London’s weekly railway news

This is a weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…

London Underground

Plans to restore Piccadilly line services between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge have been pushed back to late January. ianVisits

The annual No Trousers Tube ride has taken place despite plunging temperatures in the capital. BBC News

London Underground traction motor refurbishment capacity doubled Railway Gazette

A report into a fatality at Stratford station concludes that TfL should investigate whether it can fit warning systems to its trains to warn their drivers of people on platforms or tracks who are in danger. ianVisits

Elizabeth line

Over 500 million journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line since it opened in May 2022, new figures from Transport for London (TfL) show. ianVisits

Mainline / Overground

London Waterloo platforms evacuated after fan heater triggers alarm Metro

A fresh dispute threatens more rail strikes in the coming weeks after RMT members begin five-month weekend strikes, causing major disruption across the country’s busiest rail routes. LBC

The Hungerford railway bridge into Charing Cross station will be covered in scaffolding for much of the next few years as Network Rail carries out repairs to the 160 year old bridge. ianVisits

The High Speed 1 (HS1) railway, which carries Eurostar and Southeastern services, has been told to reduce its charges for train operators, in the hopes that it could give a boost to passenger traffic and attract new train operators. Independent

Train companies in England are being urged to adopt a “yellow card” system for passengers travelling without the correct ticket, rather than handing out penalty fares or prosecutions. BBC News

Southeastern’s newish Class 707 ‘City Beam’ trains will be fitted with customer toilets for the first time, the operator has announced. ianVisits

Millions could be spent on new trains as Richard Branson’s Virgin Group make its bid to break Eurostar’s monopoly on services through the Channel Tunnel. Kent Online

Network Rail has been accused of “woodland destruction” after workers chopped down trees next to an Overground line in Havering. Romford Recorder

One of London’s oldest railway stations, at Greenwich, is to get some tender loving care as the old canopy on Platform 2 will be restored and repaired. ianVisits

Rail bosses have issued an apology to customers after three faults led to disruption across the c2c network this week. Echo News

DLR

All four escalators at Cutty Sark DLR station will be replaced, Transport for London has said, after a passenger petition launched at Christmas reached 1,500 signatures. The Greenwich Wire

Miscellaneous

Late great engineers: John Fowler – Mastermind of the London Underground The Engineer

A teenager has been arrested at an underground station in Dagenham after a knife was found in a stop and search. Romford Recorder

This Lewisham station library faces imminent closure Londonist

The railway simulator Train Sim World has announced that it will soon add Thomas and Friends to the add-ons so everyone can play at being Thomas. ianVisits

A desire to “meet every concern and objection” over HS2 causes delays and extra costs for the high-speed railway project, according to the Government’s independent adviser on infrastructure. PM Today

Meet TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG) TfL Blog

Transport for London (TfL) is “prioritising work” on new artificial intelligence (AI) technology aimed at keeping passengers safe on station platforms. Southwark News

The small sheet of lead, which once adorned a coffin that was lost under London for 200 years, now sits in a slick new building in central Adelaide. The Guardian

And finally: A student with a passion for public transport has gained more than 400,000 views on TikTok for posts showing his hikes replicating London’s Tube line routes. BBC News

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The image is from a Jan 2020 article: See a Finnish steam train in Barking