Everyone knows the history of the Metropolitan Railway as the world’s first underground line on 10th January 1863 between Bishops Road and Farringdon – but that was not even how the line was going to …
Continue readingCategory: Focus
Bonus Trains for Crossrail?
In an unexpected piece of potentially good news for London, it was reported last month that 10 new trains could be built for Crossrail. We look at the substance of the reports, catch up with …
Continue readingMuch ado, or not to do, about Level Boarding on Network Rails: Part 2
We just looked at TfL’s efforts to expand step-free access on its network. Level access is definitively patchy on TfL’s network, and the same goes for the Network Rail. Whilst the London Underground is famous …
Continue readingWherefore art thou Nightstar? Thou hast been a Ghost Train – The Nightstar Renaissance
What may this mean.That thou, dead corse, again, in complete steel,Revisit’st thus the glimpses of the moon. Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 4 To Sleeper Train, Perchance to Dream of Europe In the late 1980s a …
Continue readingLR Update April 2024
There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at LR Towers in the last few months. We have a new Friday / Monday Reads Editor, Daniel, who carries on the tradition. And we …
Continue readingMuch Ado about Level Boarding: TfL & UK Urban Rail (Part 1)
In February 2024, TfL announced its Equity in Motion plan to create a fair and inclusive transport network, with over 80 measures to make London transport more accessible. The plan sets out how the transport …
Continue readingThe Big Split: Overground Line Names
As the Overground has grown, calls have increased to provide its sub-lines with clearer identities of their own. Behind the scenes, TfL have been working to do just that. Those new identities have now been …
Continue readingDay Travelcards – Their History, Importance, & Salvation (Ticketing Part 2)
Digital is the mainstream now in fare payment, but it does little for those like on no or small fixed incomes, recent immigrants, those without bank or Oyster cards, people uncomfortable or unable to use …
Continue readingCrossrail Numbers Rise Again
In November 2024 the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) published its annual count of passenger numbers at National Rail stations. These figures seem to be often treated as a one-day wonder but detailed analysis …
Continue readingChristmas Quiz 2023 Answers
As promised here are the answers to the Christmas Quiz. Comments are based on a limited number of responses sent in. Please mark your own work and tell us how you got on. The limited …
Continue readingHS2 – A High Speed Beeching
We have noticed a plethora of different analyses and realisations of the impacts of the recently-announced HS2 Phase 2 cancellation. Initially, there was a new article about it almost every day. Lately, it has slowed …
Continue readingThe State of Rail: Breaking Down The Numbers
With discussion of ticket office closures and rail passenger numbers a political hot potato, it’s easy to forget that firm data on the state of rail in Great Britain does exist. We take a look at the ORR’s latest figures (April – June 2023) and TfL’s recent Crossrail Usage report.
Continue readingBrightline Trip Review – The new US private passenger railway
“Florida has North America’s best passenger rail service.” That was my thought after riding Florida East Coast Railway’s Brightline passenger rail service which runs between Miami and West Palm Beach. Unfortunately, I also experienced what …
Continue readingThe Mysterious Case of the Gidea Park Shorts
Just in case anyone thought this might be a whodunnit concerning a pair of minimal trousers, let it be known that its current use is to describe an apparently strange feature of the Crossrail timetable. …
Continue readingA Game Of Zones: Sir Peter Hendy to Leave TfL
To begin with, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin’s statement on Network Rail in front of Parliament this morning contained no surprises – at least not to those familiar with the works delays and escalating project costs …
Continue reading