A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
The image above is from July 2013: London Underground Signal Box gets Listed Status
London Underground
Investigation underway after Amersham track worker struck by London Underground train Buckinghamshire Live
TfL testing a world-first idea for cooling the London Underground ianVisits
Elizabeth line / Crossrail
Ending main contractor involvement at Bond Street station early has saved TfL just shy of £100M, according to the Greater London Authority oversight committee’s latest assessment of TfL procurement. NCE
How London’s new subway line helped create the biggest man-made nature reserve in Europe ZME Science
Mainline / Overground
Paddington station: Platform blocked after wheelie bin falls on rails BBC News
London mayor Sadiq Khan has said the new Barking Riverside Overground station will be a “game changer” as he warned public transport around the capital still faces cuts. Standard
Commuters on South Western Railway (SWR) are being promised better WiFi and more station toilets, benches and waiting rooms. South London Press
High Speed 2 did not adequately stress the benefits the high-speed railway would bring to the UK, industry figures have said. Construction News
Miscellaneous
TfL was granted a week extension of the current government funding. City AM
Man racially abuses police officer after robbery attempt on District Line Local London
A train fare dodger from Croydon has been ordered to pay nearly £400 over a dodged £8 fare. News Shopper
Elderly victims duped in £13 million Crossrail homes fraud Standard
And finally: Concealed parts of Shepherd’s Bush tube station dating from its original construction in 1900 will be visible again, as the London Transport Museum adds the station to its itinerary of Hidden London tours. ianVisits
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The image above is from July 2013: London Underground Signal Box gets Listed Status
The photo you have used today is, I’m pretty sure, the signal box at Liverpool Street no longer used as a manual box but possibly containing in equipment. Atone time there was a junction here with tracks to the main line station allowing trains from Shenfield to travel out from Paddington a long time before Ctossrail!
There was, indeed, a pair of tracks behind the Circle line signal box at Liverpool Street which connected with platforms 1 and 2 in the main line station. I believe that there was no regular service over the link. Before the main line station was completely rebuilt the tunnel was used by the the LT Broad Street canteen, a small cinema and the BR ‘Liverpool Street Dining Club’ including a bar along the tunnel alignment. The rail link did not last long.
I notice evidence in the lower brickwork of windows with arched tops. These would have allowed daylight into the locking room beneath the operating floor. I presume that these would have been bricked up to reduce potential bomb damage during WWII.
Good to see preservation of historic parts of the railway being safeguarded for the benefit of future observers.