A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
The image above is from September 2014: Passengers evacuated from Heathrow Express train
London Underground
TfL is advising customers using the Piccadilly and District lines that the western branches will be closing from 8:30pm this Friday, and will be closed for most of the weekend for engineering works. ianVisits
More of the London Underground has mobile phone coverage after it was switched on in the Central line between Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road, and which areas will get coverage next have been announced. ianVisits
Elizabeth line
Elizabeth line tops list of train cancellations BBC News
It’s time to extend the Elizabeth Line to Ebbsfleet and North Kent James O’Malley
Rental markets near London’s Crossrail stations have seen premiums emerge, a new survey suggests. Landlord Today
Mainline / Overground
Chiltern Railways has quietly scrapped its plans to introduce hybrid trains from services in London after reports of “unacceptably poor” air quality in the area surrounding its Marylebone terminus Standard
Harrogate is on track to get a direct train to London departing an hour earlier than the current first service of the day. The Stray Ferret
Fire at Upminster train station disrupts rush hour services Romford Recorder
c2c trainline blocked due to signal fault between Barking and London causing chaos for commuters Essex Live
Downing Street refuses to guarantee HS2 will run to Manchester in northern leg ITV
DLR
Man dies after being hit by train as DLR to Woolwich Arsenal cancelled Yahoo News
Miscellaneous
A man aiming to run the entire London Underground route above ground in 11 days, covering a distance of 354 miles (570km), said the challenge was “really fun” despite the hot weather. BBC News
Rail fares could see highest annual increase in nearly 30 years from 2024 Metro
UK transport is “low down on the list of [political] priorities” warned political commentator Steve Richards, but he believes the High Speed 2 rail project is unlikely to be scrapped. BTN
Trainline shares soar as £2.6bn ticket sales help shrug off rail strike chaos CityAM
The Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Mudavadi tours Kings Cross rail station in London in bid to decongest Nairobi Nairobi News
Bike thefts at train stations up 39% in 2022, according to research BikeBiz
Rail passengers are being overcharged by up to £100 for long-distance train journeys from London by ticketing apps, an MP claimed in Parliament on Wednesday. Standard
James Blunt’s first time on London Tube in 20 years takes hilarious turn News 18
Football fans race from Old Trafford to Wembley in ‘train vs plane’ showdown Mirror
And finally: Pete Waterman delves into the wonderful world of model railways for More 4 Channel 4
The image above is from September 2014: Passengers evacuated from Heathrow Express train
This edition, for some reason, is the best, the most stimulating in a while. Because it is Autumn? Or simply because u cottoned to some most appealing ite m s? Who knows. As a former Londoner/dweller/ aficionado this edition has me reaching for the airline schedule, rounding up brother from his recent re-location to the south Coast and heading in to The National, the Wharf, the Chanel and so much else. Tnx
Re. Ticket Office closure plans – if the Rail Delivery Group want to save money and think this is the easiest option, they obviously have overlooked the reduction in fuel costs that could be made by switching off engines on trains waiting in platforms for tens of minutes. There must be an operational saving after a specified amount of time – it is after 10 seconds stationary in a car for instance.
Might even help with global warming …..