Best Thomas Ableman Podcasts (2025)

1
BUDGET SPECIAL with Sir Michael Holden 30:52

Play Pause

4d ago30:52

30:52

The Budget has finally been unveiled. But what does it mean for transport? In this week’s episode, I review the budget with Sir Michael Holden, former Chairman of Directly Operated Railways. We discuss the impact on railway economics (and whether there’s money for the fares freeze), whether the fuel duty increases will actually happen, the Governme…

1
The National Bus Strategy Four Years On, with Leon Daniels 51:57

12d ago51:57

51:57

The world’s moving faster than ever, and policy changes with dizzying pace. It was only in 2021 that the Conservatives issued the most pro-bus policy document probably ever published by a British Government. The National Bus Strategy was something of a marvel for those of us who want to see better public transport. It promised a vision of bus lanes…

1
The North-South Divide with Tom Forth 1:04:05

22h ago1:04:05

1:04:05

Data City Founder Tom Forth has been told some extraordinary reasons why the North underperforms the South. Including that it’s down to Northerners being stupid. Or drunk. He’s even read academic papers outlining these theories. In a fascinating episode of the podcast, we get into a discussion on the real reasons. They go back a thousand years but …

1
Feast-Famine Electrification with Noel Dolphin 29:25

21d ago29:25

29:25

Why does electrification in the UK cost so much more than in the rest of Europe? And why does it always seem to go wrong? In today’s episode, I talk to Managing Director (UK) of Furrer+Frey, the leading Swiss engineering company. We delve into the root cause of the problem: the way HM Treasury makes funding decisions, which results in a feast-famin…

1
The Great Ghent Renaissance with Filip Watteeuw 38:00

1M ago38:00

38:00

𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘂𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁, and the Alderman responsible for transport and mobility policy. He took over the portfolio and immediately set about trying to make Ghent a more beautiful, peaceful city. As I can confirm from having visited, he really succeeded! But not without a lot of difficulty, even including death th…

1
Risk-Taking, Rules and Death With Dan Garrett, Founder of Farewill 44:46

2M ago44:46

44:46

Founding a startup is hard, but it’s even harder when you’re dealing with the most painful and emotive moments in peoples’ lives. That’s what Dan Garrett decided to do when he created Farewill, now the country’s largest “Deathtech” firm. His business enables peoples to self-serve themselves wills, as well as offering other services including probat…

1
Mini Holland and The Transformation of a London Suburb with Clyde Loakes 1:04:00

2M ago1:04:00

1:04:00

Mini Holland is the poster-child for the transformation of an urban area. A network of congested residential streets in North East London has become peaceful and tranquil. The local high street converted from a double-parked rat-run into a desirable pedestrianised destination. As the first Low Traffic Neighbourhood of the modern era, council reps f…

1
Autonomous Public Transport with James Dick of RATP 35:11

2M ago35:11

35:11

Autonomous public transport has the potential to transform our cities. Suburbs that are not currently served by public transport could be cost-effectively connected for the first time, while conventional bus routes could be expanded. One city that is taking the lead in experimenting with autonomous public transport is Paris, under the leadership of…

1
Gian-Mattia Schucan Ends Season 4 with a Vision of Seamless Travel 27:27

5M ago27:27

27:27

Gian-Mattia Schucan founded Fairtiq to make travelling by public transport effortless: no tickets, no gates, no stress. We talk about the journey from idea to reality, what operators really want from innovators and how to make change happen in public transport. I’m sad to say that this is the last episode of Season 4 but, don’t worry, I’ll be back …

1
Jonny Mood on Value for Money 39:00

5M ago39:00

39:00

“It's fine when you're swinging big to have a few misses in a controlled environment” - 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 making it very clear that it’s fine for public sector organisations to try things and fail. In today’s episode, I talk to Jonny about what value for money really means, why BCR is often misused and how the NAO su…

1
Olly Glover MP on Innovation, Elections and Electrification 48:20

6M ago48:20

48:20

What happens when a rail consultant unexpectedly becomes an MP? In this episode, I talk to Olly Glover MP about the chaos of election night, the shock of landing in Parliament and what the job of an MP really involves. We explore why innovation is hard in legacy sectors like rail, and how the UK’s political system both helps and hinders progress. O…

1
Lars Strömgren on Creating a Cycling City 44:55

6M ago44:55

44:55

In this episode, I’m joined by Lars Strömgren, Vice Mayor for Transport and Urban Environment in Stockholm, and one of the people most responsible for Sweden’s cycling boom. We explore how Stockholm went from a city with less than 1% cycling modal share in the 1980s to one of the most bike-friendly places in Europe. Lars reflects on how his childho…

