For our final look at passenger suburban services considered in the draft Kent Route Study we look at a route which is, in many ways, a bit of an oddball – not least because it …
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Kent Route Study (Part 3): Victoria Metro Services
As part of our series on the recent Kent Route Study, we look at what it refers to as the ‘Victoria Metro Services.’ It is nearly impossible to do so, however, without also looking at …
Continue readingThe Kent Route Study (Part 2): Crossrail to Gravesend
Much has been written about Crossrail in recent years. One topic that has largely slipped through the net, however, is the revival of the originally planned route from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet. This was to …
Continue readingThe Kent Route Study (Part 1): London Bridge Metro Services
On 14 March 2017 Network Rail finally published its draft Kent Area Route Study Report. On the same day, quite deliberately, the DfT published its consultation document for the requirements of the next South East …
Continue readingOld Oak Common: A Vision and Challenge For Crossrail (Part 1)
As “Phyllis” and “Ada” make their stately progress east from the portals at Park Royal, plans are evolving for the Crossrail route west, and an absorbing story it is to tell. The Mayor has now …
Continue readingHLOS 2014-19: A Potential Step Backwards for London
Back in July the government outlined its rail investment strategy in the High Level Output Statement (HLOS) covering 2014-19 or Control Period 5 (CP5). We reported on the HLOS here and here, and a rich …
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 readingLooking North: The Future of Kings Cross and Moorgate
The next stop in our random jaunt around the latest RUS is King’s Cross and the line from Finsbury Park to Moorgate. Historically King’s Cross has had to deal with a lot of terminating trains …
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 readingA Question Of Carriages: Increasing Services on the South West Main Line
One thing that swiftly becomes apparent when looking at the recent London and South East draft RUS is how the proposed solutions to capacity problems are very different for the different lines, which all have …
Continue readingThe RUS: The Windsor Lines and A Question of Crossings
And now for something completely different. Well, almost. The recent RUS defines the Windsor lines as ‘routes via Putney’. To put it another way these are South West Trains routes that originate at Waterloo and …
Continue readingThe East Croydon Problem – A Look At the Brighton Mainline
Given the impact it has on (and the commuters it carries to) London, it makes sense to take a brief look at some of the issues on the Brighton Main Line. It also makes sense …
Continue readingThe RUS: Thameslink Technicals and Hypotheticals
As most readers will know, the Thameslink Programme is a £5.5 billion project to upgrade and expand the the Thameslink service. More accurately, it is the name given to two related projects. One is lead …
Continue readingThe RUS: Crossrail and the Reading Question
Some rail enthusiasts pore over timetables. There are those who look at maps in great detail. Other’s dissect the minutes of meetings in the quest for information. This author, however, often finds himself looking to …
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