Railways VS Societal Evolution

1825 saw the world’s first railway open to passengers and I’m proud to say that Great Britain was the first country to do so from Liverpool to Manchester.

195 years later it is a global success with 1.8 Billion train journeys made alone in the UK last year.

Ever since I was a child, I can recall being ecstatic when my mum told me that we’d be jumping on the train. The comfort, speed, efficiency and engines would send my nerdy genes into a frenzy and it still does today. Every person that you meet whether it’s your friends or the general public breeds new life into the railways.

Most people take the railways for granted these days. Without the railways how will you go to work,go shopping or even to a football match?

The Railways have always played a crucial part in the depiction of our society politically from decades gone by with steam trains from 1825 to 1965 depicting the new way in which technology through the use of coal was being used to generate our towns through factories, houses and of course the railways through the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution is my favourite period of history. Without it where on Earth would society be today?

We cannot forget about the infamous, Dr Richard Beeching’s detrimental station closures from the 1950’s to the 1970’s which so tragically highlighted an economic downturn in the British economy with so many communities failing to recover over half a century after the cuts. It is always the people who suffer the most. The railways have only just recovered since 1996 with the railways entering a new dawn of investment with newer trains and a gradual opening of some of the stations closed by Beeching.

The railways don’t just depict on our society politically but also socially.Now I'm not one to turn on the heart strings nor the race card. I happen to be a person who so just happens to be black. I suspect that this philosophy will resonate with a number of people retrospective of race.

Growing up in South London as a black man will always have its trials and tribulations.Deeper tribulations come when you do not conform to how a number of black people behave and perceive you to be. Stereo-typically speaking.

The stark Irony of being in a predominantly black school where historically speaking we went through so much hardship through slavery & yet we are unable to accept and support our own. I was bullied horrendously in School for how I speak, my speech and language disability, hobbies, as well as my sexuality.

None of these tribulations will ever define me. I am now in a much better place. I never thought that I would have the privilege to train at two of one of the most well-known drama schools in the country, Italia Conti and Rose Bruford where I am currently studying American Theatre Arts. It has all been an absolute blast and have met truly superb people from both institutions.

The railways have provided me a safe place by holding events every year dedicated to all transport enthusiasts where I’m with close friends & meet more wonderful & like-minded people. The correlation between those who have disabilities & are LGBTQ+ within the railway community is huge. It is a surreal and humbling feeling and shows the great strides being made in our society.

The railways revolutionised the way in which we all travel in our daily lives. Yet for decades France, Germany,Italy,China and Japan have exceeded on our once innovative and ground-breaking ideas. As a nation we are great at paving the way for other countries to follow suit, yet we rarely cherish our inventions nor complete the work that we gave to the world.

How sad is that?

I am optimistic that someone in my lifetime will appreciate and will see the huge prosperity that the railways bring to this country and that we can once again be the creative and pioneering juggernauts of the world.