This is a weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
The image is from Dec 2022: Presenting the tube map for Christmas Day
London Underground
London Underground workers vote to strike in dispute over pay CityAM
Colindale and Leyton tube stations set for £43.1 million step-free upgrades ianVisits
The first of the newly refurbished Central line trains has been back out on the line as it completes live testing while based at the Hainault depot. ianVisits
Elizabeth line
Greenwich Council hopes to pay off £15m Woolwich Crossrail bill by April Greenwich Wire
Elizabeth line: Central stations now boasting 4G phone coverage ianVisits
Mainline / Overground
Woolwich Arsenal station: Person killed by train causing delays on rail lines South London Press
London’s Paddington station is set to close on Christmas Eve while most services from Kings Cross are due to be cancelled. BBC News
Picture shows a huge B&M lorry stuck after it crashed into a bridge in Catford. Local London
Step-free access completed at Streatham railway station ianVisits
Lord Hendy, Chair of Network Rail, has said the absence of private funding for HS2 should be regarded as a disgrace, Transport Xtra (£)
The chief executive of Mace Group, the construction firm contracted to deliver HS2’s Euston station, warned yesterday that the government is ignoring advice on how to drum up private sector funding to see the project through. CityAM
‘Had to use bins as toilets’: passengers tell of rail journeys from hell The Guardian
Increased convenience at London Bridge station with more toilets being added ianVisits
More than 40,000 people have now backed a petition calling for Eurostar services to return to Kent. Kent Online
It’s back! The return of the London to Alps ski train The Times (£)
New direct high-speed train routes from London to Cologne, Frankfurt, Geneva and Zurich could be up and running within five years, according to the Eurotunnel owner The Guardian
DLR
A young person is fighting for their life after a stabbing on London’s Dockland Light Railway. LBC
TfL is trialling a new way of making the tap-in/out payment points in DLR stations more obvious to passengers and encouraging more people to tap to pay for their trips. ianVisits
Miscellaneous
Two disabled women were taken to hospital following an assault on a train travelling from Ramsgate railway station to London St Pancras International, Kent Live
Barrier-jumping thug punched TfL staff member so hard they suffered multiple fractures Standard
A brief history of the Waterloo & City line Londonist
Railway worker punched in head on Elizabeth Line platform in east London Standard
TfL faces financial crunch as Government leaves £250 million hole in maintenance budget ianVisits
Tube worker tells of Hyde Park Corner ‘nightmare’ as crowds return from Winter Wonderland Standard
A recent incident that saw wooden beams fall from a disused rail bridge has left South Croydon residents fearing for their safety. Local London
Tories savaged for spending HS2 millions promised to north on London potholes Independent
Cash boost given to help people sleeping rough on public transport South London Advertiser
Suspended Tube driver who sparked fury by leading chant of ‘free free Palestine’ on Underground train is interviewed by police Daily Mail
Tim Dunn hosts a 4-part podcast to celebrate the London Underground’s 160th anniversary ianVisits
Men shout antisemitic abuse at Bakerloo line Tube passenger and punch him in head Standard
Bloke appears to brazenly ‘smoke crack’ on London Underground as police launch probe Daily Star
Picture yourself on the platform of Olympia station in 1925… a scene perfectly captured in miniature in this model railway layout which has now won two major awards. LBHF
And finally: Six-year-old ‘Heroic Henry’ from Bridlington given VIP treatment on first London Underground visit The Scarborough News
The image is from a Dec 2022 article: Presenting the tube map for Christmas Day 2022
re the map at the top
Same procedure as last year Miss Sophie?
Same procedure as every yeah, James!
Is Catford bridge London’s “Canopener”, or was this truly exceptional?
This has happened on both railway bridges on the A205 at the eastern and western approaches to Catford.
In the case of the above bridge, eastbound traffic passing beneath then have to immediately climb up and over a second railway bridge.
Both bridges (due to their relatively short spans for such a main road) create bottlenecks for road traffic, causing long delays in this part of London.