A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
A “terrified” dog that leapt onto tracks at Tufnell Park Station was rescued by a Tube driver and reunited with its owner after it scurried into a tunnel. Ham & High
Sponsorship deals on the London underground could help improve stations as well as freeze fares, Conservative politicians have said. BBC News
Video – Secrets Of The Jubilee Line Londonist
130th anniversary of the first terrorist attack on the London Underground IanVisits
Hundreds of London Underground maintenance workers are to be balloted for strikes over a “complete breakdown” in industrial relations. ITV
Despite a £1.6m upgrade of escalators at Highbury and Islington station, one has broken down three times in as many months. Islington Now
Crossrail
A £35 million “flatpack” station for Crossrail is being built hundreds of miles from London in a first for the rail industry. Evening Standard
Work to transform Shenfield station as the eastern hub of Crossrail will now not start until summer 2015 – six months later than predicted. Total Essex
Bid race for £55m London Paddington tunnel link Construction Enquirer
Taxpayers will claw back only a fraction of the rise in commercial property values related to a £14.8bn London rail route because of its “crude” funding structure, according to transport experts. Financial Times
Crossrail submits application to begin work at Maidenhead Station Advertiser
Mainline/Overground
A government-commissioned report says the alternative to a new HS2 high speed rail link would see 14 years of weekend route closures and longer journeys. BBC News
An outraged commuter has demanded a meeting with a train company director and a refund on her season ticket because of delays, poor service and dirty carriages. Local Guardian
MPs have condemned the “excessive” length of time it has taken to upgrade Thameslink, the north-south cross-London rail line. BBC News
FactCheck: is HS2 value for money? Channel4 News
The government’s latest business case for the HS2 high-speed rail link has slightly lowered the amount of benefit it predicts relative to the cost. BBC News
DLR
A DLR inspector was punched repeatedly by a passenger after asking her to take her feet off a seat. London24
Miscellaneous
Water tower unveiled on old Central line Local Guardian
History: Train crashes in Havering Romford Recorder
TfL and Network Rail have teamed up to decorate a Metropolitan line train, a Circle line train and 10 London buses in a special poppy design. Press Release
The director for capital programmes at TfL talks about the driving factors behind such large scale expansion and the new technologies that will help shape the project. The Manufacturer
London Underground map of Huddersfield’s pubs is way out of date Examiner
TfL is stepping up its recruitment drive for advertisers willing to invest in innovative experiential campaigns across the tube network in an attempt to capitalise on rising ad spend. Marketing Week
Sir Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner for London, has told LBC 97.3 he did not use public money during an affair with a prostitute in the run up to the Olympics last year. LBC
—
The image above is from: Steam Trains return to the Epping Ongar Railway
