With consultation on the much-discussed improvements at East Croydon and Windmill Bridge opened on November 5th 2018, we look briefly at what is being put forward and take the opportunity to provide an update for …
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Holy Grails and Thameslink Fails (part 2): The plan that went wrong
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 …
Continue readingThe Cicadas Take Flight: Explaining The May Timetable Changes
Some species of American cicadas have evolved a strange ability: they have synchronised lifecycles lasting prime number lengths of years. For the cicadas this is an advantage – it helps them evade the development of …
Continue readingMore Trains for London Overground: A Bargain Never to be Repeated
One of the rules of LR is that the more innocuous the title, the more interesting a TfL committee paper is likely to be. Additional New Rolling Stock for London Overground for the October 2017 …
Continue readingHow Can You Mend A Broken Railway? Thameslink and the Gibb Report
Last summer the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, commissioned a report from an experienced and well-respected railwayman, Chris Gibb. The goal was a framework to enable much-needed improvements to railway services across the …
Continue readingGovia go via Greenwich: GTR and the Thameslink Timetable
There are probably Southern commuters who would claim that nothing Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR – Southern’s parent company) said or did would surprise them. Many industry insiders would probably agree. When rumours spread rapidly about …
Continue readingMeltdown Monday: How Southern’s Problems Run Deeper Than Disputes
For those living and working in London and the South East it has become almost impossible to be unaffected, either directly or indirectly, by the trouble-hit GTR franchise. Understandably there is anger and frustration at …
Continue readingA Study In Sussex part 13: Norwood Junction
Seemingly illogically, now is the time to look at Norwood Junction and its future importance in enabling an upgrade to the Brighton Main Line. Initially this station was not intended to form part of this …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 12: Pointless at Purley
In this part of our ongoing series we look at a critical set of points north of Purley station and what role they might play in a future Brighton Main Line. It is also a …
Continue readingA Study In Sussex Part 11: Diverted to the Oxted Lines
It seems to be a truism that the less important a railway line is, the more interest there is in it. Of all the lines in the southern Home Counties it is the line to …
Continue readingMaking the Grade (Separation): The Bermondsey Diveunder
In the past we have resisted the temptation to write too much about the Bermondsey Diveunder as work had not really started in earnest and it was very hard to visualise what was planned. With …
Continue readingA Study In Sussex Part 8: If You Bridge It They Will Come
In our journey down the Brighton Main Line our last encounter was East Croydon. Instead of continuing southwards we remain at East Croydon and devote an entire article to something that at first glance might …
Continue readingA Perfect Storm: The Story Behind The London Bridge Delays
We really had been trying to not keep writing about London Bridge. Then, at the beginning of the year, a lot of problems emerged rendering it an apt topic for discussion again. The trouble was …
Continue readingLondon 2050 (Part 4): Towards Maximum Rail capacity
The well-being of London and its hinterland as a World City will depend heavily on its effective transport offer. We look at what the various main line projects (and more) mean for the Capital.
Continue readingLondon 2050 (Part 3): Tracks to the Future
How might we shape the pattern of London’s growth and development to help bring about a more sustainable outcome? In this part (and the next) of our continuing series we’ll look at the ‘quantity and quality’ schemes arriving at this electronic platform now for rail (above ground and below), surface transport and integration and interchange.
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