London’s weekly railway news #238

A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…

The short-lived experiment with rubber tires on railways

London Underground

A woman has been seriously injured after being dragged along a London Underground station platform by a Tube train. Independent

London Underground noise could damage hearing, says academic BBC News

Complaints have been launched after it was announced an underground station lift would not be fixed for five months. Local Times

London Underground tunnels could soon be carrying a super-fast broadband internet service, if plans being worked on by TfL come to fruition. IanVisits

The Mayor of Watford has revealed an extra £40million could be needed for the Met Line Extension to still go ahead. Watford Observer

Video footage has emerged of an accident at Farringdon Station which saw a worker dragged down a hole during tube maintenance work. Construction Enquirer

It’s been a bit over a year since the Night Tube launched, and a report by TfL has looked back at how it went. IanVisits

Theresa Villiers MP says Northern line timetable could mean loss of service for Barnet Local Times

Crossrail / Elizabeth line

Elizabeth Line hit with major challenges after electrical explosion pushes back testing RTM

Elizabeth line property developments quadruple predicted levels IanVisits

Mainline / Overground

The UK’s three worst rail operators for reliable internet connection all operate major routes through London, a new survey has found. Evening Standard

Cleshar to take over Carillion’s maintenance work on London Overground line RailStaff

Work has started to stabilise a railway embankment in Streatham, to reduce the risk of a future landslip after monitoring equipment confirmed it is subsiding. RailPro

Fears over the future of a new express Thameslink service in West Kent have sparked Sevenoaks MP, Sir Michael Fallon to hold top level government talks. Kent Live

The frustration felt by passengers when major engineering projects disrupt services poses a headache for the HS2 project, according to a watchdog. Times & Star

DLR

A 48-hour strike on the DLR is to go ahead after talks failed to resolve a dispute over claims of a breakdown in industrial relations. BT

Miscellaneous

A sculptor has told how he risked his life to save a man who was trying to commit suicide on the Tube. Evening Standard

£680,000 project to make maintenance more effective on the railways EurekAlert

This is the reason you keep seeing those rainbow ads on the London Underground PinkNews

After 15 years of running the Bree Louise pub in Euston – the owners handed over the keys – to make way for the HS2 development. London Live

A man with a “machete” was arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer at Hitchin train station. Herts Mercury

Gordon’s Gin has launched a new pop-up scheme called YayDelay which offers commuters free gin and tonics when their trains run late. Drinks Business

Transport for London and Network Rail have teamed up with industry institutions to launch an initiative to slash the number of disputes in construction. Construction News

And finally, a verbally abusive cyclist who narrowly avoided death by lifting his bike over a railway crossing barrier and trying to cross the tracks has been caught. Local Guardian

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Image above is from Dec 2013: The short-lived experiment with rubber tires on railways