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 …
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SSR: Towards the Proposed March 2020 Timetable
At London Reconnections we don’t want to appear to always be bringing bad or disappointing news but events over the past year meant that we rarely have good things to write about. It makes a …
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 readingTfL Confirm Gap in Croxley Rail Link Funding
In December 2016 we wrote about the curious absence of the Metropolitan line extension to Watford (the Croxley Rail link) from the TfL Business Plan. Sources at the time suggested that the extension was facing …
Continue readingOne of Our Extensions is Missing: The Precarious Status of Croxley Rail Link
The release of the draft TfL Business Plan always results in a flurry of activity within LR Towers as it gives a good insight into the thinking and direction that transport policy in the Capital …
Continue readingThird Time Lucky: A Look At The New Sub-Surface Signalling Plan
We have reported previously on the ongoing problems with the resignalling contract for the Subsurface Railway (the Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines). The contract is an important one, for it underpins much …
Continue readingMixed Signals: A Small SSR Press Release With Big Implications
On 24th March 2015 there was a surprise announcement from the Mayor and TfL about the re-signalling of the Subsurface Railway (SSR). It is largely a re-announcement of what has already been announced numerous times, …
Continue readingThe New Sub-Surface Timetable: As Good As It Gets?
December, amongst many other things, is a time for timetables. This tends not to get much publicity, particularly for the Underground, as normally there is nothing interesting to report. Superficially little has changed, but beneath …
Continue readingThe Sub-surface Railway and the Big Plan
In part 2 of Uncircling the Circle we looked at London Underground’s proposals for getting rid of the Circle Line in the form of a continuous loop and how they came to fruition. In doing …
Continue readingBig Changes Gonna Come (Part 2): A New Approach to Ticket Sales
In Part 1 of “Big Changes” we took a look at London Underground’s proposed plan for running nocturnal Tube services. Here in Part 2 we now turn to the other major change to the Underground …
Continue readingBig Changes Gonna Come (Part 1): The Night Tube
Last Thursday at Piccadilly Circus, in front of a small crowd of journalists and television cameras, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Mike Brown, MD of London Underground, pulled the covers off of a new …
Continue readingThe Past, Present and Future of Metropolitan Line Services: Part 2
In part 1 we looked at the service that had historically run on the Metropolitan Line, since its takeover by the London Passenger Transport board. Major improvements to both track and service occurred in the …
Continue readingThe Past, Present and Future of Metropolitan Line Services: Part 1
We reported last month that the Croxley Rail Link (CRL) scheme had been given the go-ahead, with the Transport and Works Act Order reported to be approved by the Secretary of State for Transport. Since …
Continue readingCroxley Rail Link Granted Transport Works Act Order
The Croxley Rail Link – which will see the Metropolitan Line diverted from Watford to Watford Junction, via new stations at Ascot Road, Watford Hospital – and Watford High Street, has been granted a Transport …
Continue readingIn Pictures: A Goodbye to the A-Stock
Wednesday 26th September saw the last unit of A-Stock run in passenger service on the Metropolitan Line. The last service was worked by 5063, and Ianvists has an excellent write up here. Some photos to commemorate the end of an era on the Underground are below.
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