London’s weekly railway news

Coronavirus: As venues are closed and events cancelled, ianVisits is temporarily suspending the London listings guide until further notice.

London’s weekly railway news

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

Free rail travel for people fleeing domestic abuse during the lockdown

Victims of domestic abuse who need emergency travel to escape to a shelter in another town will not have to pay for their travel, the train companies have announced.

Natural History Museum wants to put a dinosaur in its front garden

The Natural History Museum has shown off plans to revamp the space in front of the museum, including putting a dinosaur in the garden.

Archeologists discover pottery from London’s earliest farmers

One of the most significant discoveries of Early Neolithic pottery ever uncovered in London has now been proven to be 5,500 years old

Some of the fun of the fair in your home

Carters, the Victorian steam fair has cold boilers due the lockdown and wont be travelling in the near future – but you can still have the fun of the fair at home.

Unbuilt London: Replacing Tower Bridge with a tunnel

Considering how iconic Tower Bridge is as a symbol of London, it’s difficult to believe that just 50 years ago there were plans to replace it with a tunnel.

Remarkable 3D images of dinosaurs

If you were to wander though the Natural History Museum shop (currently closed of course), then you might spy some really quite astonishing 3D pictures.

The demolished Bryant & May Testimonial fountain

Opposite today’s Bow Church DLR station used to stand a much grander station, and in front was a tall Victorian memorial, erected in 1872 to celebrate a protest against a tax on matches.

Railway landslip uncovers 14th century Christian shrine

A cave and Christian shrine thought to date from the 14th century has been discovered by rail workers delivering landslip repair works near Guildford.

Help the National Archives uncover WW1 ships crew logs

If you’re stuck at home and want to do something good, then the National Archives is seeking volunteers to help transcribe First World War Royal Navy service records for a free online database it is building.

London’s Alleys: Craven Passage, WC2

In an area where most of the old roads were swallowed up by the railway, Craven Passage is a rare survivor of a path that dates back to when the area first started to be developed.

Rail travel in London down by 95%, buses down by 85%

Since the order to avoid going outside unless essential, and avoid travel, passengers numbers on London’s trains have plunged by 95 percent, while bus passengers are down by 85 percent.