For ten years, Surrey Canal Road has been a modern ghost station. An empty station box beneath on the East London Line the only hint of its near existence. As TfL submit planning permission to build it, we look at how it never came to pass and why its time has finally come.
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London-by-the-Sea Line – The Island Line Reopens
The Isle of Wight’s 8.5 mile Island Line has long held a fascination for historians of London’s transport. Two generations of ex-London Underground tube stock have taken a second working life on the Island since …
Continue readingA deeper look at the Tube’s Spiral Escalator
One of the enduring mysteries of the Underground is the Spiral Escalator at Holloway Road station – did it actually function? And if so, did it carry any passengers? How did it work? There has …
Continue readingSoutheastern: Non-Breaking News
On 28 September the Department for Transport announced that they would be taking over the Southeastern franchise, following a breach of franchise agreement. We look at what this means for the franchise, and why it’s …
Continue readingVulcanised Technology: Ride Long and Prosper – Movin’On 2021 (Part 1)
There are many more electric cars on the streets and motorways. Notwithstanding their much cleaner propulsion, there is another key difference – electric cars weigh about 1,000 pounds/454 kg more than comparable internal combustion engine …
Continue readingNight Tube Part 2: A Hard Day’s Night
Night Tube This is the Night Tube crossing the border, From Zone One to suburban order, Emails for luvvy, texts for more, Facebook to all, including next door. Uphill from Camden, a steady climb, Lots …
Continue readingEmpire of the Air Part 2 – R.100 Overseas
Whilst we in LR have generally been bound to the ground or under it, we once again turn our eyes up to the skies. The Imperial Airship Service was a very serious scheme authorised at …
Continue readingThe Political Myth of the Driverless Tube Train
Both meaningless and meaningful, the phrase ‘driverless trains’ is a recurring one in London politics. In this piece, we explore the reality behind the phrase and what it means in a London context.
Continue readingVehicle Design is an Inside Job ft. New Tube for London
Aeronautical designers have a saying, ‘Pretty works’. That is to say, an elegant and aerodynamic aircraft generally has excellent handling characteristics and good speed (the Spitfire and Concorde come to mind). London Transport’s Lord Ashfield …
Continue readingReconnections’ Transport Miscellany – May 2021
Tube Map Footnote Symbol Hierarchy Where footnotes are required, the hierarchy is in descending order as follows: † – dagger ‡ – double dagger § – section mark || – parallels # – number or …
Continue readingThe Paths to Public Transport Enlightenment
Advocating public transport improvements is often an exercise in long term frustration. Decades can go by with only poorer service and line closures. But there is a way to work through these feelings. A lot …
Continue readingHydrail Breezes in the UK (Hydrogen Part 2)
We last looked at London’s hydrogen bus experiments, and this part of the series analyses current hydrail development. Regular operation of the world’s first hydrogen train started in September 2018 with two Alstom Coradia iLints …
Continue readingLondon’s First Highway: Part 3 – Evolution of River Passenger Transport Policy
Its roads and trains clogged, London has made a strong effort to bring passengers back to the Thames over the last two decades, as a return to its future past. TfL’s 2013 River Action Plan …
Continue readingUber Loses Appeal against ruling on UK Worker rights
Uber has lost its Supreme Court Appeal on whether drivers are self-employed or workers, directly employed by Uber itself. The appeal was Uber’s fourth, and final attempt to overturn the judgement. That it took the …
Continue readingCovenants, Easements & Wayleaves: Transport asset interface register (Part 2)
We now delve deeper into evolution of railway infrastructure knowledge that we started in Part 1 of this series. We look at some more recent examples of how underground railway infrastructure interfaces with its environment …
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