 Following the privatisation of the railway system in the UK in the 1990s, he was the founding Chair of the Railway Heritage Committee, which supervised the transfer of historic artefacts and records to collecting institutions.Higginson was knighted in the 1992 New Year Honours.The University of Leeds conferred the degree of LLD honoris causa on him in 1994 and the University of Loughborough conferred the degree of DSc honoris causa in 2002.