London Reconnections

Monday’s Friday Reads – 2 October 2023

On 2 October 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Podcast, Safety, Sleeper Trains, Stations

• The war on motorists: The secret history of a myth as old as cars themselves (Guardian) • RMT tube strike to cause severe disruption to the London Underground next week (IanVisits) • The history, …

Friday Reads – 29 September 2023

On 29 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Micromobility, Safety, Sleeper Trains, Tunnels

• Secret MI6 spy tunnels being turned into London tourist attraction (SecretLondon) • ÖBB & DB to double sleeper train traffic by 2030 (RailTech) • Can the Messina Bridge project cross the divide to Sicily? …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 25 September 2023

On 25 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Bridges, Friday Reads, Funiculars, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• End ‘spiral of decline’ of bus services by handing control to councils (LocalGovt) • Nottingham’s multi-pronged approach to effective public transport (MobilityMatters) • Prague’s new minimalist pedestrian bridge (Domus) • How the US created …

Friday Reads – 22 September 2023

On 22 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Reuse, Sleeper Trains

• RIA calls for Government to keep UK rolling stock factories operating (GlobalRailway) • Burberry’s rebrand of Bond Street station slammed amid commuter chaos (MarketingBeat) • New Assisted Travel Lounge at London Paddington opens (RailUK) …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 18 September 2023

On 18 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, New York, Pollution, Reuse

• Britain’s iconic HSTs set for Mexico (RailTech) • France wants to ground European ultra low airfares (EuroNews) • NYC drivers slowing down on streets with 24/7 speed cameras (Streetsblog) • Everybody in Manhattan wins …

Friday Reads – 15 September 2023

On 15 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Friday Reads, Roads, Trolleybuses, Tunnels

• West Midlands Metro extension to Wolverhampton station opens Sunday (RailUK) • Tame wide roads & replace them with boulevards of homes (Guardian) • Boston replaces trolleybuses w/ shorter range, heavier battery buses to cut …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 11 September 2023

On 11 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Nudges, Pedestrians, Safety, Stations

• Ticket office stealth closures: London train Cos reveal they stopped hiring new counter staff (Standard) • 1st West End Tube stations receive 4G/5G coverage (RailUK) • The NIMBY infra tax on new UK & …

Friday Reads – 8 September 2023

On 8 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Friday Reads, Network Rail, Reuse

• UK rail industry deeply frustrated by Network Rail’s extensive domestic air travel (RailTech) • Family Friendly Train operating companies Scorecard 2023 (FamilyFriendlyTrains) • Reuse of Philly’s City Branch downtown tunnel & RoW for transit …

Brightline Trip Review – The new US private passenger railway

On 7 September 2023 By Justin Bernard In Focus, Long reads

“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 …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 4 September 2023

On 4 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Bridges, Buses, Design, Friday Reads, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• If the bus networks are poor, then so are we (TheTimes) • Death of the front garden: Brits spending £27Bn turning front gardens into parking (DirectLine) • Holloways, England’s mysterious sunken roads, extend longer …

Friday Reads – 1 September 2023

On 1 September 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Friday Reads, Nudges, Parking

• The London Underground Line Loo League Table (CarolineRussellAM) • How a community bus service made a Perthshire village smile again (Guardian) • Photos read by Lead Curator of UK National Railway Museum: Video (RailPhotoArt) …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 28 August 2023

On 28 August 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, Friday Reads, Maps, Safety, Sustainability

• DB Cargo UK retiring Class 90 electric locomotives in green blow (RailwayTechnology) • World of Sport: 1982 London double decker bus racing: Video (ElvisKline99) • The distorted geography of Paris bus maps (FabricofParis) • …

Friday Reads – 25 August 2023

On 25 August 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Data, Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Sustainability, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Network Rail faces prosecution over fatal 2020 crash near Stonehaven (Guardian) • Let’s ride the Edinburgh Trams Extension: Video (GeoffMarshall) • AI cameras catch 297 drivers in 3 days in Cornwall (BBC) • Proposal …

Reconnections’ Miscellany: Lord Dawlish speaks! – August 2023

On 24 August 2023 By Long Branch Mike In DfT, Long reads, Miscellany, TfL

London and South East Region Line Nicknames Transport for London’s Lineage Organisation Brand Reports to Date Metropolitan, Great Northern, and Metropolitan East London Railways Metropolitan Railway shareholders 1863-1933 Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL)[financed …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 21 August 2023

On 21 August 2023 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Cycles, Design, Friday Reads, Technology

• UK rail industry has grown used to failing everyday on accessibility, MPs hear (DisabilityNews) • The weird, colourful postmodern Berlin U-Bahn station architecture (ExBerliner) • The world’s first covered bike path could be made …