There was a time when your humble Editor worked in the Civil Service. From this period of personal history two clear memories stick out. Firstly that there was once a genuine publication titled Guidance on …
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A Study in Sussex Part 2: Getting Politiconomical
In part 2 of our Study in Sussex we look at the politics and economics behind the railway debate currently underway – both of which are playing a key role in determining what service provision …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 1: An Overview and a Rather Curious Announcement
Sussex may not at first glance appear to be part of our self-imposed London-related-only remit but an awful lot of railway activity that goes on in Sussex does relate to London. We are thus going …
Continue readingSuburban Commandos: Transport and London 2050
Londoners with a particular interest in politics and planning may have noticed a new phrase appear in the lexicon of both in recent months – London 2050. In this article we take a closer look at precisely what that phrase means, and how thinking is shaping up so far. For when it comes to transport infrastructure 2050 is far closer than one might think.
Continue readingA Window Into Crossrail From the National Audit Office
As a public project with Department for Transport ownership (albeit in this case jointly with TfL), Crossrail is subject to a number of elements of public project governance. One of the most interesting of these …
Continue readingThameslink and the NAO: part 3: All’s well that ends well?
This article, following on from part 1 and part 2 of articles on the report from the National Audit Office (NAO), was intended to be very short and mainly deal with the limited NAO comments …
Continue readingThameslink and the NAO: Part 2 – Wherefore Art Thou Siemens Rolling Stock?
In part one we looked at the verdict of the National Audit Office report on Thameslink and more specifically on the infrastructure work done so far. In part two we look in detail at the …
Continue readingThameslink and the National Audit Office: Part 1
It is the same old story. We were planning on giving articles about Thameslink a break and then something else comes along. This time it is a report from the National Audit Office (NAO). This …
Continue readingThe Life, Death and Rebirth of Lea Bridge Station
Somewhat buried amongst a number of railway-related announcements from the DfT this month was final confirmation of something that Waltham Forest council have been pushing for some time – the reopening of Lea Bridge Station. …
Continue readingTowards The Start of a New Era on the South London Line?
Late last year we reported on the opening of stage II of the East London Line and also said farewell to the South London Line (SLL). Nowadays it is not often that we see a …
Continue readingThameslink: Losing The Plot Whilst Looping the Loop?
In the late 1970s the Chrysler Corporation of America was in deep financial trouble. No-one wanted to buy their cars. Lee Iacocca, a former president of Ford Motors who was fired when he fell out …
Continue readingHLOS Highlights Part 1: The Orange Elephant in the Room
Yesterday saw final confirmation of the contents of the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) 2012, the DfT’s outline of work to be carried out on the railways between April 2014 and March 2019 (Control Period …
Continue readingTransport Committee: Franchise Bids and Frank Comments
Last week saw the first meeting of the London Assembly’s Transport Committee since the elections. In front of the Committee were Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy and Isabel Dedring, Deputy Mayor for Transport. Hendy and Dedring …
Continue readingDfT Looks To End Wandsworth – Olympia Parliamentary Train
One of the curious legacies of the post-Beeching railway era is the concept of the Parliamentary Train. Essentially, due to the mandatory consultation process that must now take place before a section of line is …
Continue readingLondon & Freight Part 2: The Freight Must Flow
The more we looked at rail freight in London the more we realised the significant challenges it poses, including to TfL’s aspirations for the Overground and its ‘strategic interchanges’. As the network in London reaches …
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