Sign in

David Turner

@railwayhistorian.bsky.social
968 followers 372 following 338 posts

A transport historian and lecturer at Aston University and Honorary Fellow at the University of York, School for Business and Society. Views my own. He/Him davidturnerrailway@gmail.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by David Turner
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
'A strike ballot has been opened at the University of Glasgow over planned job cuts, with the University and College Union (UCU) urging the institution to rule out compulsory redundancies.' Move responds to voluntary redundancy scheme and organisational change project. Promotions paused for 2026-27.
timeshighereducation.com
University of Glasgow UCU opens strike ballot over cuts
Union calls on institution to rule out compulsory redundancies as fears grow over state of Scottish sector
0159
Reposted by David Turner
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A man builds an IED. He sets it off in a busy public street. Shrapnel flies about hitting cars, homes and a child's bedroom. It's a miracle nobody is injured. And Reform MP Sarah Pochin calls his imprisonment "disproportionate" and "two tier justice."
It does raise this point of two-tiered
justice..


Reform's Sarah Pochin believes the
sentence handed to the 64-year-old who
blew up a ULEZ camera was
disproportionate'.
2882546924
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Or perhaps just don't build this doonboggle, that will do more harm than good? There are many more worthier things to spend our time and money on.
A BBC headline: "Heathrow Airport wants third runway could be delayed by four years". Underneath is a picture of a plane and a sign saying "Heathrow".
083
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Or perhaps just don't build this doonboggle, that will do more harm than good? There are many more worthier things to spend our time and money on.
A BBC headline: "Heathrow Airport wants third runway could be delayed by four years". Underneath is a picture of a plane and a sign saying "Heathrow".
083
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is @ukri.org effectively abandoning what it means to be part of academia. There, humans read things, critique things, and provide feedback, even if it is not the feedback we want. It is symptomatic of the developing horror that is the UK research funding landscape. It's horrendous.
33412
Reposted by David Turner
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Had a UKRI funded grant proposal rejected at the "AI triage stage". "This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review." 🧪 #academicsky
I am writing to let you know that, unfortunately, your application was not successful.

Review process

As part of the initial triage of the 179 proposals submitted to this call, each was assessed using an AI-based review. Every proposal was read independently by several different AI models against the same seven criteria used to shape this call (including cyber security relevance, research quality and novelty, importance of the problem addressed, feasibility of the project plan, likely outputs and impact, value for money, and responsible research practice), with each model asked to give a score and a written justification with supporting quotations from the text. To guard against any one model's idiosyncrasies, we also ran a second, independent process in which different AI models debated the merits and weaknesses of each proposal before reaching a judgement, again against the same criteria. Scores from both processes were combined to produce an overall ranking. 

This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review.  Projects selected for funding were drawn from those that progressed to the full human review stage. We recognise that AI-assisted assessment is a new and evolving part of the review process, and we are continuing to evaluate how well it aligns with the judgements of human reviewers on this call. We will soon produce a document detailing our method, so that others can build upon it and improve it.

