This is a weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
The image is from a Nov 2021 article: A marvellous model steam train has appeared in Amersham
London Underground
Crime on the Tube has risen by more than 50% in a year, including a substantial increase in robberies and thefts. BBC News
Property development offering upgrades at Neasden tube station ianVisits
Elizabeth line
Elizabeth Line commuters face day-long chaos as track faults hit key services Standard
TfL’s push for ‘sustainable travel’ via foot, bike and bus means that a taxi rank at the new Elizabeth Line West Drayton Station was ‘not a priority within the design’. Taxi Point
The man behind the Elizabeth Line: Building in the UK is “tough” City AM
Greenwich Council still owes £4.4 million towards Woolwich Crossrail station bill The Greenwich Wire
Mainline / Overground
Plans to get property developers to pay for HS2’s London tunnel and station will fail, according to the National Infrastructure Commission chair. EGI
Commuters suffered a “significant delay” when a c2c passenger triggered the emergency brakes “to ask the driver for toilet paper”. Echo
Eurostar trains will not be able to travel directly from Amsterdam to London for six months in the second half of 2024 due to the renovation of the Dutch city’s Centraal rail station. BTN Europe
Northern City Line starts using new signals in passenger service ianVisits
Great Western Railway: Broken rail disrupts trains in west London BBC News
Gardiner & Theobald (G&T) has been brought in by HS2 to figure out why costs on the job have risen so much since 2019. Building
A new company has been set up aimed at creating a direct railway line [service] between Wrexham and London. The Leader
The cost of travelling by train between London and Southend is changing. Diamond Geezer
Corby to London St Pancras disruptions after trains damaged by ice BBC News
Miscellaneous
A return trip to John Betjeman’s Metro-land, 50 years on from his classic TV documentary The Guardian
A consistent and clear plan for rail investment will attract private investors who will aid in driving the delivery of major projects, according to Network Rail and National Infrastructure Commission chiefs. NCE (£)
The head of the UK’s largest rail operator FirstGroup has warned that the prospect of a Labour government poses a “risk” to the company because of its commitment to renationalise the railways. FT (£)
A Jewish religious sect that cannot travel on the London Underground because of something inside the Science Museum has had its application for a religious fudge that would solve the problem rejected by Kensington and Chelsea council. ianVisits
The “Good Samaritan” who returned a lost Oyster card to Tory mayoral candidate Susan Hall has told how delighted she was to be reunited with her free travel pass. Standard
The weird and wonderful items left unclaimed in TFL’s West Ham lost property office ITVX
A Bradford woman has been fined after she was caught dodging rail fare on a trip to London. Telegraph and Argus
And finally: Musician Fabio Tedde has been busking on the London Underground for an impressive 20 years and has no plans to stop. BBC News
The image is from a Nov 2021 article: A marvellous model steam train has appeared in Amersham
Wrexham and Shropshire? Again?