London Reconnections

Friday Reads – 12 November 2021

On 12 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Piccadilly line, TfL, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• The funding crisis at the heart of London’s transport (CentreForLondon) • Cockfosters depot upgrade for Piccadilly line’s New Tube for London trains (IanVisits) • Peak District railway restoration plan meets park trail advocates (Guardian) …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 8 November 2021

On 8 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Friday Reads, London Overground, Night, Pedestrians

• Night Overground service set to resume before Xmas (RailBusiness) • TfL’s in-house design teams’ process (DesignWeek) • Call of the wild when walking London’s Capital Ring (Guardian) • Naples’ new all timber Metro station …

Friday Reads – 5 November 2021

On 5 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Friday Reads, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Underground seeks ideas to improve step-free access to stations (IanVisits) • Vivarail’s D-Train pitched for US branch line pop-up metros (Trains) • Istanbul’s historic European railway terminus to be reopened (RailwayGazette) • Vancouver planning …

London-by-the-Sea Line – The Island Line Reopens

On 1 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Island Line, Long reads

The Isle of Wight’s 8.5 mile Island Line has long held a fascination for historians of London’s transport. Two generations of ex-London Underground tube stock have taken a second working life on the Island since …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 1 November 2021

On 1 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Friday Reads, Stations, Vertical transport

• Salisbury train crash: two trains collide in tunnel (BBC) • How we made Secrets of the London Underground show (RailMag) • Ace of Herts: Broxbourne Station Hertfordshire (BeautyOfTransport) • Victorian railway ticket ledger found …

Friday Reads – 29 October 2021

On 29 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Eurostar, Friday Reads, Micromobility, Pedestrians

• RENFE aims to compete with Eurostar on Paris-London route (RailwayGazette) • Can Footways’ map rekindle London’s love of walking? (CityLab) • Londoner takes buses as far as he can in 24h (BBC) • Southeastern …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 25 October 2021

On 25 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Friday Reads, HS2, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• London wide new ULEZ pollution charge zone begins today (BBC) • HS2 trains to be built in the UK, but by whomst? (RailInsider) • Budget to give £710m to extend Merseyrail with battery-operated trains …

Friday Reads – 22 October 2021

On 22 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cable Car, Friday Reads, HS2, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Uber

• HS2 to cut Euston Station to ten platforms (IanVisits) • 7 abandoned railways set to follow Dartmoor line reopening (NewCivilEng) • Transport poster artist E McKnight Kauffer Exhibition (CreativeReview) • Amsterdam supports cable car …

A deeper look at the Tube’s Spiral Escalator

On 19 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads, Vertical transport

One of the enduring mysteries of the Underground is the Spiral Escalator at Holloway Road station – did it actually function? And if so, did it carry any passengers? How did it work? There has …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 18 October 2021

On 18 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Maps, Uber

• London getting wetter & its transport network is too slow to adapt (NewStatesman) • Minicab drought: ‘Rotten’ rates biting into Uber drivers’ wages (BBC) • UK public warms to road pricing as fuel duty …

Friday Reads – 15 October 2021

On 15 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Electrification, Friday Reads, Pollution, Stations

• Freightliner withdraws electric fleet due to high electricity prices (RailMag) • Dartmoor Line to reopen after almost half a century (RailEngineer) • Transport noise linked to increased risk of dementia: study (Guardian) • How …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 11 October 2021

On 11 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Buses, Friday Reads, History, Stations

• Imberbus 2021 behind the scenes video (HiddenLondonHangouts) • Northern Virtual Reality simulation to assist disabled (Railway-Tech) • Fog on the Underground (ThomasBrissot) • Man builds home in style of a Grand Trunk Railway Station …

Friday Reads – 8 October 2021

On 8 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, HS2, Pedestrians, Stations

• Tesco’s rail logistics keep their shelves stocked (Guardian) • The case against transit project mega contracts (EnoTrans) • HS2 restoring listed Curzon Street station (RailTechnology) • Nancy’s tram plan postponed in favour of trolleybus …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 4 October 2021

On 4 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Sustainability, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Should train guards wear body cameras? (Railway-Tech) • Paris caps speed at 30km/h to boost soft transport & road safety (RFI) • The promise of US electric school bus adoption (GreenBiz) • We once …

Friday Reads – 1 October 2021

On 1 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Crossrail 2, Cycles, Design, Friday Reads, New York

• Crossrail 2 critical to prevent train overloading into Waterloo (IanVisits) • UK’s last aerial ropeway uses gravity to move 300mt a day (TomScottYouTube) • Amsterdam expands smart bike parking tags for better station access …