Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

When rail services between London and Yorkshire were disrupted due to overhead wire problems, a Labour MP took to Twitter to say: "Just another reminder that we need to bring rail into public ownership and make it fit for the future." But she was aboard a state-run LNER train, on tracks owned and operated by Network Rail. Both organisations are offshoots of the Department for Transport (DfT), which means they are ultimately owned by us. Fixing the railways takes more than slogans.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. You can get it delivered every Friday by subscribing here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s podcast comes to you from the 10:17 Elizabeth line service from London Paddington to Heathrow airport - the first train to leave the terminus in 28 hours.At around 6am on Monday 19 September, nearly two miles of overhead wires in the Hayes & Harlington area came down on the tracks and six passenger trains became tangled in them. Nobody was hurt but it meant that, on the morning of the Queen’s state funeral, there were no trains on one of the main lines in and out of the capital. They’re still trying to figure out what exactly went wrong but for now, trains are now getting back to normal - if a little behind schedule.Of course this podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel disruption struck early on the day of the Queen's state funeral, with the complete shutdown of the Great Western Railway in and out of London Paddington station.I'm at London Waterloo, which is providing an alternative escape route for travellers to South Wales and the West of England.More problems anticipated on Tuesday morning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon is at London King's Cross rail station, where preparations are under way for a busy bank holiday weekend – culminating in the most solemn event for many decades, the state funeral of the Queen.Of course this podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

200 flights to and from London Heathrow are to be cancelled on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as a result of airspace closures for the Queen's funeral. Here's what it means for travellers.This podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter, which you can find in your inbox every Friday by subscribing here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m walking through the amazing aircraft graveyard of Lourdes, where Airbus A380s go to die. It was, at the start of the 21st century, the plane that was going to revolutionise the world. So, what went wrong?This podcast is free, as is my newsletter, which you can find at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As I traipse across the Pyrenees, I cast my mind back to other adventures hiking and recollect which summits I've enjoyed climbing. Now, I'm not great with heights, wouldn't say I'm an athlete and my hiking kit consists of a pair of 25yr old boots. So this list is for everyone to enjoy the great outdoors with.This podcast is free, as is my newsletter, which you can find at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am in the French Pyranees, walking along the GR 10 trail — a path that climbs up and down over the mountain range, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.With a wide choice of flights and trains from the UK, and from Paris, you can quite easily get over here for a short trip.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in February 1952, the jet age had yet to begin (though it would within weeks of her becoming Elizabeth II). Third Class still existed on British Railways (it would be scrapped four years later). And the vast majority of her subjects in the UK could simply not contemplate the idea that they could travel abroad on holiday.By the end of her reign, British citizens enjoyed extraordinary mobility – with her final act, of many, in launching transport innovations being the Elizabeth Line beneath London, which she opened in May 2022.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The joy of exploring a railway station – so long as it is Bristol Temple Meads, one of the great achievements of Brunel.I take you with me on a little tour of the station in today's podcast.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.