A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
The head of London Underground says he wants to work with designers to create a ‘New Tube for London’ – following the example of Thomas Heatherwick’s New Bus for London. Design Week
London’s mayor has approved plans to order driverless trains for the Underground, prompting one of the Tube’s unions to promise “all-out war”. Financial Times (Google Cache)
The oldest underground network in the world is poised for an overhaul as its operator seeks to capitalise on one of London’s last untapped retail estates. Retail Week (Google Cache)
Reduced lift service at Elephant & Castle tube for six months SE1
Tube tickets offices process millions of transactions every year ITV
Crossrail
Photos from inside a Crossrail tunnel IanVisits
Mainline/Overground
Training for trains: Railway towns bid for HS2 college BBC News
DLR
A new survey claims that London City Airport is the easiest UK capital city gateway to reach by train, which shouldn’t come as a surprise really, as it is actually the only airport in London! Airport World
Miscellaneous
Experience: I lost my dad on the London underground The Guardian
Tube staff who volunteered to work during this month’s strike have been awarded £25 vouchers “by way of a thank you” from transport bosses. BBC News
Litter bugs fined nearly £400 after dropping cigarette ends at Barking station B&D Post
Cleaners on London Underground are to ballot for strikes because their employer, outsourcing giant ISS, is introducing fingerprint technology to book on for work. Socialist Worker
Britain’s busiest railway stations are becoming more crowded. The 10 busiest stations reported an increase in passengers in the financial year to March 2013. The Guardian
Dutch animation studio Job, Joris & Marieke has created a series of quirky character animations for TfL’s new #CONTACTLESS campaign. DigitalArts
Where is the first railway bridge out of London? IanVisits
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The image above is from: Photos from inside the abandoned Kingsway Tram Tunnels
Fingerprint technology to book in for work? £25 gift vouchers? Well seeing the round up of rail news is certainly interesting.