A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
The image above is from August 2021: Whitechapel station entrance reopens ahead of Elizabeth line arrival
London Underground
A woman was arrested on suspicion of trespassing in connection with an incident that led to the closure of Hornchurch station. Romford Recorder
Large sections of the London Underground network lack toilet provision, according to a new report. BBC News
Teenage male dies after being hit by train near East Acton Underground station Ealing News
Mainline / Overground
Five HS2 workers injured in London vent shaft incident Construction Enquirer
The older platforms at Harrow and Wealdstone station in west London are to be restored after Network Rail applied for planning permission to enable the works to be carried out. ianVisits
Christian Wolmar Why is HS2 costing so much? The Spectator
Network Rail has sparked anger by refusing to award annual bonuses to staff who went on strike in a long-running dispute. BBC News
Passengers using Motspur Park station have been caught walking along the railway in recent weeks because they don’t want to use a diversion while a new footbridge is being installed. ianVisits
HS2: Drummond Street restaurants under threat as Euston construction delays drive away footfall CityAM
Miscellaneous
Caledonian Sleeper losses rise after record ticket sales cancelled out by soaring interest rates Scotsman
A team of volunteer investigators are looking for the public’s help in identfying a man who died after being hit by a train in east London almost 50 years ago. East London Advertiser
Berkeley Homes and John Sisk & Son could be heading back to the Technology and Construction Court over a dispute surrounding alleged omissions and errors in designs in bridges over the DLR and Jubilee line with a claim value of “high seven figures” attached. NCE (£)
A married couple were punched and kicked by a woman hurling racist abuse at a rail station in south east London, police said. Standard
Henry Smith MP launches petition to save Day Travelcard from abolition by the Mayor of London Sussex World
Have you ever stopped to question why many railway stations have a distinctive roof design? Roofing Today
Where are the UK’s closest railway stations? Diamond Geezer
That time Lord Onslow’s monkey escaped onto the Tube Londonist
Britain is spending up to eight times more on rail and road projects than its European neighbours because of mountains of red tape and nimby opposition, campaigners have claimed. Telegrah (£)
Why being CEO of Trainline is just the ticket for Jody Ford Raconteur
Competition & Markets Authority narrows concerns over Hitachi acquisition of Thales signalling business Rail Business UK
And finally: From the archive: Liverpool Street, Great Eastern Railway The Railway Hub
The image above is from August 2021: Whitechapel station entrance reopens ahead of Elizabeth line arrival
If you wish to know why Crossrail and HS2 was/is late and over budget and Madrid Metro was on time then listen to interviews with Prof Bent Flyvbjerg Oxford and IT Uni of Copenhagen, he has analysed 16,000 megaprojects in 25 areas and co-authored the book with Dan Gardner How Big Things Get Done, Cleaning Up podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN79-5S5d5c&t=1s New Civil Engineer The Engineers Collective podcast https://theengineerscollective.podbean.com/e/success-of-megaprojects-is-down-to-a-handful-of-key-factors/
“Large sections of the London Underground network lack toilet provision, according to a new report.”
In my opinion the Elizabeth line trains should have had at least one accessible toilet on board. Some people with disabilities may not be able to wait a few minutes between stations. Also, if/when a train breaks down as it did a few months ago for an hour a toilet can be particularly useful. Maybe they’ll consider adding one if/when the number of carriages is increased.
Why is there lifts at busy train stations. Kensal green
Why shouldn’t busy stations have lifts?
Furrher to Christian Wolmar’s incisive summary, if all we’re getting is Acton to Aston, I might add that:
1. Restoring the GW/GC line through to the Daventry area with links west and north would have added much of the desired capacity to the lower WCML;
2. Greater use of the GW/Chiltern Route for West Mids – London Traffic also would help with (1);
3. Diverting the Overground Watford line to run underground alongside Euston and extending it via Holborn (Kingsway) to Waterloo would (still):
a) release platform capacity at Euston for extra Intercity and Regional services;
b) take pressure off the Northern Line;
c) provide an opportunity to standardise rolling stock with the Bakerloo so that ALL platforms on the route can be level entry (ie the SAME height) and thus improve accessibility;
d) increase capacity from Waterloo to mid-London given Crossrail II is nowhere to be seen in the planning horizon; AND
4) Use of tilting stock would have enabled sufficient speed for reasonable travel time outcomes for the limited distance involved.
At TfL stations that do have toilets, some of these seem to be permanently closed, eg. Barkingside on the Central line.