If you go to Paddington main line station and follow the signs to platform 14 …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 6 July 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Stripping GTR of its franchise not a viable threat (LRTwitter) • Central line heatwave (Wired) • Do Londoners dream of electric buses? (IanVisits) • Dunbar number for places is …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 29 June 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Cost comparison of London’s cycle commuting options (Urban/Rural) • Did the Blitz enhance London’s economy? (SpatialEconomics) • Network visualisations of a different kind (Aeon) • Impact of the World …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 22 June 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • So what’s this franchising for? (PassengerTransport) • Wireless augmented reality audio Tube navigation standard (ITUNews) • Underground lines vertical profile maps (DanSilva) • TfL to cut road speeds to …
Continue readingHoly Grails and Thameslink Fails (part 2): The plan that went wrong
In looking at why the new May national rail timetable went so horribly wrong in the case of Thameslink and Great Northern services, it is necessary to look not only at the immediate causes but …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 15 June 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads: • TfL bidding to run Buenos Aires Metro (Guardian) • London black cabs to take on Uber (Wired) • Montréal’s iconic old Métro cars becoming creative spaces (NextCity) • How …
Continue readingLR Meetup at Royal Oak pub, 14th June
The second Thursday of the month brings with it our meetup, which happens next on 14th June from 6pm. As always, these are informal affairs where the beer flows, offering an opportunity to put faces …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 8 June 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads, our curated list of topical and quirky transport links. • Croydon’s trams go cashless by summer (IntelligentTransport) • The Tube’s psychology experiments (Wired) • 1950s battery train to Balmoral (AnonymousWidower) …
Continue readingHoly Grails and Thameslink Fails (Part 1): A Brief History of Thameslink
To understand the current issues with Thameslink, one has to understand its past. In this series, we explore the history of London’s only ‘through’ line and how that influences today. For many years it has …
Continue readingThe Timetable Change: Accepting the Blame
In April 2018 the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee published a report on Rail Franchising in the UK. In particular, they were concerned with the DfT’s handling of its (relatively) new “mega-franchise”: GTR. Much …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 1 June 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Wayfinding underground inspires graphic innovation (CityWayfinding) • Former Aldgate East Tube station cleared for development (IanVisits) • Better direct vision for heavy trucks (Passion4Transport) • Thames Clippers & Port …
Continue readingThameslink The Musical Act 4, Scene 3: The Grayling Letter
The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, has written a letter to fellow MPs outlining where responsibility lies for the current issues with the GTR franchise. You can read the full letter here. By way of response, we present an extract from Thameslink: The Musical.
Continue readingThe Politics of Thameslink’s Troubles
The London Reconnections team have been following closely, day by day and (with a few stalwarts) hour by hour, the actual service levels being offered on Thameslink lines during the first week of the new …
Continue readingGDPR update & Friday Reads – 25 May 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads! But first, a public service anouncement: If you subscribe to our email alerts (sent when major new articles come out) then don’t forget to update your preferences in our preference …
Continue readingThe Cicadas Take Flight: Explaining The May Timetable Changes
Some species of American cicadas have evolved a strange ability: they have synchronised lifecycles lasting prime number lengths of years. For the cicadas this is an advantage – it helps them evade the development of …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 18 May 2018
Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s list: • Why fewer Londoners are taking the Tube (TheConversation) • South Bank London’s Low Line (1LondonBlog) • Brunel atmospheric railway structure halts road scheme (BBC) • A …
Continue reading