A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
A new railway station has opened in Stratford
London Underground
More than 1,500 commuters have signed a petition calling for the Central Line loop service to be reinstated at rush hour. Ilford Recorder
Tube network covered with anti-advertising messages by ‘brandalism’ group Standard
A project to introduce mobile phone coverage on the London Underground could be launched with two months, Home Office officials have revealed. Telegraph
Thousands of London Underground staff will not go on strike but will instead refuse to work overtime or rest days in a dispute over safety. BBC News
Worries the “quieter” way of life in Barnet may be under threat have been expressed in the run-up to the introduction of the Night Tube on the Northern line. Local Times
Revealed: Tube drivers take 1,000 days in sick leave per week CityAM
TfL to track Tube users in stations by their MAC addresses The Register
Crossrail / Elizabeth Line
Sadiq Khan should offer a 12-month ‘Crossrail-levy-holiday’ for beleaguered London firms expecting unprecedented business rates hikes PropertyWeek
Plans for 29 storey tower block by Abbey Wood Crossrail station London News
Reading plans ‘world-class’ conference centre to cash in on Crossrail Standard
Mainline/Overground
Thameslink services back to normal after nearly a week of delays due to power surge Local Times
Rail users launch protest petition at plans to cut service to Enfield train station Enfield Today
Trains through south east London were delayed because of a rogue squirrel which got trapped in one of the carriages. Standard
Train clearing leaves on the line breaks down and causes rail chaos for Southern and South West commuters around Surrey and south-west London Local Guardian
Arriva takes over London Overground concession European Railway Review
Carillion has signed a new seven-and-a-half year contract for maintenance at London Overground stations. FM World
Miscellaneous
Eurostar offers £19 fares to Paris and Brussels as visitors stay away Independent
How Many Forms Of Transport Can You Use In London In One Hour? Londonist
An old District line tube carriage has been turned into a library by a primary school in South-East London. IanVisits
Morning commuters get wonderful surprise with ride on Orient Express’s sister train Country Life
Smart sensors could end rail chaos from ‘leaves on the line’ Phys
More hidden tube station tours announced IanVisits
And finally, “The young student generally left King’s Cross Station at twenty minutes to five, and, as Wasp accompanied him, they took their seats in the guard’s van, and travelled every day with the same guard.” MimiMathews
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The image above is from April 2014: A new railway station has opened in Stratford
Barnet is a quieter way of life? Londoners and their perspective, eh?
The propsed conference centre in Reading is next to the M4, three miles away from the station. There’s no link to Crossrail other than in the mind of the article’s author.
Maybe a Reading tram is on the cards.
Rather a bleak looking station. Opposite in imagination to that fantastic wooden structure featured in a past IanVisits. Love your site.
ian why don’t you talk about Sadik khan using £2bn of taxpayers money freezing tfl fares? why do you support him so much? let me guess, your a pro LABOUR party bloggist.