A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
Should Bexley the ‘forgotten borough of London for transport’ join the Underground? News Shopper
Crossrail
UK companies gain just 27% of Crossrail contracts Lords of the Blog
Redbridge Transport Action Group takes campaign for step-free Crossrail access to Ilford streets Ilford Recorder
Government launches study into potential Crossrail extension to Hertfordshire DfT
A crucial planning application which will determine the future look of Ealing Broadway station is due to be heard on Wednesday Ealing Today
Crossrail facing two safety inquiries after falling concrete kills worker The Guardian
Delaying Crossrail 2 would strangle London – and the private sector can help pay for it City AM
Mainline/Overground
Step-free access opened to public at Ewell East station Local Guardian
The rail industry has begun a review into using driverless technology to bring automated trains to Britain’s railways. Financial Times
Borough MPs call for HS2 Heathrow Spur plan to be scrapped Hillingdon Times
‘Norbiton gap’ at train station to be fixed by early 2016, South West Trains says This is Local London
HS2 threat to GP centre ‘would cost UK thousands of doctors’ Camden New Journal
Waitrose will open its first railway-based store at London King’s Cross station, creating up to 60 new jobs. Bakery Info
Miscellaneous
Unmasked at last: the City high-flyer who dodged £43,000 in train fares The Telegraph
ESPN FC and TfL World Cup campaign messages shown on 76.3m journeys The Drum
TV show about London Underground’s flood barriers IanVisits
Burton and Swadlincote get a London underground tube-style map Burton Mail
British urbanist Sir Peter Hall has died Construction Week
Wearing sunglasses and a large-brimmed sun hat, London Underground’s head of train systems engineering is standing in the rain in a Leicestershire field. Rail Engineer
Excited Doctor Who fan decorates London Underground sign Radio Times
Why building in the world’s most popular city is so difficult and expensive The Economist
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The image above is from October 2008: The Dollis Brook Viaduct
Congratulations on a fascinating, well researched article on the bombing of the Thames tunnels in the Charing Cross area, which are probably unknown by 99% of railway enthusiasts. (Though no doubt someone will contest that figure!)