A perennial and fairly meaningless question that is often asked is ‘what are the origins …
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Devocalypse Now: Taking Control of South London’s Railways
The topics of rail devolution and London Overground are closely entwined. Without devolution the former Silverlink services in North London would never have become TfL’s London Overground. The success of the Overground has, in turn, …
Continue readingSecond Time Lucky: Rebuilding Camden Town Station
In 2005 TfL’s plans to rebuild Camden Town station were wholeheartedly rejected by both the council and the community they were intended to serve. Ten years later, with a station rebuild now critical, a chastened …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 9: East Croydon Revisited
We thought we had covered East Croydon in ample detail in recent articles. We also thought we would not be revisiting there for a long time yet. That was until the final version of the …
Continue readingSend in the Browns: London Gets A New Transport Commissioner
The Mayor and TfL Board have today confirmed the appointment of Mike Brown as Transport Commissioner. Brown has held the post in a temporary capacity since Sir Peter Hendy’s resignation in July. Before this, he …
Continue readingSir Peter Hendy: The Exit Interview
In his final days at TfL, we talked to the former London Transport Commissioner about his time in post, and the challenges that face both London and his successor.
Continue readingSigns and Sensibility: The Last, Great Quest To Reform London’s Road Signage
Signposting is one of the great civilising forces in a city: it gives the regular traveller reassurance and the stranger hope. For today’s motorist London’s road signage can be hit and miss, but it wasn’t …
Continue readingDocklands Light Railway: At Dawn, Look To The East
In our previous DLR article we looked at the DLR routes to the City. It is now time to look further east and see where future enhancement is expected. We now look at the routes …
Continue readingReminder: LR Meetup Tomorrow
Just a short reminder, for those interested, that our monthly LR meetup is tomorrow. As always, these are informal affairs where the beer flows, offering an opportunity to put faces to the names of a …
Continue readingDiving Into The Fleet: A Look At London’s Lost Tube
A major river used by the Romans, the Fleet is the largest of London’s lost subterranean rivers. Flanked by great wharves, for centuries it was a gateway to the City. By the end of the …
Continue readingThe Warehouse
The squealing of machinery comes to a halt and the large red light on the operator’s panel turns green. A buzzer sounds and he steps forward, opening a salt-encrusted gate to reveal a small miner’s …
Continue readingLight (Rail) Reading: Why the DLR Timetable is Changing
In many ways the DLR’s story so far is one of five stages – expansion, stagnation, Olympic revival, further stagnation and consolidation. We are now in the transient stage between the last of those two. …
Continue readingIntroducing… London Reconnections Magazine
Those of you who have attended our meetups will know that for some time now we have been working on something new and special behind the scenes. Something that we’re now finally able to publicly launch – London Reconnections Magazine.
Continue readingTramalot: Enhancing Croydon’s Tramlink
We recently looked at Croydon Tramlink up to around 2020. With surprisingly detailed plans available we look a bit further ahead now to the decade after, when considerable expansion is planned. Where we left off …
Continue readingReminder: LR Meetup This Week
In recent months it may have seemed at times as if the Tube Unions had a dispute with LR as much as TfL, given the timing of strikes to coincide with LR monthly meetups. We …
Continue readingBlue Monday: Why the Victoria Line to Walthamstow is Closed
“Once again,” the BBC correspondent says wryly to camera, “They – with a capital T – are sorry that we have been troubled. But for once, can the inconvenience have been worthwhile?” “The Tube is …
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