to speak on British radio and television about rail-related matters.[4][5] His opinion was sought by the BBC after the Ufton Nervet rail crash in 2004.[29] In January 2012, he was interviewed by the BBC for a mini-documentary news item "Inside the new-look London King's Cross railway station".[30] The BBC also sought his opinion after the 2015 Wootton Bassett rail incident,[31] a near-miss that later led to spot hire railway company West Coast Railways losing its operating permit.[32] After the August 2020 Stonehaven derailment, he appeared on Sky News[33] and Channel 4 News[34] and others.[35][36] Other media appearances include on ITV News at Ten[37] and LBC.[38] He also provided media comments after the Salisbury rail crash reporting.[39] In 2020 he appeared in the top 10 of railway influencers.[40]

He often writes about HS2, and was described by the Yorkshire Post as a "top rail expert".[2] When the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands was published in November 2021, he called it an act of political spinelessness, saying it created a new east-west divide in the country.[41][42] He further accused the government of selling the public total lies.[43] He had previously warned that the whole purpose of HS2 is destroyed if the eastern leg was scrapped.[2] He called it hugely damaging for the public, echoing the Newcastle Member of Parliament Catherine McKinnell,[44] and raised concern about the blight on people's lives with the cancellation.[45] When interviewed by The Independent he said the Leeds station upgrade being called part of the IRP by the government was not spin but dishonesty.[46]

### Voluntary work

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Harris also works in a volunteer role for Great Central Railway Development Ltd, a company aiming to reinstate part of the old Great Central Railway, though he resigned as an officer in October 2019.[9]

## See also

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* Robert Adley
* Cecil J. Allen
* G. Freeman Allen
* Roger Ford
* O. S. Nock
* Jack Simmons (historian)
* Christian Wolmar

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Green Signals Podcast".
2. ^ a b c "Purpose of HS2 'destroyed if Yorkshire leg scrapped', warns top rail expert". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
3. ^ "Nigel Harris Articles". Rail Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
4. ^ a b "Leading rail expert accuses government of 'world-class waffle' on public transport safety". The Independent. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
5. ^ a b "Train safety system 'works well', says rail expert". Channel 4 News. 12 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
6. ^ a b "Rail infrastructure investment - Transport Committee - House of Commons". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
7. ^ a b "Williams-Shapps White Paper - Transport Committee Oral Evidence - House of Commons". committees.parliament.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
8. ^ "GB Railfreight names Class 66 after former RAIL editor Nigel Harris". www.railmagazine.com. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
9. ^ a b "GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT LTD people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
10. ^ "Steam Railways". www.pendleburys.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
11. ^ "Mortons Books Shop - Page Site". www.mortonsbooks.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
12. ^ Profile, Specialist Speakers. "Nigel Harris Speaker Profile". Specialist Speakers Speaker Bureau. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
13. ^ "nigel harris rail". langleyrepfastpitch.ca. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
14. ^ "Nigel Harris | The Spectator columnists & writers". www.spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
15. ^ "Nigel Harris". LibraryThing.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
16. ^ "GWR Reflections (Great Western Railway Collection) by Harris, Nigel Hardback The • £5.49". PicClick UK. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
17. ^ "100 editions of "The Iron Horse" magazine". www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
18. ^ "A New Illustrated History of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate From 1840 | Ian Prosser CBE & Eur Ing David Keay | Steam World Publishing | Miscellaneous | Bill Hudson Transport Books". www.billhudsontransportbooks.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
19. ^ Austin, Sue. "Chirk Railway Station best in Britain". www.shropshirestar.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
20. ^ "Rail Magazine". Big Rail Diversity Challenge. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
21. ^ "Speakers | National Rail Recovery Conference | 2021". www.nationalrailconference.com. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
22. ^ "National Rail Recovery Conference - 23rd to 25th February 2021". www.firstgreatwestern.info. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
23. ^ "National Rail Recovery Conference | Rail Delivery Group". www.raildeliverygroup.com. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
24. ^ "National Rail Awards: Home". awards.railbusinessevents.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
25. ^ "Nigel Harris | National Rail Recovery Conference 2021". www.nationalrailconference.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
26. ^ By (11 April 2018). "Retrotechtacular: Operation Smash Hit". Hackaday. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
27. ^ "CEGB staged collision with Nuclear flask 1985". www.old-dalby.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2005. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
28. ^ "It's a lovely day - bring a flask". www.railmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
29. ^ "Train barriers 'extremely safe'". 6 November 2004. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
30. ^ "Inside the new-look King's Cross". BBC News. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
31. ^ "Steam train braking system 'turned off before'". BBC News. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
32. ^ "Minute from disaster: What caused near catastrophe on the railway?". BBC News. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
33. ^ "Stonehaven crash: Three people dead after train derails in Aberdeenshire". Sky News. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
34. ^ Haslam, Dale. "Stonehaven crash: Experts answer questions about August 12 rail tragedy". Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
35. ^ Haslam, Dale. "Stonehaven crash: Railway experts answer questions about August 12 derailment". Press and Journal. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
36. ^ Nigel Harris, Editor of RAIL Magazine, interview:, retrieved 22 April 2022
37. ^ Harris, Nigel (December 2009). "ITN News at Ten Eurostar Woes". Archived from the original on 8 February 2021.
38. ^ "HS2: Scrapping of Leeds leg will 'blight the life chances for millions of people'". LBC. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
39. ^ "Rail 944: Media gets it wrong on Salisbury rail crash – Christian Wolmar". Retrieved 22 April 2022.
40. ^ "Biggest influencers in railways in Q3 2020: The top individuals to follow". Railway Technology. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
41. ^ "'An act of political spinelessness': industry reacts to government's rail plans". www.msn.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
42. ^ "'An act of political spinelessness': industry reacts to government's rail plans". The Independent. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
43. ^ "HS2: Rail industry blasts decision to scrap Leeds leg". uk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
44. ^ "Newcastle MP calls scrapping of Eastern HS2 leg a betrayal of trust". Metro Radio. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
45. ^ "HS2: Scrapping of Leeds leg will 'blight the life chances for millions of people'". LBC. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
46. ^ "'This is not spin. This is dishonesty,' government told of Leeds rail upgrade". The Independent. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.