Ask Me Anything: Simon Calder to answer your travel questions as government announces rail reform

Rail travel has dominated the news cycle of late.

Following early February’s drivers’ strikes, the government has suggested return tickets could be scrapped; Network Rail has revealed that the East Coast and West Coast main lines will be simultaneously closed on 18 and 19 February, nixing direct Scotland-England train travel; and the transport secretary has unveiled plans for rail reform.

In the annual George Bradshaw Address in London on Tuesday, Mark Harper described the railways currently as “mired in industrial action” and “historically unable to deliver major improvements at good value for the taxpayer”.

Only major reform, he said, can break the cycle of decline. The transport secretary said that Great British Railways will take over the running of trains and the network, though he insisted it was not “a return to British Rail”.

So what will the future of rail travel look like in the UK? And are more strikes on the horizon?

The Independent’s travel correspondent is ready and raring to answer all your questions on all this and more this afternoon.

Our expert Simon Calder will be on hand from 4-5pm GMT, on Wednesday 8 February, to answer all your travel questions in an ‘Ask me anything’ event. He will be answering live in the comments section below.

Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to leave your question.

Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they will be hidden until Simon joins the conversation to answer them.

Then join us live on this page from 4pm as Simon tackles as many of your travel queries as he can within an hour.