In part one we looked at the verdict of the National Audit Office report on Thameslink and more specifically on the infrastructure work done so far. In part two we look in detail at the …
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Thameslink and the National Audit Office: Part 1
It is the same old story. We were planning on giving articles about Thameslink a break and then something else comes along. This time it is a report from the National Audit Office (NAO). This …
Continue readingOver and Under: Thameslink, Crossrail and Woolwich Questions
Images bring to life many London Reconnections pieces. We are lucky to have a band of chums willing to brave frostbite, heat stroke and going rusty to capture stuff on our behalf. Therefore our thanks …
Continue readingSwitchin’ at Hitchin: A Quick Update
Map courtesy of Network Rail In 2009, we described how Network Rail planned to debottleneck the ECML at Hitchin by building a flyover from the Down Slow to the Down Cambridge at Cambridge Junction. This, …
Continue readingPostscript: Thameslink and The Transport Committee
We really were going to take a break from Thameslink and look at a few completely different topics. We recently covered Thameslink twice – here and here. Then along came the GLA Transport Committee and …
Continue readingWhat’s it all about, Thameslink?
The intention was to hold off from writing another article about Thameslink until the routes involved were finally decided. Our article in 2011 was rather speculative due to lack of decision making and definite information …
Continue readingThe Past and Future of Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park Station. Its very name has been known to elicit a shudder from the passengers condemned to use its narrow winding passageways, inadequate (and largely un-weatherproof) ticket offices, and grimy stairwells. That’s a lot …
Continue readingThameslink: Losing The Plot Whilst Looping the Loop?
In the late 1970s the Chrysler Corporation of America was in deep financial trouble. No-one wanted to buy their cars. Lee Iacocca, a former president of Ford Motors who was fired when he fell out …
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 readingUnlocking Herne Hill and the Kent route to the City
The extensive RUS process has already yielded a long shopping list of potential projects, including some big ticket items such as Crossrail 2. We are more likely, however, to see a package of more modest …
Continue readingBlackfriars: Safeguarding The Future
The subject of safeguarding has cropped up in several of our recent posts, and here we explore a current example: at Blackfriars. As the Thameslink work at Blackfriars progresses apace, the opening of the South …
Continue readingIntermission: The Angle and Wangle at Farringdon
Some readers have spotted that we have not reported on the developing situation at Farringdon for a while. It’s nice to know you noticed and care and we are sorry to have kept you waiting. The general approach we were/are taking with Thameslink is almost on the basis of an “annual review,” and Spring is always a good time to review new works (the “then” and “now” scenario provides a handy hook upon which an article can be based). We’ll be starting that review this year with London Bridge, but in the meantime here are a couple of teasers with regards to Farringdon.
Continue readingSiemens’ Desiro City to be New Thameslink Rolling Stock
Rail Magazine are reporting that Siemens have won the race to supply the new Thameslink Rolling Stock, beating out Bombardier. Both Alstom and Hitachi exited the rolling stock race early, leaving Siemens and Bombardier to …
Continue readingPlaying The Waiting Game: Rail’s Future in London’s South East
To complete our round-up of what the London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) proposes for routes south of the Thames we look at the south eastern sector – essentially the routes into Charing …
Continue readingThameslink and London Bridge – Background, Progress and Still Some Confusion
The original intention with this article was to write a short piece on what is to happen at London Bridge in the next seven years. Unfortunately, for reasons that will become apparent later, this has …
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