A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
Steam Trains return to the Epping Ongar Railway
London Underground
Drivers on London’s night tube are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay and jobs. Guardian
London Underground users charged £365m for incomplete journeys CityAM
Maintenance workers have voted to strike “following numerous unresolved breaches of agreed machineries and agreements by management”. Independent
Seats on seven of London’s underground train lines are never washed despite being sat on by millions of bums every day. Mirror
A catalogue of tube station closures due to staff shortages Diamond Geezer
Crossrail / Elizabeth Line
BBMV to pay Crossrail workers monthly productivity payments Construction
Crossrail discovers a lost river and the Grains of Paradise IanVisits
Mainline/Overground
Southern Rail passengers were left baffled after a microwave oven abandoned on train tracks sparked delays and cancellations on services in south London. Standard
WilkinsonEyre has replaced Grimshaw on the High Speed 2 package of work for the concept design of Euston Station AJ
Storm Doris sparks rush hour rail chaos in London ITV
Councils divided as HS2 Bill is given Royal Assent PSE
First direct train from Okehampton to London in 50 years to run in March Exeter Express
C2C’s bid to end an ongoing row over its new timetable has led to even more changes – which one angry commuter described as a “joke”. Echo
Miscellaneous
Exterion, the billboard ad giant with the contract for London Underground, UK buses and railway stations, has been put up for sale by its owners for up to £800 million. Standard
Royal Train saved from the scrapheap after Queen makes it known it is still her favoured mode of transport Telegraph
Londoners are getting £1,500 a head more cash in transport investment than commuters in the North, according to a report iNews
TfL awards Barclaycard 10-year contract that’ll include the roll out of contactless on the Elizabeth Line CityAM
Gay couple beaten on London-bound train in horrific homophobic attack on Valentine’s Day Standard
Rail freight body hails approval for new London interchange Handy Shipping Guide
A member of staff was spat at and had coffee thrown at her while working behind the information desk at Victoria station. Get West London
And finally, A new Night Tube map has been launched to help hungry Londoners on the hunt for a midnight McDonald’s. The Drum
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The image above is from May 2012: Steam Trains return to the Epping Ongar Railway
