Transport News - Archive Articles

London’s weekly railway news

A weekly round-up of London's rail transport news...

HS2’s contracts awarded – includes £3.3 billion London tunnels

Contracts worth nearly £3.3 billion have been awarded to build the tunnels from Euston to Old Oak Common for the HS2 railway.

British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs

It's May 1949 and British Rail was showing off its latest idea to please the public - a travelling pub.

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.

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.

London’s weekly railway news

A weekly round-up of London's rail transport news...

Transport for London debt put on review for Coronavirus downgrade

Transport for London (TfL) currently has around £11.7 billion of debt, and that has now been put under review for a ratings downgrade by one of the three big ratings agencies, Fitch.

How the London Underground tried to extend the Bakerloo line to Dartford

In the 1930s, the London Underground looked at extending the Bakerloo line southwards, and while most plans were modest, one looked at taking it all the way out to Dartford.

Southeastern and GWR get franchise extensions

Two train companies, GWR and Southeastern have had their franchises extended after the government made a direct award contract to the two operators.

London’s weekly railway news

A weekly round-up of London's rail transport news...

Crossrail construction suspended due to Coronavirus

All Crossrail, and TfL construction sites are being shut-down during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Government suspends rail franchises due to Coronavirus

Rail franchises are to be suspended for the next six months due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the train operating companies offered a London Overground style operating license.

TfL giving small businesses three months free rent due to Coronavirus

As people are avoiding (in theory) travel and shops, TfL has announced that it will scrap rent on small shops that have space in its stations and railway arches for three months.

Train services to be cut from next week due to coronavirus

Train services across the UK will be gradually reduced next week, in part to reflect lower usage, and in part to preserve the service for critical workers.

London’s weekly railway news

A weekly round-up of London's rail transport news...

Major upgrade planned for Lewisham railway station

The Department for Transport has allocated £5.5 million to fund the early design and development stage for an upgraded Lewisham station.

TfL closes 40 tube stations, suspends the Night Tube, fewer trains and buses next week

TfL has announced sweeping changes to public transport services from tomorrow (Thursday) in response to the Coronavirus crisis.

Put Thameslink on the tube map says London Assembly

A report on improving accessibility on London's Transport services has called for the fully accessible Thameslink line to be on the Tube map as a matter of some urgency.

London Underground switches on mobile phone coverage in tube tunnels

The eastern half of the Jubilee line now has mobile phone coverage in the tunnels and stations, after the first phase of a network rollout was switched on.

Taking a look inside Crossrail’s Farringdon station

One of the Crossrail stations closest to completion is Farringdon, and there's been a chance to go down and have a look inside and see how close to completion it is.

Plans to add new entrance to Hackney Central railway station

Plans to improve access to the overcrowded Hackney Central station have taken a step forward with a proposed deal between the council and Network Rail.

Sharp drop in London Underground and bus passengers due to Covid

Transport for London (TfL) says that it has seen a 19 percent drop in tube passengers, and a 10 percent drop in bus passengers since the Covid coronavirus crisis gathered momentum in the past couple of weeks.

Sadiq Khan confirms train fares to rise after the Mayoral election

Regardless of who is the Mayor after the next Mayoral elections, the fares freeze on the railways will come to an end.