A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
Inside Shoreditch’s disused tube trains
London Underground
The two new Tube stations on the Northern Line extension have been described as a “missed opportunity” to offer fully accessible transport after a wheelchair user described difficulties getting around. Standard
The Northern line ticket hall at Elephant & Castle tube station is closed until further notice after demolition workers on the adjacent shopping centre site accidentally knocked through into the station. SE1
The RMT union has warned that it may take action if the government presses ahead with plans for driverless trains on the London Underground. ianVisits
Google Maps is struggling with the name of one of London’s newest tube station. Diamond Geezer
Elizabeth line / Crossrail
Although Crossrail’s transformation into the Elizabeth line is due to occur “as soon as possible in the first half of 2022”, there is a desire to get it open for Easter, but that is now looking in doubt. ianVisits
Mainline / Overground
The Southeastern rail franchise is being taken over by the government after what was described as “a serious breach of the franchise agreement’s good faith obligations” in relation to financial matters was identified. ianVisits
Unite, the UK’s construction union, has blamed a recent spate of serious accidents on the HS2 tunnelling and track laying project in London, on a refusal to allow the union to speak to workers and a resulting dearth of safety reps. London Post
The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched the search for a new boss to lead the estate development work at Euston, which is being spurred on by HS2. Construction News (£)
The Government should reconsider handing over suburban rail services to TfL following the takeover of Southeastern trains, according to the London Assembly. London News Online
It would be “bonkers” to not build HS2 in full including the Eastern Leg from Birmingham to Leeds, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said. Yorkshire Post
Network Rail has revealed plans to set up an alliance with contractors to deliver the mainline works element of the Old Oak Common HS2 interchange station. Construction Enquirer
People who currently buy a weekly travelcard will no longer need to do so as TfL is introducing a weekly price-cap on Oyster pay-as-you-go fares for rail and tube travel. ianVisits
Tunnel progress as HS2 completes first mile under the Chilterns Rail Professional
The biggest shake-up of the railways since the privatisation of British Rail will not get underway until after the next election, amid Whitehall wrangling over the new body being set up to to run the network The Telegraph (£)
Eurostar poised to restore second London-Amsterdam service Business Traveller
New autumn timetable revealed for Chiltern Railway services to and from Aylesbury Bucks Herald
Plans for a new railway station in East London next to a future housing development have been dealt a blow after the station was apparently cancelled. ianVisits
Miscellaneous
The patchwork policy on wearing face coverings on different public transport services into and across London is leaving passengers annoyed and confused. BBC News
On hold during the lockdown, the London Transport Museum is to restart tours of disused parts of the London Underground from next month. ianVisits
Why connecting Battersea Power Station to the tube gives an example to the rest of the country Conservative Home
Do you use a Visa card with Apple Pay to travel on the Tube? Researchers demonstrate how hackers could steal £1,000 from your phone without you even realising it. Sky News
The rush back to the office has inspired a jump in searches for homes close to London stations that give them a quick commute into the City. CityAM
Tesco plans to expand its use of a train service to bring goods from Spain into the country which helped it cut emissions and protect deliveries through a truck drivers’ shortage, Reuters
And finally: Train commutes could make Londoners feel less stressed CityAM
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The image above is from Sept 2015: Inside Shoreditch’s disused tube trains
