Class 707’s extended SWR vacation
Thought it was all over? The Class 707’s reign on SWR had ended and the units would in future be admired by enthusiasts as South Eastern City Beam units… Not so fast! The final 707 to work on SWR (024/030) has again been making the rounds, no doubt due to…
The state of the Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth line is just so tardy! Its trains are late, cancelled or stuck in tunnels for what seems like an infinity. Efforts have been tried by this blog to keep a tab on the numerous comments on social media (and in the mainstream news) on the huge problems that…
SWR Class 707 Finale
The British Rail Class 707 Desiro City is an electric multiple unit passenger train. Siemens Mobility built 30 five-carriage sets. Initially leased by South West Trains, its franchise successor South Western Railway began moves towards phasing them out of their network – and that even though the full compliment had…
Montréal REM ‘cab’ ride
Hot on the BART video comes another forward view ride! Montréal’s new REM (Réseau Express Métropolitain) opened the other day to huge acclaim and there has been a good amount of videos on the new railway. There have been other forward views produced too but I think the one below…
BART – Train operator’s view
There has never been a full BART ‘driver’s eye’ view. Never! Not even a full length peep from the cab of America’s one and only broad gauge automated rapid transit! Historically it might possibly be to do with the half window frontages of the system’s legacy fleet – as can…
Elizabeth Line: Wonky seats & patchy walls
This is the second in the Elizabeth Line: Filthy Five series! The first in the series was a basic overview of the problems of mucky yuck that could be found on the Elizabeth line. This instalment looks at the line’s wonky seats and those patches that are having to be…
The South Shore doubles its act!
The South Shore line project involving work to double the route and modernise the street section in Michigan City continues. The main route also sees upgrades and enhancements at a number of other locations. The ninety mile route gets a brand new railroad too! This is a new branch off…
Borking the Elizabeth line!
Elizabeth line isn’t it fantastic! I mean who wants to use the tube these days when the Lizzy line is invariably so much better? Given that its been suspended so many times since its opened for track work, signal upgrades and the likes, one would hope that, especially after a…
Elizabeth line: The Filthy Five
There’s Brexit, energy prices, food banks, corrupt Govt, ailing NHS, rail strikes galore etc! All these give additional considerable impact to the important work that’s… well… if you haven’t guessed, The Filthy Five! That’s Five brand new stations whose vertiginous sided, curved, dappled walls could somehow imbibe themselves as The…
Paddington’s Elizabeth Line Memorial
As I write this, the media is writing about Andy Byford’s leaving his position of TfL Commissioner. That somehow makes this tribute at Paddington to the late Queen all the more poignant because getting Crossrail (aka the Elizabeth Line) opened was one of Byford’s main objectives and very surprisingly the…