London’s weekly railway news #29

A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…

London Underground

Tomorrow’s Tube: heritage, improvement and development at South Kensington The Guardian

George Galloway leads tributes to ‘genius’ cartoonist killed at Finchley Road Tube station Ham & High

Crossrail

Costain/Skanska and Morgan Sindall joint ventures are among those shortlisted for the contract to build the tunnel link between Crossrail platforms and Bakerloo Line platform’s at London’s Paddington Station. Construction News (google cache)

A 5 minute Video – Europe’s biggest infrastructure project Financial Times

A Derby MP has tabled a new parliamentary petition calling for the £1 billion Crossrail carriages contract to be awarded to city train-maker Bombardier. Derby Telegraph

Mainline/Overground

Southeastern trains cancelled at least 17 services on the busiest shopping weekend of the year owing to a “rota mistake”. BBC News

The East London Line is shut for the whole of the Christmas week, while the start of a £320m upgrade is carried out. Hackney Gazette

TfL is planning a £20m upgrade of Tottenham Hale station as part of its Tube Improvement Programme. Construction Index

The problem solvers – Improving overhead line reliability on the West Coast main line. The Rail Engineer

Video – Britain’s last surviving railway band was playing Christmas carols at Paddington Station. SBS

The Edinburgh to London train could see off the plane and boost rail travel if another service is allowed to run alongside the East Coast franchise. Scotsman

DLR

Workers on the Docklands Light Railway are threatening to walk out following a row over pay and working conditions. Wharf

Miscellaneous

Thought I’d share a picture that our resident ex-hospital porter Gerald Dodd just sent me, of Maze Hill station before it lost its status. Greenwich Phantom

Here’s quite possibly the most festive London Underground in carriage decorations you’ll see. Back in 1922 someone had the bright idea to decorate Tube carriages with real Christmas foliage and pine cones. Going Underground

Something unknown has blocked the progress of the biggest-diameter tunnel-boring machine in use on the planet, NY Times <– Not London, but fascinating.

What’s in a Name? – How Euston Station gained its name. English Historical Fiction Authors

Heritage railways – Steaming ahead. The strange appeal of slowness The Economist

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The image above is from: The underground railway in North Korea