On a misty Monday morning in June 2008, eagle-eyed construction workers at an Olympic site in Bromley-by-Bow spotted something unusual in their excavations. It wasn’t long before it was identified – it was a very …
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In Pictures: The Crossrail TBMs
A gloomy Monday in Germany this week presented us with a rare opportunity – the chance to see the first (and, as it happened also the second) of Crossrail’s Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) close up. …
Continue readingThe Shape of London’s Rail Network – A Peek Into The Future
In our previous post on the shape of the London rail network, we looked back at two key decision points which established our infrastructure legacy: the ring of termini that gave rise to the pattern …
Continue readingA Look at the Crossrail Tunnelling Portal at Royal Oak
Sandwiched between the Westway and the Hammersmith & City Line is Crossrail’s Royal Oak Portal – the point from which central section tunnelling will start in the west and the point at which trains will …
Continue readingPlane to SEN, Then Train From SIA: A Return to Southend
Southend Airport’s new rail station, which we have covered before, finally opened this summer. John Geoghegan, writing in the Echo, reported: Southend Airport’s new £12million rail station will finally open for business on Monday (17th …
Continue readingThe Shape of London’s Rail Network – a Peek Into The Past
The recently published RUS for London and the SE makes it clear that significant new investment is required to meet expected travel demand in the next few decades, and this is in addition to the …
Continue readingStretching the Line: Why We Do (and Don’t) Extend Tube Lines
With Crossrail under construction and extensions to both the Bakerloo and Northern Line being mooted, it seems a pertinent time to provide a brief reminder into some of the whys and wherefores for those less …
Continue readingNorthfleet: Opportunities for Opportunism
Our thanks and copyright acknowledgements to Ian Bancroft for this atmospeheric shot of a Javelin Travelin [Eek! So soon after Proof-Reading Gate- JB] through the arches near Gravesend. A new Crossrail logistics centre is to …
Continue readingCrossrail: Why Branch To Abbey Wood?
As regular readers have no doubt spotted, we are currently missing one final part of our London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) roundup – the proposals for West Anglia services into Liverpool Street …
Continue readingFurther Explorations at Old Oak Common
Once synonymous with Kings, Castles, Halls and Manors and now home to the dedicated Heathrow services, Old Oak Common is now the pivotal interchange in many of London’s rail plans. Our thanks and copyright acknowledgements …
Continue readingLooking East to the GEML – Not As Simple As It May First Appear
At first glance, the Great Eastern Main Line out of Liverpool Street would appear to be a doddle in RUS terms. Mentally, this author had expected to write a short paragraph on the lines out …
Continue readingSiemens’ Desiro City to be New Thameslink Rolling Stock
Rail Magazine are reporting that Siemens have won the race to supply the new Thameslink Rolling Stock, beating out Bombardier. Both Alstom and Hitachi exited the rolling stock race early, leaving Siemens and Bombardier to …
Continue readingJourney To The West: When Will Crossrail Open (And Does it Really Matter)?
With Crossrail now entering a more visually impressive phase, it is easy to forget that there are still some key elements yet to be finalized. This is something that several sources have reminded us of …
Continue readingPlaying The Waiting Game: Rail’s Future in London’s South East
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 …
Continue readingIn Pictures: Crossrail Excavations at Canary Wharf
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 …
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