Yeah, paywall, I know, but no-one else has it and it seems too important not to let the group know. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/02/15/government-cap-rail-profits-cancels-franchising-radical-shake/ -- Basil Jet recently enjoyed listening to Bell Orchestre - 2009 - As Seen Through Windows

https://www.ft.com/content/0d1c0eb0-4ea1-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5 -- Basil Jet recently enjoyed listening to Altered Images - 1982 - Pinky Blue

Theo wrote: Trolleybus wrote: There are more than I thought, but few that would be suitable for this proposal. I'm surprised so many councils were allowed to get away with the arms-length policy. I don't see why you need a municipal bus company for this proposal. Simply offer to the Stagecoach/Arriva/First incumbent the use of new buses for free, no fuel to pay, for the...

Unsuprisingly, the RAIB will be investigating the derailment on the GOBLIN. I don't think the annoucment says anything new, but it's he https://www.gov.uk/government/news/freight-train-derailment-near-wanstead-park Cheers, Mike --

One of London's other underground tunnel networks: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-51315970/inside-the-hidden-power-tunnels-of-london

I was standing at Highbury this afternoon and a freight train went through hauled by a class 70. The billowing blue-gray exhaust gassed half the platform. I've never seen this sort of smog with the more common 66s. Is this normal for a 70 or was its emissions equipment probably broken? If the former how come an HGV can fit some heavy duty particulate emissions equipment under the cab yet a 70...

https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/east-croydon-stabbing-victim-named-17642230 The boy killed in a "machete attack" at East Croydon station has been named by police as Louis Johnson. The 16-year-old victim was attacked inside the busy station during rush hour on Monday afternoon (January 27). British Transport Police confirmed his name and age on Tuesday morning (January 28) as...

On Mon, 27 Jan 2020 13:34:55 +0000, wrote: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/01/bridges-and-track-damaged-as-freight-train-derails-repair-work-starts.html Yes, that's the latest problem to hit the unfortunate GOBLin.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dirty-air-is-killing-25-times-more-than-car-crashes-x09pp52s3?shareToken=1d8301dddec30b9b2a47e85a2ecdb7d5

I travelled to Watford Junction yesterday, and saw a 378 next to a new 710. I snapped the two parked side-by-side, something that probably won't be happening for long: https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/49443667886/in/dateposted-friend/ The 378s will be re-liveried to match the 710s. It's interesting how much sleeker the 710 is compared to the rather frumpy 378. They're nicer inside, too,...

On Fri, 24 Jan 2020 11:18:14 -0800 (PST) wrote: d gone, the majority of the Southern was upgraded to 750 V with the only re= maining 660 V sections in inner London (owing to the interfaces with London= Underground at Wimbledon and Richmond (because C and D stock were 630 V un= its whereas S stock is designed to operate at 750 V) and the fact that the = Does the 750V mean only S stock is...

Quick question: do we expect TfL bus smartcard pads to read regionally-issued ENCTS cards? Cambs buses read my Cambs-issued one. -- Roland Perry

Apologies if this is old news, but I noticed yesterday that the Kings Cross departures board now shows ECML Thameslink departures from St Pancras: https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/49423851683/in/dateposted-friend/lightbox/ I can't recall other instances of UK rail stations also showing departures from other, adjacent stations, but perhaps there are some that I'm not aware of.

wrote: On Saturday, 18 January 2020 10:32:44 UTC, Weather or Not wrote: Yesterday, I wanted to catch the 14.14 Bloxwich to Cannock, about 14.05 an announcement was made the train was cancelled, so I caught the bus instead. When I got back home, I checked Realtime Trains website, and found that the train I wanted did actually run it got to Bloxwich 7 mins late. Why do NR...

Passengers using London's New Routemaster buses will only be able to board them using the front door in future, transport bosses have said. The vehicles were originally designed to allow people to enter through doors in the rear, middle or at the front. But a Transport for London (TfL) pilot on one route showed fare evasion rates were twice as high on New Routemasters compared to other...

It's green, but when folded it's much smaller and thicker than the previous editions, having more folds than before. Exeter has reappeared on the map after about 10 years of absence, and Great Malvern and Bristol appear for the first time. My favourite change is that Norfolk is now fully covered. I always thought a map that showed the whole coast from Weymouth to Felixstowe and also showed...

I tried to enter Kings Cross St Pancras LU station last night, around 20:30 and found the entrances closed, and Please Evacuate warnings being played on the PA, with the occasional Inspector Sands message interspersed. I hung around for a few minutes before giving up and getting home another way. There was one fire engine parked outside one of the entrances. Does anyone know what the problem...

So, I've forgotten where we started the discussion of this issue but, for those who are interested, I'll post what I have discovered here It seems that someone has already asked an FOI that went much of the way to answering the points I required and the answer (s)he received was: "this information is already in the public domain, you will find it here"

He said: “If you wandered around the stations, as I did at this time last year, these stations looked as though they were complete. “I went back a few months later and tiles had to be taken away, platforms had to be re-opened up because of some of the wiring of the system, some of the processes and equipment which were supposed to have been installed simply weren’t...

(nor the central Met/District) Who'd have thought that this would make it so hard to get where you want to go in Z1 You have to find the alternative bus route/stop and the alternative journey take "forever" Of course it's my fault really for not putting my journey into the planner before I travelled

We took a number 19 bus ride today through central london. A boris bus turned up. Unfortunately as it turned out since the engine didn't turn off once in the 15 mins we were on the bus and apart from a couple of occasions never went to idle either. Instead it remained at what I'd guess was 1000-1500rpm most of the way and as luck would have it that was a resonance frequency of a number of the...

I sometimes take a train (to my younger daughter) who lives in Bedford. As you may know there are 2 services from St Pancras to Bedford. A slow one run by Thameslink and a fast one run by EMR I go to the booking office and ask for an off peak day return and for £15.70 get handed a ticket that states "From London Thameslink to Bedford Valid via any permitted route" I invariably take the fast...

https://londonist.com/london/transport/new-tube-map-december- 2019-crossrail-elizabeth-line-reading Apologies to those who don't regard TfL Reading services as "The Tube". -- Roland Perry

I believe Paul was a regular here some time ago (and was very knowledgable about LUL and buses). I've just been informed that he died last Sunday 24 November 2019 from cancer. He will be sorely missed.