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 …
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Rail Ticketing in a post-Covid World
The Covid pandemic has had a lasting impact on Britain’s railways. Undoubtedly the most significant impact has been on changing travel patterns in general and, in particular, a reduction in commuting and other business travel …
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 readingNew Tracks in the History of Railways Conference, 17-18 September 2020
We’d like to highlight the New Tracks in the History of Railways (NTIHOR) Conference to readers. It is a two-day Twitter conference, open to all, looking at new research and study in the field of …
Continue readingSlavery and the Railways, Part 1: Acknowledging the Past
Britain’s railway exists as a legacy of slavery. In this short series we look at this under-explored aspect of railway history, and talk to Network Rail about how we acknowledge that past and build a better present.
Continue readingSlavery and the Railways, Part 2: Building a Better Future
We sit down with Loraine Martins, Network Rail’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion, to discuss the importance of acknowledging the past and how the rail industry can use it to help create a better future.
Continue readingRemembering Mike Horne
On 26 March 2020, the railway industry lost Mike “M A C” Horne, who passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Mike’s knowledge of the history and operation of the railways (London’s in particular) was …
Continue readingFrom Rail to Road: ‘Big Data’ and Transport
In August 2016, users of Singapore’s normally-reliable Circle Line increasingly found their daily journeys disrupted. Seemingly without warning, trains would suddenly apply their emergency brakes and rapidly come to a stop. For the next few …
Continue readingYou Hacked: Cyber-security and the Railways
As both the Underground, and rail in general, become increasingly reliant on their digital infrastructure, so the potential impact of a cyber attack grows. We look some of the core cyber-security issues facing the railway, and at how the need to keep a ‘wetware’ backup still remains.
Continue readingOvergrounded: How London’s Dream of Rail Devolution Died
There are those who believe that London’s local rail services would be better managed by TfL. For most of 2016 all the signs seemed to indicate that TfL would be invited to do just that. …
Continue readingThe New London Bridge Station: First Impressions
It will probably not have escaped most readers attention that the main portion of the new London Bridge station concourse opened on August Bank Holiday Monday. Impressions are invariably subjective and so London Reconnections breaks …
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 readingThe Last Stand of the Old Guard?
The role of the railway guard has been in the news recently due to various industrial disputes in London and beyond. With debate set to continue over the role in the coming months, this seems …
Continue readingc2c: The Timetables, They Are A-Changin’
On Monday 14 December 2015 c2c introduced a new weekday timetable between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness. By the next day they had already made their first changes and those changes have continued, with the latest …
Continue readingA Graphical Look at Rail Usage in London and the UK
Occasionally it seems worth posting something with very little comment, and this is one of those situations. In short, the Campaign for Better Transport have released an interactive look at rail usage in the UK. …
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