please empty your brain below

Generally, another article which makes this blog extra special. Fascinating DG!

When will you be regaling us on your trip on the Mail Rail. I had tickets for my birthday, but have to wait until January to go on it! I mention this as the website does not explain why there is no booking facility beyond the end of January.
Aren't there still plans for the redevelopment of Euston and Elephant and Castle stations? Euston may be some way off, if they don't take the opportunity offered by HS2, assuming that happens, but as I understand it demolition work at Elephant and Castle shopping centre starts in 2019 and surely there will be work on the stations as part of that?
Mail Rail (converted to freight railway): Part of an article by Alan Williams in the October Modern Railways is about a proposal to extend Mail Rail from Mount Pleasant to the Princess Royal Distribution Cent6re at Wembley.

Euston Station Redevelopment: As I understand it, there were to be two public levels in the station, one for arrivals and one for departures, both the whole width of the existing site, with housing and offices above. This scheme was killed stone dead by HS2. In effect there will now be two stations. HS2 to the west, part on Melton Street and the rest taking part of the existing station; a much reduced Euston will then serve the traditional trains. The HS2 part is scheduled for completion in 2033. The scope for the traditional station has yet to be agreed.
Another one for the low probability list, the Gospel Oak to Barking upgrade. Electrification, platform lengthing, frequent train service.
No longer Londons secret railway.

In 2006 it was on the nice to do list, but we don't have a budget fot it.

Completes in 2018.

Miss the old railway, people would go to the Upper Holloway waiting room to smoke a spliff, there was little possibility of being disturbed.
Another one for the 0% list (arguably) might be Overground via Peckham Rye (was it branded as "completing the circle" or something like that?)
Yes coffin dodger and that's why people didn't use the old railway. And won't again if the likes of cowboys like GTR get away with their destaffing regime.
I never understood why anyone thought Tramlink to Crystal Palace was likely to happen though it remained a small possibility.

Even before the increase in passengers on Tramlink, it would have overloaded one end of the tram network and severely restricted traffic (including buses) to the east of East Croydon. This is already a problem.

Worse still, the town centre loop would not have been able to cope. There is now a scheme to turn back some of the trams from the east at East Croydon and that costs around £35million. None of this was budgeted for in the original proposal.

It makes the Croxley Extension seem moderately well financially planned.
There are odd things going on at Euston. Bits of building disappearing, trains that used to use platforms 16-18 now using platform 1, infrastructure work to move things from the west to the east side of the lines.
But similarly there have been works going on which seem illogical in the face of HS2 lines coming in to the western side of the station - new buildings in the estate, for example, new leases granted to UCL for the buildings near the garage and investment there, new interior cladding at Euston and the creation of a Mezzanine food floor.
New Runways At London's Airports (still up in the air) ... yes why not, best place for a runway
Is that Monometro idea for real? The website makes it look like some student's GCSE project!
@Andrew

Work on the E&C shopping centre will have a very minor impact on the station.

A full redevelopment has likely been subsumed into the Bakerloo line extension (and judging by the vagueness of the documents from the consultation this is still the least finalized part of the plan). Estimated completion: TfL say 2028-29, realists say 2035-40.
I hadn't heard of Monometro before. But, aside from the attractive visuals on their website is this enticing (not) offer:

For potential clients wanting to explore further before engaging the delivery process we offer an O Gauge (1:48) working model at a cost of £89,000.- Sterling

That's a lot of money for a model railway. No thanks !
@Ken: While you're waiting for DG to get to the Mail Rail, you might be interested in my blog post about it.

And a brief follow-up:.
@Dave Cross: I will, thank you, but not completely until I've ridden it. I glanced at your article, and stopped where you started describing the first delight. It is so small, I too want to be surprised.

And, DG, another brilliant post today. My quiz knowledge of the very first song played, Flowers in the Rain has becone less amazing this past week. And, they always ask for the song, and almost never the Group (I listened to it that morning).
I am bound to say "what list of transport projects in 2017"? Boris Johnson left little in the planning pipeline and Sadiq Khan seems relatively bereft of ideas. All we have as possibilities are

Picc Line upgrade (PLU)
Bakerloo Line upgrade
Crossrail 2
Bakerloo Line extension
Silvertown Tunnel

These are the only schemes with any possible level of "maturity" and I'll be gobsmacked if the PLU manages to get full project funding and procurement authority before 2020. The lack of progress is worrying. The rest are all receding over the time horizon barring the Silvertown Tunnel. AIUI, from people better informed than me, we should get a decision by Mr Grayling in October 17. Whether there is any money to build it or even construct some sort of PFI deal to fund it I don't know but there was been radio silence on this for a very long time.

Of course, it suits the government's agenda to not have to pour money into London schemes hence why there's no encouragement to bring forth schemes and liberal buckets of cold water being poured on things like Crossrail 2.










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