This Command Paper sets out the Government's vision and policies for the railways. Applying to England and Wales, the Government seeks to work with the rail industry and others to secure significant reductions in the railway's cost base, while at the same time improving the railway for passengers and freight customers. The Government sees railway reform as delivering four objectives: (1) Securing value for the passenger and addressing concerns about rail fares; (2) Dealing with the fiscal deficit; (3) Supporting economic growth, through continued taxpayer investment for passengers and freight; (4) Delivering environmental goals, by reducing carbon emissions. The Command Paper also considers the finding and recommendations set out in Sir Roy McNulty's independent "Realising the Potential of GB Rail: Report of the Rail Value for Money Study" (available from the DfT here - http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/realising-the-potential-of-gb-rail/). The publication is divided into six chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: A better deal for passengers; Chapter 3: A more strategic role for Government; Chapter 4: A more efficient industry; Chapter 5: Better information; Chapter 6: Implementing rail reform.

Unlike many United States industries, railroads are intrinsically linked to American soil and particular regions. Yet few Americans pay attention to rail lines, even though millions of them live in an economy and culture "waiting for the train." In Train Time: Railroads and the Imminent Reshaping of the United States Landscape, John R. Stilgoe picks up where his acclaimed work Metropolitan Corridor left off, carrying his ideas about the spatial consequences of railways up to the present moment. Arguing that the train is returning, "an economic and cultural tsunami about to transform the United States," Stilgoe posits a future for railways as powerful shapers of American life. Divided into sections that focus on particular aspects of the impending impact of railroads on the landscape, Train Time moves seamlessly between historical and contemporary analysis. From his reading of what prompted investors to reorient their thinking about the railroad industry in the late 1970s, to his exploration of creative solutions to transportation problems and land use planning and development in the present, Stilgoe expands our perspective of an industry normally associated with bad news. Urging us that "the magic moment is now," he observes, "Now a train is often only a whistle heard far off on a sleepless night. But romantic or foreboding or empowering, the whistle announces return and change to those who listen." For scholars with an interest in American history in general and railroad and transit history in particular, as well as general readers concerned about the future of transportation in the United States, Train Time is an engaging look at the future of our railroads.