• Woolwich Elizabeth station much busier than predicted, to test escalator decrowding ideas (IanVisits) • Alstom signs €500m contract for Saudi catenary-free tramway system (Railway Technology) • European cities don’t regret 30 km/h speed limits …
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The State of Rail: Breaking Down The Numbers
With discussion of ticket office closures and rail passenger numbers a political hot potato, it’s easy to forget that firm data on the state of rail in Great Britain does exist. We take a look at the ORR’s latest figures (April – June 2023) and TfL’s recent Crossrail Usage report.
Continue readingFriday Reads – 6 October 2023
• HS2 being scrapped means fewer trains and higher rail prices, experts warn (inews) • The new housing case for extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet (JamesO’Malley) • Chemical attraction: Hackney Wick Overground station (BeautyOfTransport) • Northern …
Continue readingHow Montréal’s REM learnt from the Paris RER – Automatic for the People
Move over RER, Montréal’s new fully automated Réseau express métropolitain (REM)’s first segment has opened. Once fully completed, the REM line will link directly across Montréal Island north, south, and west. Essentially, a Regional Express …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 5 June 2023
• TfL to buy more Elizabeth line trains to serve Old Oak Common HS2 temp terminus (OnLondon) • Former High Speed Rail College to close at the end of July (BBC) • Public inquiry on …
Continue readingHS2 learns from Crossrail mistakes in control centre design (NewCivilEng)
High Speed 2 (HS2) bosses visited the nerve centres of Crossrail and Sizewell B as part of a painstaking process to design the heartbeat of the £100bn line, a key figure has revealed. HS2 Ltd …
Continue readingPoem on the Opening of the Elizabeth line: First Anniversary
With thanks to Jonathan Baggs MCIPR for this poem and allowing us to republish it on the anniversary of the final stage opening of the Elizabeth line 24 May 2022. Twas the Night before Crossrail, …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 22 May 2023
• Tuesday is last day to save Day Travelcards (Bus&TrainUser) • Plans for Great British Railways have been watered down by No 10 (TheTimes) • Crossrail tunnel detailed engineering cross-section explained: pg 5 (MottMacDonald) • …
Continue readingCrossrail – the May 2023 ‘final’ timetable
Much has already been written about the Elizabeth line 2023 timetable – the so called ‘final’ timetable signifying the completion of the Crossrail scheme with all the proposed services implemented and 24tph (trains per hour) …
Continue readingTfL seeks feedback on future rail operating contracts (RailBusinessUK)
Transport for London is seeking industry feedback to inform its plans for the future procurement of operators for Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth Line and London Overground services. TfL is seeking to understand the current supply …
Continue readingThe Great Western Main Line to Reading in the era of Crossrail
Much has been written about the Crossrail project and the benefits of the Elizabeth line. Nearly everything written about its benefits looks at the benefits to users of the Elizabeth line. But often transport projects …
Continue readingThe Mysterious Case of the Gidea Park Shorts
Just in case anyone thought this might be a whodunnit concerning a pair of minimal trousers, let it be known that its current use is to describe an apparently strange feature of the Crossrail timetable. …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 20 March 2023
• Elizabeth line is now the UK’s busiest railway (IanVisits) • The Beauty of Toilets: Southern Railway stations shine anew (BeautyOfTransport) • World’s longest cycle tunnel opens in Bergen Norway (Jalopnik) • New York has …
Continue readingThe Slow Death Of Heathrow Express
When discussing Crossrail, commenters have often speculated on the ultimate demise of Heathrow Express – the private train operating company that runs a non-stop express service between Paddington and Heathrow. This speculation is generally predicated …
Continue readingMonday’s Friday Reads – 19 December 2022
• Lessons learnt from Crossrail’s development (NewCivilEng) • Scotland according to ScotRail’s automated station announcements (JonnElledge) • TfL’s 4 categories of Underground stations – not what you think: video (JagoHazzard) • Experiencing the Caledonian Sleeper: …
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