10 pictures

Non-commuter lines are experiencing an upswing in fortunes, but the UK lags behind mainland Europe when it comes to value for money and accessibility. RICHARD FOSTER explains why more must be done to fulfil potential

Continuing our survey of Britain’s standard gauge new-build projects, this month we turn our attention to those resurrecting designs from the LNER’s pre ‐Grouping predecessors.

The late 1830s and the 1840s was a period of intensive railway building, with the network expanding rapidly throughout the country, and a growing ambition was to create a through route from London to