Get your portfolio on track for the return of the railways

From freight trains to high-speed Maglev technology, the entire rail industry is experiencing a renaissance. Matthew Partridge explains how you can take advantage of the new glory days of rail.

Goods rail is starting to make something of a comeback © Getty

• This article was first published in MoneyWeek magazine issue no 990, 13 March 2020

The protracted row over the ballooning costs and uncertain benefits of the HS2 high-speed rail project has obscured the bullish long-term growth outlook for the overall rail industry. Whether it’s a case of freight trains improving their efficiency to become a more competitive option for shippers than lorries, commuters ditching the car in favour of trains, or “flight shaming” causing people to embrace “slow travel”, railways seem to be recapturing some of the excitement of the “glory days” of the pre-WWI years and the late 19th century. This in turn has major implications for the companies involved in the sector.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri