• Should TfL build blocks of flats to save itself? (Wired) • HS2’s Old Oak Common station receives planning approval (RailEngineer) • London: a walkable city – video (LSEPlanning) • Why open streets are good …
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Friday Reads – 8 May 2020
• New Streetspace plan will fast track overhaul London’s streets (Guardian) • HS2 will build underground connection to Euston Square station (IanVisits) • Rethinking funding London transport (CentreForLondon) • Trainspotters: do your thing – at …
Continue readingHS2’s breakthrough tunnel design (RailEngineer)
Take a look at the latest images of the trains proposed for HS2. They too have to travel very fast – just as fast as, if not faster than, their Japanese counterparts. The HS2 trains …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 11 October 2019
• 5 things TfL should do with its new cycling database (CityWayfinding) • Manchester pushes back on Piccadilly HS2 parking garage (PlaceNorthWest) • New York’s forgotten elevated subway (Jalopnik) • What was Philly’s Broad-Ridge spur …
Continue readingHS2 seeks new station developers (Railway Technology)
“UK’s High Speed Two (HS2) has published details of contract opportunities for architects, designers and developers interested in the development of four new stations on the London to Birmingham high-speed railway line. The winning bidders …
Continue readingHigh Speed Buffers (Part 4): Terminal Policies and Priorities
In the latest part of our HS2 series, we look primarily at the options for London HS termini and/or through running. Some policy and funding issues are raised. Discussion about passenger volumes, and station and …
Continue readingHigh Speed Buffers (Part 3): Are There Limits to Commuting?
Our series on HS2 aims to look at how it affects London. Finding a suitable terminus will be a big part of that, something that is dependent on a number of factors. A critical one …
Continue readingHigh Speed Buffers? HS2 in London (Part 2)
In this part of our series on HS2, we look at options for serving Heathrow Airport, how this might be affected by franchising, the London terminus and decisions made concerning a potential HS1-HS2 link. Access …
Continue readingHigh Speed Buffers? HS2 in London (Part 1)
Although not a London specific scheme, High Speed 2 will have an enormous impact on London. In part 1 we take a brief look at the scheme as whole to provide some background information. We …
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 …
Continue readingThe (Caledonian) Sleeper Awakes
It may not have attracted the attention of most London Reconnections readers but recently a new rail franchise that serves London was announced – one with a start date of 1st April 2015. This is …
Continue readingOld Oak Common: Part 3 – Looking Over the Fence
Think of Old Oak Common (OOC) as the Canary Wharf of west London. That’s the Vision: bold and challenging. But will a ‘super hub’ emerge? While the grand plan for OOC may depend on decisions further up the metaphorical line, to a certain extent OOC leapfrogs the institutional black hole of rail strategy and drives deeper changes in strategic planning for London as a whole.
Continue readingOld Oak Common: Part 2 – Putting the Pieces Together
In Part 1, we introduced the many components that need to be integrated into the grand plan at Old Oak Common (OOC), for a new interchange with HS2, Crossrail, the Great Western Mainline (GWML) and …
Continue readingOld Oak Common: A Vision and Challenge For Crossrail (Part 1)
As “Phyllis” and “Ada” make their stately progress east from the portals at Park Royal, plans are evolving for the Crossrail route west, and an absorbing story it is to tell. The Mayor has now …
Continue readingLondon & Freight Part 3: A Quart Into a Pint Pot
This is the final part of our look at how freight may become the Achilles’ heel for rail planners in London. The first article provided some context, looking at the various strategies, the national flows …
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