Feedback on your application

Your application was not selected to progress beyond the AI triage stage.  To provide transparency on the outcome of this assessment, we are sharing below the scores (out of 5) from each of the two AI review processes described above, together with the mean score across the two processes.
40435241
Reposted by David Turner
Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Cannot tell you how much I hate this & how ashamed & angry I am that @ukri.org have taken this step. We KNOW this sort of gAI is socially biased, we KNOW it favours slopAI output over human-written. Our research landscape is falling apart due to underfunding, & they do this? it's *appalling*
718690
Reposted by David Turner
Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Only men aged 84+ will have done military service (the average male life expectancy is 79) so very, very few over-65s would have experienced military service themselves, they seem happy for others to do it though. The people who would actually suffer from conscription are overwhelmingly against it.
1413132
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I'm sick of hearing these stories. UK unis are a major export industry, provide wealth and jobs, and enrich our nation in a multitude of ways. Infuriatingly, @andyburnham.bsky.social and the govt do not seem to care that the system is collapsing, an outcome which will leave the UK much poorer.
1122
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
If you asked a shopping centre to support 1000s of people in an emergency, it couldn't because, well, it's a shopping centre. This is why airports can't either. They have prioritised squeezing in as much retail as possible over being resilient transport hubs. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...
bbc.co.uk
Passengers sleep on floors and describe airport 'carnage' as hundreds more flights cancelled
Air traffic controller Nats has apologised for the technical issue, with the firm's boss Martin Rolfe due to meet the transport secretary later.
080
Reposted by David Turner
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The AfD and Reform immigration policies are almost identical. There is no plausible reason for considering one far right and the other not.
642896902
Reposted by David Turner
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Our wonderful small grants scheme is open again offering up to £10k to humanities and social sciences researchers. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 mont...
35354
Reposted by David Turner
Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
26035391066
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Downgrade a movie: Star Walk: the Unfamiliar Country
041
Reposted by David Turner
patinate.bsky.social @patinate.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/education/20... A UCU spokesperson said: “We are horrified but hardly surprised to learn that management at Exeter are more interested in flogging military training to despotic regimes than in defending world-class humanities and social sciences teaching.”
theguardian.com
Exeter University approves deal with Saudi Arabia to train military officers and officials
In move that could generate millions, Exeter academics to deliver MA at National Defense University in Riyadh
0199
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Well there's something you don't see every day...someone moving down a train on a full sized adult electric scooter.
142
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Well there's something you don't see every day...someone moving down a train on a full sized adult electric scooter.
142
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Universities' lack of aggression and fight defending themselves when they're clearly in the front line of a gathering zero-sum conflict is astounding. And pathetic. They won't throw even a single rhetorical or political punch. They are pitiful.
static.klipy.com
The Simpsons: Principal Skinner - Pathetic
ALT: The Simpsons: Principal Skinner - Pathetic
24613
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I posted this 19 days ago in Toronto. I would love to know how it travelled and where the holdups were.
A postcard. On it is shown the Toronto skyline, in the evening. The postcard has the word Toronto on it.
001
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Good, but our apprenticeship system is too complex. Also, most of the leg-work falls on the unis and the students - employers can be v. good, but also appalling. Yet, if anything goes wrong, it is the unis that get clobbered. Finally, why are OFSTED are involved? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Competition for degree apprenticeships quadruples in three years
The popularity of degree apprenticeships has grown as the cost of university has come under increased scrutiny.
140
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
As long as there are no direct trains (that I saw earlier) between European capitals and prices are high, people will still mostly fly or drive. It shouldn't take ages and cost c. £500 to travel from Paris to Berlin or Madrid. And don't get me started on the Eurostar leg...
36315
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The UK's university sector is forecasting a big increase in international students to stay solvent. In fact, those numbers are falling rapidly. Perhaps Icarus thought solar power would save him? An almost unwatchable disaster in real time. www.ft.com/content/bf7b...
ft.com
UK universities offer fee discounts to overseas students in ‘pricing war’
Reductions come as tighter visa rules and fiercer competition add to pressure on already financially strained sector
3166
Reposted by David Turner
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
'Andrew Clark told Research Professional News he was interested in how AI could be used to help manage demand for RAEng grants, amid growing concern that the technology is driving a surge in applications to research funders.' 1/2