1
Anjali Devadasan on Growing A Green Startup 36:25

6M ago36:25

36:25

My guest this week is Anjali Devadasan, founder of Treeva, a startup generating energy from passing vehicles and trains. Her turbines harness airflow to power local infrastructure like lighting and EV chargers. We talked about the technology, the challenges of scaling, and her personal drive to tackle climate change, inspired by her family’s person…

1
Christian Willoch on Autonomous Vehicles as Public Transport 44:47

6M ago44:47

44:47

In Oslo, Christian Willoch and his team at Ruter are doing something most cities haven’t even begun to talk about – using autonomous vehicles to strengthen public transport, not compete with it. In this episode, I visit the pilot project they’ve got going, with real members of the public travelling on Ruter-branded autonomous vehicles in exactly th…

1
Stephen Bush on the Politics of Transport 46:52

7M ago46:52

46:52

Stephen Bush, Associate Editor at the Financial Times, is one of the few political journalists who truly gets transport policy. In this episode, we talk about why transport matters far more to economic productivity than politicians realise, why ambition in major infrastructure projects has declined since the financial crisis and why simply national…

1
Elke Van Den Brandt on Transforming Brussels 44:55

7M ago44:55

44:55

Elke Van den Brandt has transformed Brussels' streets – and taken a political battering for doing so. As the city’s mobility minister, she’s championed slower speeds, safer roads and public spaces that feel more like “living rooms than corridors”. We talk about her 30km/h city-wide limit, the backlash it sparked, the silent majority that supports i…

1
The Freewheeling Podcast - Season 4 Trailer 2:45

7M ago2:45

2:45

Here’s a taster of what’s coming up in Season 4. Subscribe to enjoy the full series!By Thomas Ableman

1
Tom Nutley on Making Micromobility Work 42:45

8M ago42:45

42:45

For the last episode in Season 3, I’m joined by Tom Nutley of Urban Sharing to dive into the state of micromobility: what’s working, what isn’t - and why. We explore the roots of the industry, from 1960s bike shares to the scooter boom, and discuss how cities have too often repeated past mistakes. Tom argues passionately that micromobility must be …

1
Paul Swinney on the North-South Divide and Urban Productivity 55:10

9M ago55:10

55:10

Why is Britain’s economy so lopsided? In most developed countries, you don’t have to move to the capital to find the best jobs, yet in the UK, that’s still the reality for many. London dominates, while our second-tier cities (Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, etc) underperform compared to their European counterparts. Paul Swinney, Director of Policy…

1
Lee Waters on Breaking Orthodoxy to Achieve Real Change 54:40

9M ago54:40

54:40

Most politicians either follow public opinion or get trapped in the orthodoxy of the established approach. Lee Waters took a different route. As both Minister for Transport and Minster for Climate Change in Wales, he led some of the most radical shifts in UK transport policy: drastically curtailing road-building, introducing a national 20mph speed …

1
Frank Elter on How Big Firms can stay Innovative 39:00

9M ago39:00

39:00

Frank Elter may be a part-time Professor, but he’s a very real-world professor. As Chief Scientist and Vice President at Telenor Research, he’s responsible for innovation and planning for one of Norway’s telecoms giants. He has thought deeply about how corporations can stay innovative. He’s thought about it concerning his work, and he’s researched …

1
Rikesh Shah on Public Sector Procurement 35:10

9M ago35:10

35:10

The UK public sector spends somewhere between £300 billion and a trillion. A lot of that goes through public procurement processes. That creates enormous innovation potential. Yet, being honest, the words “public sector procurement” aren’t seen as synonyms for innovation. This week, the new Procurement Act 2023 comes into force, so it seems a good …

1
David Milner on The Design of Cities - and on Trams 53:10

10M ago53:10

53:10

Why don’t we build homes people wish to live in? Terraced streets are popular and sustainable and support shops, services and transport, so why do we keep building low-density, car-dependent suburbs? And what needs to be done to create a nationwide tram renaissance? These are just some of the questions I get into in discussion with David Milner, th…

1
George Hazel on Land Value Capture Funding 46:05

10M ago46:05

46:05

Everyone agrees we need more sustainable transport but no-one has enough money to pay for it. Could ‘land value capture’ be the answer? This is the approach where by transport lines are funded through the increases in the land value that the stations stimulate. Well, George Hazel thinks so. In fact, he knows so, because he developed the land value …

1
Jarrett Walker on How To Think About Public Transport 45:00

10M ago45:00

45:00

Jarrett Walker has been designing bus networks for thirty years. From his consulting practice in Portland, Oregon, he’s built a specialism in helping cash-strapped local authorities optimise their networks through his business Jarrett Walker Associates. And you can’t optimise if you don’t know what public transport is actually for and how you’re me…

