RAIL (magazine)

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RAIL
Managing Editor	Nigel Harris
Categories	British
Frequency	Fortnightly
First Issue
Company	Emap
Country	UK
Language	English
Website	rail-magazine.com
ISSN	0953-4563

RAIL is a UK magazine on the subject of current rail transport in Great Britain. It is published every two weeks and is available in the transport sections of many British bookshops, especially WH Smith. It is targetted at a railway enthusiast audience, although in recent years it has tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the market for a more general readership.

RAIL has been published for over 25 years, under the title Rail Enthusiast from 1981 until 1988, and remains a leading railway magazine. For over ten of those years, it has had roughly the same cover design, with a capitalised italic red 'RAIL' written prominently along the top of the front cover.

[edit] Editorial policy

RAIL has been severely critical of several of the railway's institutions, including the Health and Safety Executive, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Office of Rail Regulation, as well as, since it assumed greater powers in relation to the industry, the Department for Transport.

Its inconsistencies, lack of objectivity and failure properly to research its material - especially its editorials - have denied it the serious consideration by professional railway managers which it has sought. It remains a magazine for rail enthusiasts.

[edit] Controversy

RAIL is sometimes referred to as "liar" ("Rail" spelled backwards) within the rail enthusiast community, due to a number of controversial articles. Referring to the magazine by this name was common for a while at the East Lancashire Railway after the magazine reported one of its trains travelling at more than 50mph, in excess of the speed limit, a claim which remains disputed.