In early July 2018, South Western Railway (SWR) released a statement on their website. In it, the Operator reiterated their desire to run additional services – something they had included in their franchise submission for …
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Holy Grails and Thameslink Fails (part 2): The plan that went wrong
In looking at why the new May national rail timetable went so horribly wrong in the case of Thameslink and Great Northern services, it is necessary to look not only at the immediate causes but …
Continue readingThameslink The Musical Act 4, Scene 3: The Grayling Letter
The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, has written a letter to fellow MPs outlining where responsibility lies for the current issues with the GTR franchise. You can read the full letter here. By way of response, we present an extract from Thameslink: The Musical.
Continue readingAnd it Moves Us All: East Coast To Be Renationalised
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba Sithi uhm ingonyama! From the day it arrived at St Pancras, And blinking, step into the sun. There’s more to East Coast, Than, new a brand and cheap seats. More to …
Continue readingThe Metropolitan Line Extension: Deadline Day
On 26 March 2015, outgoing London Mayor and current Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson issued Mayoral Decision MD1478. Based on a cost estimate only 50% likely to be correct, London agreed to fund a transport project, with no cost ceiling, that primarily benefitted a Conservative marginal seat outside of the capital. This is the story of the troubled Metropolitan Line Extension to Watford.
Continue readingWhy capacity won’t increase on Southeastern Metro any time soon
Way back in 2011 we wrote a piece called Two Of Our Carriages Are Missing. It was about the long term failure to provide 12-car trains on Southeastern Metro services via London Bridge to Charing …
Continue readingHow Can You Mend A Broken Railway? Thameslink and the Gibb Report
Last summer the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, commissioned a report from an experienced and well-respected railwayman, Chris Gibb. The goal was a framework to enable much-needed improvements to railway services across the …
Continue readingGovernment backs down on Network Rail cash raid (Transport Network)
The Government has backtracked over a threat to put £1.8bn from a sale of Network Rail assets towards cutting the deficit. However, the infrastructure operator could still be forced to cut maintenance work and drop …
Continue readingDfT trials rail fare simplification (Railway Technology)
What’s in store for the UK’s big rail fare shake-up “The Department for Transport recently announced far-reaching changes to UK rail fares in an attempt to make it easier for passengers to buy the cheapest …
Continue readingOvergrounded: How London’s Dream of Rail Devolution Died
There are those who believe that London’s local rail services would be better managed by TfL. For most of 2016 all the signs seemed to indicate that TfL would be invited to do just that. …
Continue readingThe Last Stand of the Old Guard?
The role of the railway guard has been in the news recently due to various industrial disputes in London and beyond. With debate set to continue over the role in the coming months, this seems …
Continue readingPeace On Our Line? Devolving London’s Railways
It is not often that rail consultations are greeted with unabashed excitement. In this the reaction to today’s announcement that Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT) are to jointly consult on …
Continue readingThe Queen vs DfT: Questioning the East Anglia Franchise
On the 10th December 2015 in Court Two at the Royal Courts of Justice a new case commenced. Its presence in Court Two may reflect more on the number of legal professionals present rather than …
Continue readingLondon 2050 (Part 2): Whether the Forecasts
In part 2 of our detailed look at London 2050 we look at what it forecasts for both jobs and population – and how these affect the proposed transport strategy to be found within it.
Continue readingCrossrail to Tring: An HS2 Hijack
We like to think it is not often we get caught out at London Reconnections. Often there’s a hint, either spotter or official, if not an openly advanced warning, about significant announcements. Other times we …
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