1
Anne Shaw on the Transformation of Birmingham 34:05

10M ago34:05

34:05

Birmingham was the first city I lived in as a proper ‘grown-up’ and it was metamorphosing before my eyes. Previously famous as Britain’s ‘car city’, it ripped up its inner ring road the year I arrived. Today, the city centre is unrecognisable: spacious, walkable and with a brand new tram route snaking past brand new buildings. Anne Shaw has been in…

1
Grace Wyld on Government and Governance 30:28

11M ago30:28

30:28

Politics tends to focus on what is to be done, but none of it matters if it doesn't actually happen. We've been living through a crisis of governance recently. Government has become centralised, micro-managing and subject to constant, wild oscillations of policy. Is this as good as it gets? The Future Governance Forum was set up to make sure it isn…

1
Karen Vancluysen on policies, politics and populism 46:20

11M ago46:20

46:20

Karen Vancluysen has an infectious passion for sustainable transport and urban mobility. As Secretary General of POLIS, she runs a network of over 100 European cities and regions, all innovating to accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility. In today’s episode, we chat about the places that are leading the charge, and the challenges of …

1
Maria Hofberg on Growth and Customer satisfaction in Rail 35:34

12M ago35:34

35:34

Maria Hofberg’s rail company doesn’t just have satisfied customers: it has the most satisfied customers in Sweden. Not just the most satisfied rail customers: the most satisfied customers of any transport firm in the Swedish Quality Index, beating buses, airlines and ferry firms. The company in question is VR Snabbtåg and Maria is Chief Commercial …

1
Laura Wright on The Best Railways in the World 31:16

12M ago31:16

31:16

A few months ago, I did a light-hearted LinkedIn post, giving out “Olympic” medals to my favourite European railways. Transport Strategy Consultant Laura Wright was immediately on my case, challenging my (somewhat subjective) rankings. So I thought we should debate it in your presence. In this episode we discuss our best (and most memorable - not a…

1
Ahu Serter on Entrepreneurship and women in business 44:05

1y ago44:05

44:05

This week’s conversation is with a woman who has broken multiple glass ceilings. The worlds of investment, automotive and Turkish business are all overwhelmingly male-dominated, but Ahu Serter is one of the most respected figures in all of them. She is the founder of Fark Labs, a business attempting - as she puts it - to create the future of the wo…

1
Allan Cook on the Rail and Urban Transport Review 36:14

1y ago36:14

36:14

What should the new Government do about transport? Big question: so the Labour party asked an independent group of experts to come up with the answer. Their report, which was published in September, is all-encompassing. Allan Cook, former Chair of HS2, joins me to talk about their recommendations and why it’s so crucial for the Government to take t…

1
Chris Gibb on the Future of HS2 48:06

1y ago48:06

48:06

When Rishi Sunak stood up in a disused railway station in Manchester to announce the cancellation of HS2 to Manchester, he created something of a problem. One of the world’s most expensive railways is still being built, but will it be useful? The trains are too long for the platforms in Manchester, Birmingham will have too many platforms and Euston…

1
Laura Hadzik on Transport Law 44:53

1y ago44:53

44:53

Laura Hadzik is one of the UK’s pre-eminent specialists in Transport Law. In this week’s edition of The Freewheeling Podcast, she tells me about the dangers of badly-drafted legislation and advises how to maintain compliance while also promoting innovation. Laura isn’t only a lawyer, however. Despite being a proud Mancunian, she’s a Freeman of the …

1
Budget Special: Sir Michael Holden 39:56

1y ago39:56

39:56

After what felt like a lifetime of waiting, we finally found out yesterday what was in the budget. This morning, I got together with Sir Michael Holden (former Chief Executive of Directly Operated Railways, the Government’s own train company) to discuss what it means. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion of the potential and pitfalls of this landm…

1
Shin-pei Tsay on Making Change Happen 40:01

1y ago40:01

40:01

Shin-pei Tsay has had what you would call a varied career in transport. She's worked in advocacy organisations, as an exec in Uber and now leads innovation in the City of Boston. In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how to make change happen, how to deliver innovation within big organisations and the importance of inclusivity of wider society…

1
Pete Dyson on Transport for Humans 45:33

1y ago45:33

45:33

Pete Dyson is the author of Transport for Humans, a book with influential readers. Louise Haigh took it out of the House of Commons library and enjoyed it. I’m not surprised: Transport for Humans is essential for anyone involved in the transport and mobility sector. In our discussion, Pete explains why our focus on rigid metrics risks distracting u…

