London Reconnections

Monday’s Friday Reads – 1 November 2021

On 1 November 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Friday Reads, Stations, Vertical transport

• Salisbury train crash: two trains collide in tunnel (BBC) • How we made Secrets of the London Underground show (RailMag) • Ace of Herts: Broxbourne Station Hertfordshire (BeautyOfTransport) • Victorian railway ticket ledger found …

Friday Reads – 29 October 2021

On 29 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Eurostar, Friday Reads, Micromobility, Pedestrians

• RENFE aims to compete with Eurostar on Paris-London route (RailwayGazette) • Can Footways’ map rekindle London’s love of walking? (CityLab) • Londoner takes buses as far as he can in 24h (BBC) • Southeastern …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 25 October 2021

On 25 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Friday Reads, HS2, Pollution, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• London wide new ULEZ pollution charge zone begins today (BBC) • HS2 trains to be built in the UK, but by whomst? (RailInsider) • Budget to give £710m to extend Merseyrail with battery-operated trains …

Friday Reads – 22 October 2021

On 22 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Cable Car, Friday Reads, HS2, Trams/Streetcars/LRT, Uber

• HS2 to cut Euston Station to ten platforms (IanVisits) • 7 abandoned railways set to follow Dartmoor line reopening (NewCivilEng) • Transport poster artist E McKnight Kauffer Exhibition (CreativeReview) • Amsterdam supports cable car …

A deeper look at the Tube’s Spiral Escalator

On 19 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads, Vertical transport

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 …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 18 October 2021

On 18 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Arts, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads, Maps, Uber

• London getting wetter & its transport network is too slow to adapt (NewStatesman) • Minicab drought: ‘Rotten’ rates biting into Uber drivers’ wages (BBC) • UK public warms to road pricing as fuel duty …

Friday Reads – 15 October 2021

On 15 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Electrification, Friday Reads, Pollution, Stations

• Freightliner withdraws electric fleet due to high electricity prices (RailMag) • Dartmoor Line to reopen after almost half a century (RailEngineer) • Transport noise linked to increased risk of dementia: study (Guardian) • How …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 11 October 2021

On 11 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Accessibility, Buses, Friday Reads, History, Stations

• Imberbus 2021 behind the scenes video (HiddenLondonHangouts) • Northern Virtual Reality simulation to assist disabled (Railway-Tech) • Fog on the Underground (ThomasBrissot) • Man builds home in style of a Grand Trunk Railway Station …

Friday Reads – 8 October 2021

On 8 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, HS2, Pedestrians, Stations

• Tesco’s rail logistics keep their shelves stocked (Guardian) • The case against transit project mega contracts (EnoTrans) • HS2 restoring listed Curzon Street station (RailTechnology) • Nancy’s tram plan postponed in favour of trolleybus …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 4 October 2021

On 4 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Friday Reads, Pedestrians, Sustainability, Trams/Streetcars/LRT

• Should train guards wear body cameras? (Railway-Tech) • Paris caps speed at 30km/h to boost soft transport & road safety (RFI) • The promise of US electric school bus adoption (GreenBiz) • We once …

Friday Reads – 1 October 2021

On 1 October 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Crossrail 2, Cycles, Design, Friday Reads, New York

• Crossrail 2 critical to prevent train overloading into Waterloo (IanVisits) • UK’s last aerial ropeway uses gravity to move 300mt a day (TomScottYouTube) • Amsterdam expands smart bike parking tags for better station access …

Southeastern: Non-Breaking News

On 29 September 2021 By John Bull In Long reads, South Eastern

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 …

Monday’s Friday Reads – 27 September 2021

On 27 September 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Design, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Friday Reads

• Addison Lee taxi firm orders electric SUVs to speed up all EV fleet (CityLab) • And now in colour: Harlow Town Station’s Mid-Century Modern style (BeautyOfTransport) • Istanbul’s European rail terminus to reopen (RailTurkey) …

Friday Reads – 24 September 2021

On 24 September 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Battersea Extension, Buses, Friday Reads, History, Maps

• Ian Visits the Northern Line Extension opening (IanVisits) • Diamond dissects the Battersea Droop on the Tube Map (DiamondGeezer) • Battersea Power Station Bullet Train’s lost plans (LondonLaunch) • BR logo designer appalled by …

Vulcanised Technology: Ride Long and Prosper – Movin’On 2021 (Part 1)

On 22 September 2021 By Long Branch Mike In Long reads, Roads

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 …