London Reconnections

Friday Reads – 7 May 2021

On 7 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, Electrification, Friday Reads, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Waterways

• East Midlands Railway launches 1st electric route after electrification (RailTech) • How the London General Omnibus Co icon was nearly a rabbit (IanVisits) • Swedes building all-electric hydrofoil ferry to serve Stockholm (Engineer) • …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 2 May 2021

On 3 May 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Croxley Rail Link, Cycles, Friday Reads, HS2, Maps, Overground

• Three train companies to increase services to 1,000 a week (RailTechMag) • History of the Watford DC Line (AshleyRabot) • Redefining & redesigning the Nantes tramway (Trams&UrbanTransit) • Tube style bike maps simplify cycling …

The Paths to Public Transport Enlightenment

On 30 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads

Advocating public transport improvements is often an exercise in long term frustration. Decades can go by with only poorer service and line closures. But there is a way to work through these feelings. A lot …

Friday Reads – 30 April 2021

On 30 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, COVID, Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Stations, Tunnels

• Disused rail tunnel reopens at King’s Cross Station (IanVisits) • How did London’s main line stations get their names? (OnLondon) • Planting this shrubbery along roads reduces air pollution by 20% (PriceTags) • Montréal’s …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 26 April 2021

On 26 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cycles, DLR, Friday Reads, HS2, Overground, Podcast, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Tunnels, Waterways

• Hopes for West London Orbital Overground consultation later this year (IanVisits) • England’s old canals help with HS2 construction (BoatingBusiness) • The Island Gardens DLR accident: what really happened (JagoHazzard) • This is how …

Friday Reads – 23 April 2021

On 23 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Buses, Friday Reads, Stations, Sustainability, Waterways

• Rail industry urges Govt to electrify now to meet Net Zero (RailBusinessD) • What happened with the Runcorn Busway? (Freewheeling) • Trans Europe Express could make a comeback (CNNTravel) • New Amtrak CEO aims …

Wednesday’s Friday Reads – 21 April 2021

On 21 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Pollution, Sustainability, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

News and great links are piling up, so this is a special extra edition of Friday Reads: • Mayor announces plans to power TfL on renewables (AirQualityNews) • France’s bonus malus vehicle tax scheme make …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 19 April 2021

On 19 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, Micromobility, Pedestrians, Uber

• Eurostar reaches refinancing deal with lenders (YahooFinance) • Traffic calming & LTNs do not delay emergency vehicles (PriceTags) • France moves to offer €2 500 e-bike credit for old gas cars (Electrek) • Tube …

Friday Reads – 16 April 2021

On 16 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, River, Stations, Waterways

• France bans domestic flights than can be made by train (Guardian) • Kramer did it: the renaissance of urban river swimming/ (PopUpCity) • Favourite LRT & streetcar lines (Spacing) • The history, and future, …

Hydrail Breezes in the UK (Hydrogen Part 2)

On 15 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads, Sustainability, Zero Emission

We last looked at London’s hydrogen bus experiments, and this part of the series analyses current hydrail development. Regular operation of the world’s first hydrogen train started in September 2018 with two Alstom Coradia iLints …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 12 April 2021

On 12 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Aerial, Airports, Bridges, Friday Reads, Pedestrians

• Highways England plans to infill, demolish 130 disused railway structures (RailEngineer) • Breathing new life into underused & derelict rail arches (LowLineLondon) • Love letter to lost world of the Parisian pneumatic post (MessyNessyChic) …

Friday Reads – 9 April 2021

On 9 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Electrification, Friday Reads, London Overground, New York, Overground, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Tunnels, Vertical transport

• London Overground could finally get individual line names (IanVisits) • The partly-abandoned Tooting, Merton & Wimbledon Railway (JagoHazzard) • Cars are no longer welcome in Heidelberg (NYTimes) • A short history of the ‘upstairs …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 5 April 2021

On 5 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Bridges, Design, Friday Reads, New York, Stations, Waterways

• A short, squat history of Underground tiles (Caroline’sMisc) • Urban waterways & the dynamics of canal architecture (ArchDaily) • KLM to offer train connections up to 700km (NLTimes) • Metro Works: The art and …

Friday Reads – 2 April 2021

On 4 April 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Logistics, New York, Pedestrians, Roads, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Uber

• NUMTOT transit nerds now have their own dating app! (Atlantic) • TfL bus services innovation has slowed considerably (Freewheeling) • Pedestrianisation plans for Bank junction in the City (IanVisits) • Uber’s own public transit …

Reconnections’ Transport Miscellany – March 2021

On 30 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Miscellany

As in any field, a specialised lexicon of shorthand, nicknames, jargon, personality types, and rules of thumb have developed for transport and the places it connects. This new column collects some of the more interesting …