1
Bernt Reitan Jenssen on Decarbonisation and The Future of transport 56:46

1y ago56:46

56:46

Bernt Reitan Jenssen is the Chief Executive of Ruter, the public transport authority for the Norwegian capital Oslo. He has a vision: for a data-driven public transport network so responsive to user needs that it replicates the freedom offered by the private car. This may sound unachievable but Ruter has a track record. They have nearly achieved to…

1
Leila Zegna on Startups, Corporates and the importance of mentality 42:11

1y ago42:11

42:11

Leila Zegna is co-founder and Partner of Kindred Capital, one of the top venture capital firms in the UK. In her day job, she backs entrepreneurs with small startups but huge ambitions. She is also a Trustee of Boston Children’s Hospital and spent most of her career in Silicon Valley. So she has a great perspective on what corporates can learn from…

1
Colin Knight on Reinventing the Tram 47:14

1y ago47:14

47:14

This week I’m joined by a council officer. But no ordinary council officer. Colin Knight is doing something extraordinary: working with scientists and automotive engineers to develop an entirely new form of transport. When challenged by his political masters to reduce the costs of a new tram network for Coventry, Colin realised that the only way to…

1
Vernon Everitt on Pace of Progress in Manchester 40:15

1y ago40:15

40:15

Vernon Everitt is Commissioner for Greater Manchester at a time of rapid (transformational?) change. Manchester is the UK’s pioneer for re-regulating buses as part of a wider integrated Bee Network, which is intended to bring together buses, bikes, trains and trams. On this week’s Freewheeling Podcast, we talk about how much has been done, what’s l…

1
Katie-Lee English on The Treasury 36:55

1y ago36:55

36:55

I bet, like me, you constantly hear references to what the Treasury thinks. “The Treasury” sometimes seems to be a person in its own right, with its own opinions and culture. How did the Treasury form its culture? How does the Treasury work? How does the Treasury think? My guest this week, Katie-Lee English, spent a year working in the Treasury and…

1
Daniel Knowles on Why Cars Make Life worse 48:16

1y ago48:16

48:16

Daniel Knowles is the Midwest Editor of The Economist. But when he spoke to me from Chicago, it was not about US politics but about cars. His book Carmaggedon describes in acute, forensic detail why cars make life worse. Not just for people who don’t use them, but for people who do - and for the billions of people who currently don’t but wish they …

1
Season Two Preview 2:35

1+ y ago2:35

2:35

Almost three years to the day since the previous episode of The Freewheeling Podcast, I'm thrilled to tell you that I'll be back next week to start Season Two. We've got a great series coming up, starting on Thursday with Daniel Knowles, author of Carmaggedon. It's a fascinating conversation - please do join me!…

1
Chris Stark on Hitting Net Zero 50:21

4y ago50:21

50:21

My guest this week is Chris Stark, the CEO of the Climate Change Committee. His job is to set the national carbon budget and then report to Parliament on whether we’re on track to hit net zero. Earlier this year, his committee praised the Government for its ambition in setting targets but warned that ‘time was running out’ for the delivery plans to…

1
Angela Hultberg on the Climate Conference 37:06

4y ago37:06

37:06

Angela Hultberg is my first return guest on The Freewheeling Podcast. Since we last spoke she has joined the UN’s Climate Champions team preparing for the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow. Her remit is road transportation and she joins me to talk about how the COP process works, what we can expect from the Glasgow conference and the priorities f…

1
Andrew Haines on Great British Railways 50:21

4y ago50:21

50:21

Andrew Haines has a big task ahead of him. As well as leading Network Rail, he also has to create a completely new public body to run Britain’s railways. The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail outlined the creation of a new ‘fat controller’ organisation to manage the railways on behalf of customers, but the current CEO of Network Rail has the job of tur…

1
Professor Jillian Anable on the Future of Cars 37:06

4y ago37:06

37:06

Professor Jillian Anable, of the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, is an expert on the future of motor transport. She also has something of a track record as a forecaster: she accurately saw the trend towards SUVs coming, and fears they will be fatal to Britain’s chances of hitting its carbon targets. She tells me she is a…

1
End of Season wrap-up 12:45

4+ y ago12:45

12:45

The Freewheeling Podcast has now been live for exactly six months, so let's look back at some of the highlights from the first season. I won’t be releasing new episodes in August: too many listeners are away (as are too many guests!). So here’s a 10 minute summary of some of my favourite episodes of the last six months. If you’ve dipped in and out …

1
Simon Munk on Cycling campaigns 48:48

4+ y ago48:48

48:48

13 years ago, Simon Munk decided to take his local councillors on a bike ride to demonstrate just how dangerous the roads were for cyclists. Without knowing it, he’d kickstarted a revolution that resulted in Waltham Forest becoming a national (even global?) leader on cycling infrastructure - and led to Simon quitting his day job to become a full ti…