London Reconnections

A Look at Battersea Park Station

On 26 August 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In In Pictures, Network Rail, Southern

At first sight, Battersea Park station appears to be a complete contradiction. It is not exactly pretty at platform level, but has a splendid façade and booking office. It has five platforms, but only one …

London Bridge – The First Major Blockade

On 21 August 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In In Pictures, London Bridge, London Terminals, Network Rail, Southern, Thameslink

This August Bank Holiday sees the first major Thameslink Blockade at London Bridge. The low level platforms and the route in from the Southern lines (via New Cross Gate or South Bermondsey) will be blocked …

Crossrail to Tring: An HS2 Hijack

On 8 August 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In Construction projects, Crossrail, DfT, HS2, National Rail, Old Oak Common, Politics

We like to think it is not often we get caught out at London Reconnections. Often there’s a hint, either spotter or official, if not an openly advanced warning, about significant announcements. Other times we …

London 2050 (Part 1): The Trillion Pound Time Warp

On 3 August 2014 By Jonathan Roberts In Boris Johnson, Construction projects, London Assembly, Mayor's Office, TfL

In both science and science fiction, time warps are where there is a multi-dimensional fold in the space-time continuum which allow the traveller to pass from one space-time environment to another, as easily as stepping off an escalator at Kings Cross. The London Infrastructure Plan 2050 (‘London 2050’), published in July by the Mayor and directed by Isabel Dedring and many GLA staff, TfL and other colleagues, is an attempt to provide the London of today with a blueprint for such a transition to the London of tomorrow.

A Study In Sussex part 4: Victoria (the Brighton Line)

On 28 July 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In Network Rail, Southern

The Brighton Main Line (BML) from Victoria (and London Bridge) needs more capacity. This has been known for years but more recently it has been clear that demand has been accelerating and showing no indication …

Southern Brambles – An Untangling Tour (9th Aug 2014)

On 24 July 2014 By John Bull In Tours

London’s railways south of the river are a popular topic here but one that can sometimes be confusing. As a result, we’ve decided to do something rather different this summer and offer a guided tour …

MTR To Operate Crossrail Concession

On 18 July 2014 By John Bull In Crossrail, Overground

We wrote recently about how Crossrail would operate and now we know who – it was announced this morning that MTR have been selected as the successful bidder for the £1.4bn, eight year (extendable to …

The (Caledonian) Sleeper Awakes

On 16 July 2014 By Altnabreac In HS2, Rolling stock, Sleeper Trains

It may not have attracted the attention of most London Reconnections readers but recently a new rail franchise that serves London was announced – one with a start date of 1st April 2015. This is …

Purple Reign – How Crossrail Will Be Run

On 10 July 2014 By John Bull In Crossrail, DfT, TfL

There was a time when your humble Editor worked in the Civil Service. From this period of personal history two clear memories stick out. Firstly that there was once a genuine publication titled Guidance on …

A Study in Sussex Part 3: HS1 to Hastings?

On 7 July 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In Construction projects, High Speed One, HS1, National Rail, South Eastern, Southern

In part 2 of our look at Sussex we made much of the economic problems of Hastings. In this part we will look at a radical proposal to improve the service from London to Hastings …

In Pictures: Buses. Lots and Lots of Buses

On 25 June 2014 By The Walthamstow Writer In Buses, History

Last weekend saw a variety of buses displayed on Regent Street and an open day at Stockwell Bus Garage – both events staged as part of TfL’s “Year of the Bus.” A selection of photos …

Protected: In Pictures: Regent Street’s Lego Bus Stop

On 20 June 2014 By John Bull In Buses

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

A Study in Sussex Part 2: Getting Politiconomical

On 16 June 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In DfT, Network Rail, Southern, Thameslink

In part 2 of our Study in Sussex we look at the politics and economics behind the railway debate currently underway – both of which are playing a key role in determining what service provision …

In Pictures: Growing Oranges

On 10 June 2014 By John Bull In Overground, Rolling stock

Whilst attention has begun to switch to TfL’s plans for West Anglia (a topic which we will cover in more detail later in the month) it is worth remembering that taking over control of that …

A Study in Sussex Part 1: An Overview and a Rather Curious Announcement

On 9 June 2014 By Pedantic of Purley In DfT, Network Rail, Southern, Thameslink

Sussex may not at first glance appear to be part of our self-imposed London-related-only remit but an awful lot of railway activity that goes on in Sussex does relate to London. We are thus going …