111
Reposted by David Turner
Phil Sturgeon 🌳🚵⚓️ @philsturgeon.com · 14/08/2026
Fascism wastes a lot of money on cruelty. A preview of any Reform government.
163
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Oh what a surprise! Who could have predicted this except ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY 😡 Thick as mince country. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/08...
911531
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Universities... I've just been sent to the edge today by all this stupid reporting about A-Level results day like everything's fine and dandy. Those 18yos are heading into a proper storm. It's hot, I'm hot, none of us can do anything about it anyway. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students
Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’
28623
Reposted by David Turner
James Kneale @jameskneale.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I've just heard that the BA/BSc Geography programme is to close at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Geography and Environmental Science (CGES) in Cornwall. This programme was made up of excellent modules with original and content, taught brilliantly—often with real innovation—by extremely 1/9
5172104
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
BBC website leading with small boats I see, despite numbers down 43%. Just unacceptable.
52757173
Reposted by David Turner
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
One in ten university students in England is now taught by a franchise. Galileo (which took over Regents University London in 2020) wants to be a privatisation alternative to that model; its acquisitions team has an eye on English universities in financial distress. Coming to a university near us.
ft.com
European education group eyes takeovers of UK universities
Britain ‘an appealing market’ for long-term investment, says Galileo chief
32429
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Full-time students shouldn't have to work whilst studying. It affects how they engage with and focus on their studies, and their mental health. Holding down jobs and producing academic work puts pressure on. It also might explain why so many students use AI.
084
Reposted by David Turner
Gareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 07/08/2026
On the left is the ORR predicting yesterday's failure in March 2026. On the right is me on the BBC describing government's inadequate funding of Network Rail, and why we are going to see many more major disruptive events like this unless there's a change in direction.
Gaps in resilience of signalling supply power back-up systems are a risk. Failures of signalling supply power have emerged as a growing risk to network performance and potentially safety, due to the loss of signalling capability. Recent incidents at Stoke, Stone, and Kidsgrove occurred within North West & Central region, but they may point to a wider issue. We have identified a systemic oversight gap between Network Rail's electrical & power and signalling disciplines, particularly in relation to the provision and assurance of resilient back-up power arrangements. This gap does not appear to be fully addressed through Network Rail's internal incident reviews, increasing the risk of recurrence.Government must fund railways adequately, says rail engineer published at 11:50
11:50 A rail engineer and podcaster has called on the government to fund the railways adequately, warning that Network Rail - the body that owns most of the UK's rail infrastructure is being told to "run a minimum viable product". Gareth Dennis tells BBC Radio 5 Live that Network Rail's funding "was so much lower than it needed to be for the railways to stay afloat".
He says that at the start of the year, there were "massive redundancies" at Network Rail, so having staff members who know they need to be checking back-up supplies becomes "the sort of thing that falls through the cracks". "The government is really responsible for this and needs to be funding the railways adequately - they currently see the railways as an asset that costs them money, but they should be seeing it as an engine for growth and investing accordingly," he says.
15614
Reposted by David Turner
Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Delighted to hear today that the answer to ‘who will supervise PhDs whose supervisors are being sacked?’ is ‘hire hourly-paid supervisors who were sacked in the previous round of sackings’. This rather whiffs of fake redundancies.
1323664
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Full-time students shouldn't have to work whilst studying. It affects how they engage with and focus on their studies, and their mental health. Holding down jobs and producing academic work puts pressure on. It also might explain why so many students use AI.
084
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
It was recently estimated by @ethical-consumer.bsky.social that Amazon's UK corp tax avoidance cost £575 million in 2024. Yet, independent shops like @newhambookshop.bsky.social, that does so much good, are in danger of closing because of greed We cannot let it stand - a petition: c.org/mQkTt6sp2R
c.org
Sign the Petition
Stop a 32% rent hike for Newham Bookshop
064
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
It was recently estimated by @ethical-consumer.bsky.social that Amazon's UK corp tax avoidance cost £575 million in 2024. Yet, independent shops like @newhambookshop.bsky.social, that does so much good, are in danger of closing because of greed We cannot let it stand - a petition: c.org/mQkTt6sp2R
c.org
Sign the Petition
Stop a 32% rent hike for Newham Bookshop
064
Reposted by David Turner
Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"History involves sorting and organizing hundreds of thousands of facts" I remain astounded by how loud and wrong people are about what history actually is.
Post

