London Reconnections

Friday Reads – 8 June 2018

On 8 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Podcast, Thameslink, Tramlink

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) …

Holy Grails and Thameslink Fails (Part 1): A Brief History of Thameslink

On 5 June 2018 By Pedantic of Purley In 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 …

The Timetable Change: Accepting the Blame

On 4 June 2018 By John Bull In Network Rail, Thameslink

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 …

Friday Reads – 1 June 2018

On 1 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, New York, Pedestrians

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 …

Thameslink The Musical Act 4, Scene 3: The Grayling Letter

On 30 May 2018 By John Bull In DfT, Thameslink

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.

The Politics of Thameslink’s Troubles

On 29 May 2018 By Jonathan Roberts In Politics, Thameslink

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 …

GDPR update & Friday Reads – 25 May 2018

On 25 May 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, Nudges, Uber

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 …

The Cicadas Take Flight: Explaining The May Timetable Changes

On 21 May 2018 By ngh In National Rail

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 …

Friday Reads – 18 May 2018

On 18 May 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, New York, Pedestrians, Pneumatic railways, Uber

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 …

And it Moves Us All: East Coast To Be Renationalised

On 16 May 2018 By John Bull In DfT, Network Rail

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba Sithi uhm ingonyama! From the day it arrived at St Pancras, And blinking, step into the sun. There’s more to East Coast, Than, new a brand and cheap seats. More to …

London Underground: The Forgotten Digital Railway

On 14 May 2018 By Pedantic of Purley In London Underground

The railway’s attitude to signalling has changed a lot in the past few decades. In times gone by it was often regarded as something one unfortunately needed to run trains safely. On a modern metro …

Friday Reads – 11 May 2018

On 11 May 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Crossrail, Friday Reads, New York, Pedestrians, River, Uber

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s list: • Crossrail to generate electricity from wind its own trains (Wired) • What can London learn from Barcelona? (BanPrivateCarsinLondon) • Woolwich hybrid battery ferries in service late …

LR Meetup at Royal Oak pub, 10th May

On 10 May 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Meetup

The second Thursday of the month brings with it our meetup, which happens next on 10th May from 6pm. As always, these are informal affairs where the beer flows, offering an opportunity to put faces …

Upgrading the Piccadilly

On 9 May 2018 By John Bull In Bakerloo Line, Central line, Piccadilly line, Waterloo & City

We last looked in detail at the state of the Piccadilly line upgrades in January, when we revealed that TfL planned to leaseback the Crossrail fleet to pay for new rolling stock. This month sees …

Friday Reads – 4 May 2018

On 4 May 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Congestion Charge, Friday Reads

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. This week’s list: • Private Car problem not solved in Central London (BanPrivateCarsinLondon) • London’s Railways – Planning for Peace (ALondonInheritance) • 24 hour UK rail people (RailTechnology) • Fighting …