A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
Tube ticket offices were closed prematurely but don’t need to be reopened, says independent review CityAM
London Underground has been fined £500,000 after a maintenance worker was injured in a disused station at South Kentish Town in 2014. ORR
Tube strikes called off after union talks with London Underground The Guardian
TfL admits Piccadilly Line delays will likely go on until after Christmas as drivers blame new wheels for problems CityAM
A look at the sub-surface lines upgrade Diamond Geezer
An additional £200 million is to be invested to improve step-free access on the London Underground. Construction
A man who watched hardcore porn on a rush-hour tube journey left fellow commuters disgusted. Metro
An additional £200m has been pledged to boost the number of step-free stations on the Tube, MayorWatch
Crossrail / Elizabeth Line
Crossrail sparks return to work as New Year strike ballot looms Construction Enquirer
Drivers on the Elizabeth Line are using the latest technology to familiarise themselves with the train and the routes. BBC News
HSE to prosecute three major contractors over London’s Crossrail tunnel death Builder
Mainline/Overground
Councillors are furious after a high-speed railway company started work without informing authorities. Watford Observer
Network Rail plans to transform Camberwell arches into cafes Southwark News
Southern Rail and other train operators could be given more power by the government in an attempt to improve services. Croydon Advertiser
£5.5m Southeastern smart card blasted ‘a total waste of money’ by rail campaigners Bexley Times
Electrification of London Overground’s Gospel Oak-Barking line 80% complete Global Rail News
Chris Grayling scrapped TfL Overground expansion because he didn’t want Labour to control it, leaked letter reveals Independent
Virgin Rail has been awarded a third extension to run the West Coast rail into Euston Standard
The pension funds that own the company running HS1, are considering a sale after receiving a number of offers. The Guardian
Euston Station Design Panel meets for first time Camden Council
A series of strikes by train drivers on the Southern rail network will go ahead next week after a judge backed planned action by the Aslef union. BBC News
Miscellaneous
Train fares in Britain will go up by an average of 2.3% from 2 January, the rail industry has announced. BBC News
Sadiq Khan invites union barons for tea and Tube talks Standard
Fraudster caught planting skimming devices at Tube stations ITV
Campaign to bring Oyster card system to Reigate railway station Surrey Mirror
The Transport Secretary has been urged to resign after a leaked letter showed he opposed rail devolution to keep it “out of the clutches” of Labour. BBC News
It’s time once again for the annual splurge of passenger data from across Britain’s railway network. Diamond Geezer
And finally, there is a very small part of North London that has a railway station named after it, and that festive area is called Turkey Street. IanVisits
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The image above is from March 2014: The crazy plan to divert the Bakerloo Line to Bank Station
I went home after the company Christmas party, and there were severe delays on the Piccadilly line – after midnight! So they don’t have enough trains even to run the late late night service normally.
Naked partisanship at it’s worse. Chris Grayling should be ashamed of himself for preventing suffering suburban rail commuters from having the possibility of better services.
Happy Christmas and a happier new year. Thanks for all your posts – a delight.