See new posts
Conversation
Megan Stevenson
@MeganTStevenson
I haven't heard people talking about this, but AI is an absolute game changer for doing historical research. History involves sorting and organizing hundreds of thousands of facts— a massive logistical/memory problem made so delightfully easy with agentic research. 1/
1:31 PM · Jul 29, 2026
·
126.1K
 Views
Relevant
View quotes

Megan Stevenson
@MeganTStevenson
·
Jul 29
I did an OCR conversion of all my PDFs to make text files, built a semantic search index, and can just let my agents roam free to answer questions, fact-check, dig up interesting stories, quotes, etc. It takes a lot of the hard work out, as well as a lot of the human error. 2/2
1231592330
Reposted by David Turner
Newham Bookshop @newhambookshop.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Please read and share widely.
Newham Bookshop facing 32% rent increase with £20K due immediately.
4113113
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Imagine if you took all the profits off gas/oil cos, AI cos, and other massively polluting, but profitable, industries worldwide and put them into: Decarbonising everything Investing in sustainable transport Building reservoirs Planting trees We could solve this. Yet, politicians choose not to
084
Reposted by David Turner
Transport for All @transportforall.org.uk · 05/08/2026
Our journey towards equal access for everyone continues, and it’s powered by all of us. Through community and disabled peoples' expertise leading the way. Want to make change happen? Our monthly members' newsletter is always full of ideas to take action. Sign up here: bit.ly/4n8me0m
Three disabled people in a busy train station. The first is a Black man, he is a powerchair user with a limb difference. The second is a white woman with brown hair and glasses. The third is a south-east Asian man with glasses. He is also a wheelchair user. They are all looking confidently at the camera.  Text on the image reads “Powered by all of us” on an orange and yellow graphic background.
031
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Imagine if you took all the profits off gas/oil cos, AI cos, and other massively polluting, but profitable, industries worldwide and put them into: Decarbonising everything Investing in sustainable transport Building reservoirs Planting trees We could solve this. Yet, politicians choose not to
084
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Of course the UK governments don't know where research is! They know almost nothing about it! No-one is in charge, no-one has a plan, no-one is steering: that's one of our main problems.
03214
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Stunning display of motornormativity here from the BBC. No, they are not "closing down streets" - if they were doing that they would be shut off from everyone. Rather, they are changing who is using the space. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play
In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.
413626
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Universities cannot make money teaching home undergrads or doing funded research. Indeed, those run at a large loss. Only teaching international students make sense in any way. The logical endpoint is taking only international students, reducing research and moving many ops out of the UK altogether.
54416
Reposted by David Turner
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
'A wholesale review of university funding and organisation has been announced by the Welsh Government. The review comes as institutions in Wales grapple with a combined operating deficit of £97m+ even after years of cuts and job losses.'
walesonline.co.uk
Major review of universities in Wales announced after years of cuts
The Welsh Government will look at university funding and organisation as bosses face a black hole of almost £100m
293
Reposted by David Turner
OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Our latest collaboration is public! From today, visitors to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway can pick up our leaflet, exploring some of the Island's past railway staff! They'll discover carriage cleaner Elsie Knapp, Yarmouth station master Robert White & more! #HeritageRailway #RailwayHistory
One side of a DL-format leaflet, titled 'Staff and work on the Isle of Wight's railways before 1939'. Front cover shows a sepia-toned photograph of Yarmouth station in around 1900, with two staff members and a boy and a dog on the platform, tracks to the fore and a small brick-built station building behind. Includes the logos of the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, and Railway Work, Life & Death project collaborators, the University of Warwick, National Railway Museum and the University of Portsmouth. The remaining pages feature contact details for the Railway Work, Life & Death project, text introducing the project, and details of an accident to two men, E Bates and G Mitchell, in 1929 near Ashey. This includes a photograph showing a single track railway line passing through countryside.Sepia-toned photograph, showing a basic single platform brick-built railway station, with a pair of points in the foreground for the passing loop. Take from track level, looking up at two men and a boy on the station platform, along with the dog. Enamel adverts are attached to the station walls and fencing. A telegraph pole, lamp and housing are also visible. Courtesy Isle of Wight Steam Railway Photographic Archive.Comic postcard, showing a ramshackle steam train going slowly through countryside, with an overprinted title 'Our local express at Isle of Wight'.
2124
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Stunning display of motornormativity here from the BBC. No, they are not "closing down streets" - if they were doing that they would be shut off from everyone. Rather, they are changing who is using the space. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play
In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.
413626
Reposted by David Turner
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
What I haven't seen mentioned in connection to this story about one of the busiest commuter services, is that the LNR train is significantly cheaper than the Avanti ones. hence why it is busy. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
A screenshot of the Avanti app with trains between London and Crewe. The 1743 Avanti service is £120, the 1803 service is £109, whilst the LNR service is £46.90.
151
David Turner @railwayhistorian.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
What I haven't seen mentioned in connection to this story about one of the busiest commuter services, is that the LNR train is significantly cheaper than the Avanti ones. hence why it is busy. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
A screenshot of the Avanti app with trains between London and Crewe. The 1743 Avanti service is £120, the 1803 service is £109, whilst the LNR service is £46.90.
151
Reposted by David Turner
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
So it's farewell to the History subject area at the University of Hertfordshire, not the first nor the last to go. One of the best departments in the country, just extinguished like a snap of the fingers. Think of the waste. (1/2)
11557268
Reposted by David Turner
Peter Whitewood @pwhitewood.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Lowest number of graduate job openings since 2020. This is a core labour market problem that universities cannot fix, but routinely get the blame for.
ft.com
UK graduate job openings fall to lowest level since pandemic
Indeed’s findings point to challenge facing Andy Burnham to boost youth unemployment and cut welfare bill
04922