A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
Bakerloo Line staff will strike on Boxing Day, further disrupting Christmas travel. Independent
Commuter knocked over for asking man to stand on the right on Tube escalator Metro
A new tube map has started appearing in London Underground stations, and there’s a lot of changes to this edition. IanVisits
Walking the route of the cancelled Watford extension of the Met line Diamond Geezer
Elizabeth line / Crossrail
Crossrail delay leads to staff at Romford station quitting over inactivity Romford Recorder
Crossrail: Breaking Down the Crisis London Reconnections
The Crossrail 2 conundrum: How will the £30bn scheme be paid for? Acenet
Mainline / Overground
Upminster Station’s £800,000 refurb of its lower ticket office has finally been completed. Romford Recorder
Ambitious plans to transform Watford Junction with a new passenger bridge and thousands of homes are taking shape. Watford Observer
Residents concerned that new Ilford station 70m walkway could harbour criminals Illford Recorder
Erith station improvements complete Local Times
HS2’s Old Oak Common station: How to build a mega-project Construction News
Regular lift breakdowns at Islington stations spark passenger anger Islington Tribune
New platforms at London Waterloo Rail Engineer
DLR
The Docklands Light Railway is seeking permission to expand its Beckton depot ahead of the arrival of a fleet of new trains due in a few years time. IanVisits
Miscellaneous
TfL is predicting that fares will have to rise as it faces a £2.1 billion hole in its revenues projections for the next five years. IanVisits
Railway enthusiasts welcome Royal British Legion and Tube chief to restoration project Local Guardian
Uber wants to integrate TfL rail, tube and bus timetables into its app in London iNews
Tube travel linked to the spread of flu-like illnesses University of Bristol
A Victorian era sewer running over the top of Baker Street tube station is currently being repaired even as it still carries away our daily waste. IanVisits
Jools Holland reveals 100ft long model railway in his attic that he spent 10 years building Telegraph
And finally, For 15 years come rain or shine, Frank Wang has sold coffee to commuters from his van outside Bethnal Green tube station. BBC News
—
Image above is from Dec 2016: New Elizabeth line train being tested in a huge freezer
Fascinating info. I live in Manchester but travel to London now and then.
At last a really insightful and detailed account of Crossrail delay. As a project manager myself this rang so many bells, especially the idea that problems at a lower level get diluted by middle management on their way to the top. Thank you.
It’s good that the former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo station has finally reopened which means more services and to relieve the congestion for trains coming in & out of London Waterloo. Plus with new Bombardier Class 701 Aventra trains that is to be built which is scheduled to enter service in 2020/2021 that will replace the Class 455, Class 456, Class 458 and Class 707.
Plus with Upminster station ticket office on platform 1 completed. I think that there needs some improvement to be down with adding a lift to access platform 6 (London Overground Romford-Upminster) as platforms 1-2 (c2c) and platforms 3, 4 and 5 (LUL District Line) are already step free with lifts.
What an interesting edition. Thanks so much.
I’d like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.