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 …
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Southeastern Detraining: Investigation over Assumption
On 2 March 2018, during a period of rail disruption caused by extreme weather conditions, an incident occurred just outside Lewisham station in London. That incident saw a number of passengers de-train from a Southeastern …
Continue readingThe Kent Route Study (Part 4): Victoria – Dartford, the Forgotten Southeast Service
For our final look at passenger suburban services considered in the draft Kent Route Study we look at a route which is, in many ways, a bit of an oddball – not least because it …
Continue readingWhy capacity won’t increase on Southeastern Metro any time soon
Way back in 2011 we wrote a piece called Two Of Our Carriages Are Missing. It was about the long term failure to provide 12-car trains on Southeastern Metro services via London Bridge to Charing …
Continue readingKent Route Study (Part 3): Victoria Metro Services
As part of our series on the recent Kent Route Study, we look at what it refers to as the ‘Victoria Metro Services.’ It is nearly impossible to do so, however, without also looking at …
Continue readingThe Kent Route Study (Part 2): Crossrail to Gravesend
Much has been written about Crossrail in recent years. One topic that has largely slipped through the net, however, is the revival of the originally planned route from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet. This was to …
Continue readingThe Kent Route Study (Part 1): London Bridge Metro Services
On 14 March 2017 Network Rail finally published its draft Kent Area Route Study Report. On the same day, quite deliberately, the DfT published its consultation document for the requirements of the next South East …
Continue readingGovia go via Greenwich: GTR and the Thameslink Timetable
There are probably Southern commuters who would claim that nothing Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR – Southern’s parent company) said or did would surprise them. Many industry insiders would probably agree. When rumours spread rapidly about …
Continue readingThe New London Bridge Station: First Impressions
It will probably not have escaped most readers attention that the main portion of the new London Bridge station concourse opened on August Bank Holiday Monday. Impressions are invariably subjective and so London Reconnections breaks …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 3: HS1 to Hastings?
In part 2 of our look at Sussex we made much of the economic problems of Hastings. In this part we will look at a radical proposal to improve the service from London to Hastings …
Continue readingTragedy and Turnaround: A History of St Johns Station – Part 2
In part one we recalled the history of St Johns station up to World War II. In that time the the station had already been subject to more change than most stations have in their …
Continue readingAccidents and Islands: A History of St Johns Station – Part 1
Some railway stations are more worthy of a visit for their own sake than others. History, architecture, location, current operation and future plans, all contribute in their own way to give you a reason to explore a particular station. You wouldn’t think the small suburban commuter stop of St Johns was one of these, but in truth it’s a far more interesting station than one might imagine.
Continue readingThe Past and Future of the Bromley North Branch
The branch line from Grove Park to Bromley North is only one and a half miles long. It has but two stations (excluding Grove Park itself) and those two are ridiculously close to each other. …
Continue readingTanners Hill Flydown – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series we saw how and why the Tanners Hill Flydown came into existence. We also reported on the apparent need to double it in advance of enhanced Thameslink services, and …
Continue readingTanners Hill Flydown – Part 1
Our original plan was to write a piece on St Johns station. This would conclude with a short section on the work carried out over the Christmas holidays on the Tanners Hill Flydown. Like many …
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