In The Lost Art of Passenger Comfort & Good Design – Railway Interiors Part 1, we looked at individual components and functionalities of train interiors – from seats, layout, information displays, and storage spaces, down …
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Crossrail Numbers Rise Again
In November 2024 the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) published its annual count of passenger numbers at National Rail stations. These figures seem to be often treated as a one-day wonder but detailed analysis …
Continue readingChristmas Quiz 2024 Final Score and Winners
Here are the marks for the top scoring contestants in this years Christmas Quiz: Initials or Name Marks out of 57 (+ one possible bonus point) MH 53 djal26 53 JW 53 PGB 52 EP …
Continue readingREM Part Deux – Montréal’s new automated metro expands
Montréal’s Réseau express métropolitain (REM) is becoming known for its automated metro operation, and its extensive reuse of existing railway and highway infrastructure. We look at how the opening of the next branch of this …
Continue readingChristmas Quiz 2024 Answers
Here are the answers. We had an average number of entries but we never know if that is because these are the people that attempted the quiz or that most people who sent in answers …
Continue readingLet’s Get Metaphysical – Patron Saints of Railways & other Transport Modes
Who watches over us from the Heavens when we travel? We take a non-denominational look at the Transport Spirit World. It is now time to look at some divine transport intervention, delving into the beatified …
Continue readingThe 2024 Christmas Collaborative Quiz
Here is a quiz that is a bit different. For anyone looking for our usual Christmas Quiz, it can be found here. The above seasonal message is composed of letters from the logos of past …
Continue readingThe 2024 London Reconnections Christmas Quiz
It’s that time of year and so here is the 2024 London Reconnections Christmas Quiz. 2024 was significant for your quizmaster as it was his first full year of retirement and, also, an increasingly debilitating …
Continue readingThe Shenfield Electrification Scheme: Background
A perennial and fairly meaningless question that is often asked is ‘what are the origins of Crossrail?’ It inevitably depends on how far you want to go back in time but one contender could be …
Continue readingThe Curious Case of Platform 14 at Paddington
If you go to Paddington main line station and follow the signs to platform 14 you eventually end up at short curved platform located almost at the far end of the station. All of Paddington’s …
Continue readingLiz Line Level-Boarding at Old Oak Common?
For some years, a known issue with the station at Old Oak Common currently being built has been that the trains on the Elizabeth line will call, or terminate, there yet there would be no …
Continue readingThe Lost Art of Passenger Comfort & Good Design – Railway Interiors Part 1
Modern trains are expected to handle crush loads at times, rough use and vandalism, yet have pleasing interiors and comfortable seating that will last in good condition for 15-20 years or more. In addition, the …
Continue readingGuangzhou’s Massive new Railway Station: A Stadium-sized Cathedral to Train Travel
Guangzhou, perhaps more familiar by its anglicised name of Canton, is a port megacity in Southern China. It sits alongside Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and several other cities in the Asian economic powerhouse that is Pearl …
Continue readingLonger trains for Crossrail?
Any mention of overcrowding on the Elizabeth line tends to elicit either the suggestion that TfL should run more trains or that they lengthen the trains which are currently nine carriages long. If the latter, …
Continue readingThe governing realities for Labour in power, & what it means for planning and transport
“I wanna be the leader, I wanna be the leader.Can I be the leader? Can I? I can?Promise? Promise?Yippee I’m the leader, I’m the leader.OK what shall we do?” Roger McGough Any Colour You Like …
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