London Reconnections

Friday Reads – 3 August 2018

On 3 August 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, New York, Pedestrians

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Bethnal Green tube heraldry (ALondonInheritance) • Milan’s 1980s new Metro promo film (CityLab) • Bus map that looks like an IBM mainframe diagram (TransitMaps) • US National links – …

Friday Reads – 27 July 2018

On 27 July 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Aerial, Buses, Friday Reads, New York, Pedestrians

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Why has non-London bus funding been halved? (TheConversation) • London’s goal to become world’s most walkable city (ThisIsPlace) • No toilets, no seats, no way to leave – no …

A Good Spark is Getting Hard to Find: SWR and the December Timetable

On 26 July 2018 By John Bull In DfT, Network Rail, South West Trains

In early July 2018, South Western Railway (SWR) released a statement on their website. In it, the Operator reiterated their desire to run additional services – something they had included in their franchise submission for …

Friday Reads – 20 July 2018

On 20 July 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Cable Car, Friday Reads, Maps, New York

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads. • Diagrammatic transit maps before Beck (FunctionalArt) • Amsterdam’s surprising metro archeology (CBC) • Estonia’s free public transit (Vice) • US National links – Spite houses & more (TheOverheadWire) • …

Beyond Thameslink and Crossrail: A London Transport Update

On 17 July 2018 By Pedantic of Purley In Board meetings, Cycles, GOBLIN, Jubilee line, Mayor's Transport Strategy, NLL, Northern line, Pedestrians, TfL, Victoria line

Accounts of what is happening in the world of transport in London in the past few months have largely been focused on Crossrail and Thameslink. Whilst these two major construction projects (together totalling over £22billion) …

Friday Reads – 13 July 2018

On 13 July 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Congestion Charge, Friday Reads, Maps, Pedestrians, Stations, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

Welcome to Reconnections’ Friday Reads: • Private hire vehicles may soon pay Congestion Charge (IntelligentTransport) • South Bank London’s Low Line – Part 2 (1LondonBlog) • Slip coaches – when British trains detached cars in …

Friday Reads – 6 July 2018

On 6 July 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Central line, Friday Reads, Thameslink

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 …

Friday Reads – 29 June 2018

On 29 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Buses, Cycles, Friday Reads, Maps, Uber

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 …

Friday Reads – 22 June 2018

On 22 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Maps, New York, Pedestrians, Roads

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 …

Holy Grails and Thameslink Fails (part 2): The plan that went wrong

On 18 June 2018 By Pedantic of Purley In DfT, Network Rail, Thameslink

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 …

Friday Reads – 15 June 2018

On 15 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, New LT International, New York, Taxis, TfL, Uber

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 …

LR Meetup at Royal Oak pub, 14th June

On 14 June 2018 By Long Branch Mike In Meetup

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 …

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 …