London Reconnections

Playing The Waiting Game: Rail’s Future in London’s South East

On 2 June 2011 By Pedantic of Purley In Crossrail, Network Rail, RUS, Thameslink

To complete our round-up of what the London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) proposes for routes south of the Thames we look at the south eastern sector – essentially the routes into Charing …

In Pictures: Stratford International DLR Extension

On 1 June 2011 By John Bull In Construction projects, DLR, Olympics

Today saw a number of London figures, including the Mayor and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, participate in a “test run” on the new DLR Extension. Ostensibly to promote the various works being completed in the …

In Pictures: Crossrail Excavations at Canary Wharf

On 1 June 2011 By John Bull In Construction projects, Crossrail

Last week saw an opportunity to head into the North Dock at Canary Wharf in order to get a closer look at the work currently taking place on constructing Canary Wharf Crossrail station. The station …

A Question Of Carriages: Increasing Services on the South West Main Line

On 18 May 2011 By Pedantic of Purley In RUS, South West Trains

One thing that swiftly becomes apparent when looking at the recent London and South East draft RUS is how the proposed solutions to capacity problems are very different for the different lines, which all have …

Thameslink and London Bridge – Background, Progress and Still Some Confusion

On 16 May 2011 By Pedantic of Purley In London Bridge, Thameslink

The original intention with this article was to write a short piece on what is to happen at London Bridge in the next seven years. Unfortunately, for reasons that will become apparent later, this has …

150 Years Of The Metropolitan Line: Exploring the Possibility of Steam

On 16 May 2011 By John Bull In History, London Underground, Metropolitan line

2013 will see London Underground reach a noteworthy landmark – it will mark 150 years since the Metropolitan Railway, the core of the modern Metropolitan line, opened on 10 January 1863. Given the significance of …

Narrowing the Options and Raising the Cash: The Battersea Northern Line Extension Moves Forward

On 9 May 2011 By John Bull In Battersea Extension, Crossrail, Northern line, TfL

Writing about public consultations on the proposed Northern Line extension to Battersea seems to be developing into somewhat of a May tradition. In May last year, TfL and Battersea Site owners Treasury Holdings undertook a …

The Borough Bridge Move

On 8 May 2011 By John Bull In London Bridge, Network Rail

Last weekend saw a major act of engineering undertaken south of the river – the moving into place of the bridge over Borough High Street which forms part of the track improvements taking place outside …

Extending the DLR

On 2 May 2011 By Pedantic of Purley In Construction projects, DLR, DLR Horizon 2020

The last time we addressed this subject was in reference to the speculative DLR Horizon 2020 report. Now, however, TfL have – without any accompanying publicity – put up a new map of potential DLR …

Where Things Stand With the London Cable Car

On 28 April 2011 By John Bull In Cable Car, TfL

Recent weeks have seen TfL’s plans for a cable car across the Thames return to the news. The London Cable Car has so far had an interesting gestation and one that has attracted its fair …

Bombardier Selected as Prefered Bidder for Sub-Surface Signalling

On 12 April 2011 By John Bull In Circle line, District line, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan line

TfL have confirmed that the contract to provide new signalling for the Sub-Surface Lines (District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City) will be awarded to Bombardier after the completion of the statutory standstill period following …

Heathrow Shelves Airtrack Plan

On 12 April 2011 By John Bull In Airtrack

The request for a Transport and General Works Order relating to the Heathrow Airtrack Scheme has been withdrawn. BAA have indicated that the inability to solve the problem of increased delays at Level Crossings along …

What If: Crossrail 1980

On 5 April 2011 By John Bull In Crossrail, History

The link across London would provide through trains, cut-out inconvenient interchanges between train and underground or taxi, and thus save valuable time. It would help commuters from the outer suburbs of London and Inter-City travellers …

A Look at What’s Happening at Tottenham Court Road

On 2 April 2011 By John Bull In Construction projects, London Underground, Tottenham Court Road

At first glance, it would be easy to assume that the photo above had come from one of Britain’s remaining mines. Indeed were it not for the presence of the ubiquitous orange jacket, it would …

Countdown Locations

On 30 March 2011 By John Bull In Buses, TfL

For Bus users that haven’t spotted it yet, you can find details of all the proposed Countdown locations on the TfL website. Accurate as of February, there’s both a map and a list available, giving …