After a long period when we thought it wiser not to hold our usual monthly pub nights or only hold a very low-key pub meeting, we have decided that the time has come to reinstate …
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Lisbon: The public transit design utopia
Lisbon is a public transit aficionado’s dream. Whether it is the unique Elevador de Santa Justa or the city’s iconic yellow trams, picturesquely winding their way up the steep narrow streets. In this City Snapshot, …
Continue readingThe surreal Métro of Charleroi
Noted surrealist painter Réné Magritte was Belgian. It is perhaps appropriate that Belgian politics produced a surreal Métro line, that is neither a metro nor operational. But that is about to change, in Charleroi. This …
Continue readingA Crossrail worthy interchange – Hong Kong’s Shatin to Central Extension
While London awaits the final testing and final opening of its Elizabeth (née Crossrail) line, there is another line, albeit shorter, which has many similarities. Hong Kong is by some measures more dense than London, …
Continue reading2021 Quiz – Answers
Control tower at RAF Kenley – on wheels!
Continue readingTube Financial Crisis: Why Closures Rarely Save Money
We take a look at the financial situation on the Underground in general and consider whether closing the Bakerloo line merits serious consideration. One of the more dramatic effects of Covid19 in London has been …
Continue readingLondon Reconnections 2021 Christmas Quiz
2021 has been another year affected by Covid and, as in 2020, the LR team have not got out and about as much as they normally do. So in the 2021 London Reconnections Christmas Quiz …
Continue readingCanal Knowledge: The Fall and Rise of Surrey Canal Road Station
For ten years, Surrey Canal Road has been a modern ghost station. An empty station box beneath on the East London Line the only hint of its near existence. As TfL submit planning permission to build it, we look at how it never came to pass and why its time has finally come.
Continue readingLondon-by-the-Sea Line – The Island Line Reopens
The Isle of Wight’s 8.5 mile Island Line has long held a fascination for historians of London’s transport. Two generations of ex-London Underground tube stock have taken a second working life on the Island since …
Continue readingA deeper look at the Tube’s Spiral Escalator
One of the enduring mysteries of the Underground is the Spiral Escalator at Holloway Road station – did it actually function? And if so, did it carry any passengers? How did it work? There has …
Continue readingSoutheastern: Non-Breaking News
On 28 September the Department for Transport announced that they would be taking over the Southeastern franchise, following a breach of franchise agreement. We look at what this means for the franchise, and why it’s …
Continue readingVulcanised Technology: Ride Long and Prosper – Movin’On 2021 (Part 1)
There are many more electric cars on the streets and motorways. Notwithstanding their much cleaner propulsion, there is another key difference – electric cars weigh about 1,000 pounds/454 kg more than comparable internal combustion engine …
Continue readingNight Tube Part 2: A Hard Day’s Night
Night Tube This is the Night Tube crossing the border, From Zone One to suburban order, Emails for luvvy, texts for more, Facebook to all, including next door. Uphill from Camden, a steady climb, Lots …
Continue readingEmpire of the Air Part 2 – R.100 Overseas
Whilst we in LR have generally been bound to the ground or under it, we once again turn our eyes up to the skies. The Imperial Airship Service was a very serious scheme authorised at …
Continue readingThe Political Myth of the Driverless Tube Train
Both meaningless and meaningful, the phrase ‘driverless trains’ is a recurring one in London politics. In this piece, we explore the reality behind the phrase and what it means in a London context.
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