London’s weekly railway news
This is a weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
Hospitality industry bosses are urging trade unions to abandon a wave of London Underground strikes, warning they will put jobs at risk and businesses at risk of collapse. Sky News
When the new Piccadilly line trains arrive in London, parts of them will have been built by students with special educational needs (SEND) who have been taken on by Siemens Mobility at their Goole factory. ianVisits
Elizabeth line
A train driver on London’s Elizabeth Line sparked a safety alert after going for an ’emergency’ toilet break and accidentally letting their train drive off on its own. Metro
Mainline / Overground
The cost of regulated train fares in England will increase by up to 4.6% next year and the price of most railcards will rise by £5, the Government announced on Wednesday. Independent
The “Euston Rush” might be on its way out, as Network Rail and the train companies are trialling earlier train boarding at the benighted railway station. ianVisits
Amsterdam-London direct Eurostar train to run again from February with 200 more seats NL Times
There will be no train services all week at various south London stations, including Peckham Rye, Queens Road, and Tulse Hill, due to rail works taking place. Southwark News
Passengers could face severe delays in November and December as worn-out railway lines that are more than 50 years old will be replaced. Essex Live
The government has confirmed that it will dig the HS2 tunnels from Old Oak Common to Euston station, although it hasn’t proposed any new plans to build Euston station itself. ianVisits
If Liverpool Street station is defiled, then nothing is safe – and barbarism shall rule The Telegraph
GWR warns customers to ‘only travel if absolutely necessary’ between London Paddington, Bristol and South Wales on Sunday 3 November GWR News
Miscellaneous
A sign at London Euston train station is set to be corrected after the wording was seen to ignore one of Liverpool’s proudest achievements. Liverpool Echo
Transport for London has U-turned after initially refusing to let an advert urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to tax the super rich be displayed on the Tube. Standard
More London railway stations are to get public toilets, as TfL announces the first seven stations to get them as part of a larger rollout of toilets on the tube. ianVisits
Police are searching for someone they would like to speak to after it is alleged that a man racially abused another person on the Elizabeth Line, going on to punch a passenger who intervened in the face. Barking Post
A number of poppy roundels can be found on platforms at Tube and Overground stations across London, Londonist
If you’re a railway fan, would you like an Intercity 125 train hanging from your Christmas tree this year? ianVisits
Trainline has increased its full-year guidance for the second time in two months after making more cash from ticket sales this year than it previously expected. Standard
Rare tube maps on display at Knightsbridge’s Map House exhibition ianVisits
TfL’s Mind the Gap podcast, hosted by railway presenter Tim Dunn has reached the end of the line, with a final episode about the London Overground’s Weaver line. ianVisits
Khan accused of ‘watering down’ TfL demands from government since Labour election win Enfield Dispatch
“An utter shitshow”: Inside the Transport for London cyberattack London Centric
And finally: The train driver who voiced the “See it, Say it, Sorted” police transport announcement is using his career expertise in a play he is directing and starring in. BBC News
The image is from a November 2020 article: Restoring a heritage London Underground roundel
The article about Eurostar and Amsterdam is incorrect.
The number of seats on the train isn’t increasing but the number of passengers is increasing because the security / immigration facilities have been enlarged at Centraal Station allowing 200 extra passengers to be processed.
Re the driver who abandoned his train to go for a piss, Crossrail should have been designed to be driverless from the word go.
Avoid the human factors! and compare with the new driverless Sydney cross harbour line which has just been brought into service.
The Sydney metro runs on dedicated tracks and doesn’t share any infrastructure with other train companies, unlike the Elizabeth line which runs over National Rail and Heathrow tracks.
There’s been a runaway DLR at least once