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There are several examples of disused tunnels on the Underground where the track is still in place and trains can still run through, such as Green Park - Charing Cross and Holborn - Aldwych. There are also many more abandoned tunnels where the track has been lifted, such as the old C&SLR between...

As somebody who has recently started driving again after a long break, I’ve realised how vital it is to have an understanding of where the controls are, so you can use them while the vehicle is in motion without having to take your eyes off the road. This is easy enough in a car with physical...

Disclaimer: This isn’t something I would ever advocate for. Inspired by a question I asked in the European integrated networks thread, I thought it might be interesting to play devils advocate and find out how London’s bus network might have panned out if it was deregulated. The big...

Heading westwards from the Thames Estuary, it is a no brainier that anything north of the river is considered North London, and anything south is South London. East of Central London, the river split is roughly in the middle of the conurbation, and this remains true through Central and West...

Railways aren’t the only place where you can find trains. At several locations, you can find them hurtling along a circuitous mesh of steel with all sorts of bumps, turns and loops. Known as roller coasters, these “railways” are for entertainment rather than public transport, and I’m sure safety...

If we are to achieve decarbonisation on the railway by 2040, we are going to need a fully electrified network. In the old days, this would have meant 100% OHLE or third rail coverage, but now with battery technology advancing, it is becoming ever more possible to achieve full electrification...

High speed rail only captures a tiny fraction of the global long distance travel market, mostly centered on select corridors within Western Europe, China and Japan. Speed of rail in comparison to flying is a big factor but the cost also plays a significant part too. In most cases, a high speed...

London is renowned for its extensive bus coverage and high frequencies on major corridors, however I was wondering if there are any TfL routes which aren’t at a turn up and go frequency? By that I mean any major route with a lower than 15 minute frequency, and any round-the-houses route (usually...

The TfL bus spider maps are good for showing the main routes to and from a particular area, although being of a non-geographical nature they don’t necessarily show routes in relation to the layout of the road network. With most other bus operators now using geographical maps, is there any scope...

As the ASLEF strike on Friday 1st September will result in an even worse than usual strike timetable, I thought it would be worth compiling a list of all trains that will be running on the day, as well as any details of connecting bus services that might be of use for passengers without a rail...

With segregation of buses from other traffic key to boosting ridership, I’m wondering if there are many roads left that could feasibly closed off to all traffic except local buses and emergency vehicles. There is one caveat however. You cannot block access to properties or cul-de-sacs, making...

With major sporting and cultural events putting extra demand on the UK’s railway system, I’ve been wondering whether it would be worth having special timetables drafted up for these events as opposed to simply tweaking existing ones. This would shift resources to the areas of highest demand and...

No, not slam door mechanism in itself. I’m thinking of a multiple unit with more than 2 doors on each carriage, similar to the CIGs and VEPs. The advantage of these is that boarding and alighting was quicker since this was spread across the train rather than condensed in two places on the...

Just a quick question regarding third rail. Obviously any new stretches on track where it doesn’t exist are prohibited by the ORR, but say in the event of an existing single-track third rail railway being doubled, would new third rail be allowed for the additional stretch of track? Or would an...

Me and my Dad are attending the Summer Series England v Wales match at Twickenham Stadium on August 12th. We were planning to catch the train all the way from Poole, however it appears that there will be industrial action that day and my Dad is concerned we might get stranded. He is now...

It’s obvious that we need to take drastic action to prevent a 2 degree temperature rise within the next few decades, but it’s also clear that there are some people who are completely apathetic to the idea that we need to do something about it. From my observation, it seems that the majority of...

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing if we could actually use it. With UK railway progress generally behind our European counterparts, let’s say you could go back in time and oversee the BR modernisation plan from 1955. What would you do differently compared to what actually happened? Some things...

With rising energy demands and a shift in generation from inland fossil fuel generating stations to offshore wind farms, we are going to need to rethink how our National grid is laid out. Currently most 400kv lines are laid on a north-south axis as this reflected the demand from power stations...

Most rolling stock has an average lifespan of 40 years, although things don’t necessarily go to plan with certain trains going off lease or being scrapped early. Others are so reliable that I could see them living to 45 or even 50 years old. Taking into account all factors and possibilities...

Following on the thread about UK rail services with long dwell times at stations, I’m wondering if there are any examples of intermediate dwells around the world that are long enough for someone to feasibly take a stroll around the local area and take a bite to eat/visit an attraction etc, while...