A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news…
London Underground
The mayor of Watford has written to the Prime Minister urging him to help revive the aborted Met Line Extension (MLX) scheme. Watford Observer
Central line improvements to combat Tube noise pushed back after asbestos found in tunnel Standard
There will be a tube strike on the Bakerloo line that’s likely to seriously affect the line from Friday though to the end of next Monday. ianVisits
Developer tight-lipped over Waterloo tube’s York Road closure SE1
First tube roundels installed at new Northern line extension stations ianVisits
Mainline / Overground
Former construction minister Andrew Stephenson has been made the minister responsible for HS2. Building
Fresh images of the new railway super-hub at Old Oak Common ianVisits
Miscellaneous
Academics have identified why megaprojects such as HS2 and Crossrail often fail or have budgets that spiral out of control. The IET
TfL complaints soar to record 110,000 over past three years Standard
An organised crime gang behind a sophisticated fake travelcard scam have been jailed for more than 25 years. Standard
Gay Twitter has taken over the London Underground with dozens of queer Valentine’s Day tweets PinkNews
And finally: Someone Translated the Whole London Tube Map into Welsh Gizmodo
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Image above is from Feb 2019: Taking a look at the Elizabeth line’s new Old Oak Common depot
It’s a bit of a shame that the “Academics have identified why megaprojects such as HS2 and Crossrail often fail or have budgets that spiral out of control. ” does nothing of the sort. It just says there is a problem, but doesn’t say why.
It’s a report about a study published in another journal not an indepth article in its own right.
And it does give some reasons
“Over-optimism, poor governance and the risks of using new technology are among the issues found to cause large schemes to run over budget and behind schedule.
Conflict between various organisations and poor leadership were also highlighted as causes for so-called megaprojects not going to plan”