A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
Hackney Wick’s brutalist new London Overground station opens
London Underground
Tube drivers told they can refuse to work if they feel their safety is at risk Metro
Tory candidate wants guarantees Bakerloo Line extension won’t be scrapped News Shopper
Elizabeth line / Crossrail
Crossrail: TfL and DfT foot the bill as financing talks continue Construction News
After a few weeks of lockdown silence, life is returning to Crossrail as test trains have started running through its tunnels once again. ianVisits
Crossrail has said a 36.7 per cent difference in the average median hourly pay between men and women on the project is “disappointing”. Construction News
Mainline / Overground
A new station on the Thameslink line for Brent Cross was given final approval by Barnet council last week. ianVisits
Quiet start to the week in London despite ramping up of rail capacity ITV
The huge new station that will link HS2 with the Elizabeth line and mainline rail services at Old Oak Common has received official planning approval. ianVisits
Coronavirus: LNER introduces mandatory ticket reservations BBC News
Network Rail is warning that it will be closing a section of railway in south-east London for 9 days in late July for upgrade works. ianVisits
Miscellaneous
Coronavirus: Twenty busiest London train and Tube stations to avoid Sky News
Train and tube staff are putting passengers at risk by failing to check if items are stuck in doors, accident investigators have warned. The Telegraph
Sadiq Khan could make face coverings mandatory on London’s Tubes and buses Standard
Police question suspect over London rail worker’s coronavirus death The Guardian
A London Underground worker sacked for sexual harassment has been awarded £14,500 for his employer’s failure to conduct a timely and reasonable disciplinary investigation. Personnel Today
And finally: Industrial design studio PriestmanGoode has revised its Island Bay train seating to make it easier for commuters to social distance. Dezeen
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Image above is from May 2018: Hackney Wick’s brutalist new London Overground station opens
The complete lack of any aesthetic consideration in the design of the new station at Hackney Wick is really awful. At the ribbon cutting ceremony please see that they at least tie it up in a bow and stick it on the wall somewhere for some visual relief.