News

The 'Barbara Castle' Train

23rd September 2008

On the 21st September, a Northern train was named after Barbara Castle, the first female Transport Minister. The current Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, joined Barbara’s family and other invited guests at Blackburn station to celebrate the remarkable achievements of the late Blackburn MP. Then it was off to Manchester Oxford Road station to unveil a plaque commemorating Barbara. The plaque will be displayed in the train for all our customers to see.

Barbara Castle was brought up in the north, in Pontefract and Bradford, and worked as a journalist at the Daily Mirror before being elected as MP for Blackburn in 1945 and becoming the youngest female MP. During her time in politics, she became only the fourth woman to reach the Cabinet and the first female Minister for Transport. By the time she stood down in 1979, she had served as an MP for Blackburn for 34 years. She became an MEP in the North West for ten years after that and was made Baroness Castle of Blackburn in 1990. She died on 3rd May 2002.

She was instrumental in the 1968 Transport Act which:

- gave the railways a more secure future and prevented some of Dr Beeching’s closure plans

- saved hundreds of miles of canals and gave them a new role in the leisure industry

- saved countless lives through the requirement to fit seat belts, setting up a register for driving instructors, bringing in the 70mph speed limit and creating accident analysis and road safety units across the country. This followed on from her earlier laws introducing the breathalyser to prevent drink-driving.

- she also created new, publicly accountable transport authorities to provide integrated public transport networks. Forty years on, the six Passenger Transport Executives and Authorities are investing more than a billion pounds a year in improving public transport.

Ruth Kelly paid tribute to the only other woman to lead the Department for Transport, saying Barbara Castle was a very hard act to follow and her achievements were still making an impact today.

Heidi Mottram, Managing Director of Northern Rail, said ‘We are delighted and honoured to name one of our trains 'Barbara Castle' because she was a passionate advocate for rail and for the north of England. The train will carry tens of thousands of people across the north of England in the years to come.’

Sonya Hinton, Barbara Castle’s niece, said ‘This is a fantastic tribute to my Aunt. It recognises what Barbara achieved and her ongoing legacy. This is a fitting way to mark her contribution to transport, and I hope many people will enjoy travelling on this train.’