It was not our intention to write another full article on the long-term developments planned at East Croydon. As far as we could see the overall plan was almost finalised and little new was expected …
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How Can You Mend A Broken Railway? Thameslink and the Gibb Report
Last summer the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, commissioned a report from an experienced and well-respected railwayman, Chris Gibb. The goal was a framework to enable much-needed improvements to railway services across the …
Continue readingThe Lonely Life of Birkbeck: South London’s Bellwether Station
Last August one London station saw trains stop there on just two days in the entire month. Indeed in the end for 34 consecutive days no trains called at the station. We take a look …
Continue readingGovia go via Greenwich: GTR and the Thameslink Timetable
There are probably Southern commuters who would claim that nothing Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR – Southern’s parent company) said or did would surprise them. Many industry insiders would probably agree. When rumours spread rapidly about …
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 readingA Study In Sussex part 13: Norwood Junction
Seemingly illogically, now is the time to look at Norwood Junction and its future importance in enabling an upgrade to the Brighton Main Line. Initially this station was not intended to form part of this …
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 readingA Study in Sussex Part 12: Pointless at Purley
In this part of our ongoing series we look at a critical set of points north of Purley station and what role they might play in a future Brighton Main Line. It is also a …
Continue readingA Study In Sussex Part 11: Diverted to the Oxted Lines
It seems to be a truism that the less important a railway line is, the more interest there is in it. Of all the lines in the southern Home Counties it is the line to …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 10: South Croydon & BML2
Our journey down the Brighton Line has now got as far as South Croydon. Not only do we look at the station but also at the five track section between East Croydon and South Croydon. …
Continue readingA Study in Sussex Part 9: East Croydon Revisited
We thought we had covered East Croydon in ample detail in recent articles. We also thought we would not be revisiting there for a long time yet. That was until the final version of the …
Continue readingA Perfect Storm: The Story Behind The London Bridge Delays
We really had been trying to not keep writing about London Bridge. Then, at the beginning of the year, a lot of problems emerged rendering it an apt topic for discussion again. The trouble was …
Continue readingA Study In Sussex Part 7: East Croydon
Regular followers of this series will be aware we started our look at the Brighton Main Line by working our way down from London. Until now we we have been looking at what have turned …
Continue readingTaking A Look At New Cross Gate
We reported recently on the consultation to extend the Bakerloo Line which, if it were to be built, would include a station at New Cross Gate. Before that we reported on what the approach lines …
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