London Reconnections

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

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

Regular operation of the world’s first hydrogen train started in September 2018 with two Alstom Coradia iLints on the somewhat isolated Cuxhaven-Bremerhaven-Buxtehude line in northwest Germany. Powered by eight 30kW hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) per …

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 …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 29 March 2021

On 29 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Friday Reads, New York, Pedestrians, Roads

• Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: who will win the battle for city streets? (Guardian) • Hungary plans to increase transit ridership 80% by 2040, Budapest role (IntlRailJ) • Only in Montréal: REM elevated rail so ugly …

Friday Reads – 26 March 2021

On 26 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Buses, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Eurostar, Friday Reads, Maps

• SNCF: State aid for Eurostar needed within the month to survive (RailTech) • Ex-TfL Bus Boss Leon Daniels on the National Bus Strategy (FreeWheeling) • There’s one big problem with electric cars (NYTimes) • …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 22 March 2021

On 22 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Cable Car, Friday Reads, Maps, Micromobility, New York, Stations

• The man who sacked Harry Beck: Rethinking Harold Hutchison (Bryars&Bryars) • Scotland’s railways to be nationalised next year (Guardian) • What’s next for NYC Penn Station? Penn South (RegionalPlanAssoc) • How car-centric street networks …

Friday Reads – 19 March 2021

On 19 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cable Car, Cycles, Friday Reads, Kings Cross, London Underground, Pedestrians, Piccadilly line, Pollution

• Design launch of the new London Underground Piccadilly line trains (RailEngineer) • Now is the time for road pricing (FreeWheeling) • 100 year old cart & rails found sticking out of Cornish cliff (CornwallLive) …

London’s First Highway: Part 3 – Evolution of River Passenger Transport Policy

On 18 March 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Long reads, Maps, River

Its roads and trains clogged, ‎London has made a strong effort to bring passengers back to the Thames over the last two decades, as a return to its future past. TfL’s 2013 River Action Plan …