30 year anniversary of the Docklands Light Railway

TfL is celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the Docklands Light Railway. (DLR)

Back on the 30^th July 1985, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the Docklands Light Railway in East London. The purpose of the DLR was to regenerate the Docklands area of East London with an elevated light railway system.

Oyster card system upgrade, new TfL app and July London Bus tender awards

I have several news stories today so let’s start off with the news that the Oyster card is set to be upgraded, enabling unlimited 1 hour fare which means you pay once and get unlimited transfers for the one-hour hopper fare. Also, TfL is launching a new phone app where passengers can top up their Oyster card on the go.

From TfL press release

Enviro400 City buses for Wheelers Travel and Uno Hertfordshire - and the last 17 New Routemasters with no route

The design of the Enviro400 City is increasing in popularity as Wheelers Travel purchased one Enviro400 City and University Bus (Uno) has purchased six of these Enviro400 City buses.

From Alexander Dennis

The trend towards high capacity, exceptionally well finished double deck buses appears to be gathering further momentum with operators in Kent and Southampton introducing Enviro400MMC models from Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) in recent weeks.

TfL orders more Class 345 trains for Crossrail Elizabeth Line

TfL orders more trains for the Crossrail Elizabeth Line for when it becomes operational in December 2019.

From TfL press release

Services on the Elizabeth line are set to be even more extensive and frequent than originally planned when the line becomes fully operational in December 2019, Transport for London (TfL) announced today.

Consultation for proposed bus service changes in West, South-East and North-East London

TfL has started a consultation to change bus services for the parts of Greater London which serve the new Crossrail Elizabeth Line.

Crossrail Elizabeth Line to serve Heathrow Terminal 5

Heathrow Terminal 5 will be served with Elizabeth Line services once Crossrail fully opens by December 2019.

From Heathrow Media Centre

• Heathrow agrees new plan with TfL and DfT to boost rail services to the airport
• Elizabeth line services to serve Terminal 5
• From 2019 at least 22 trains per hour connecting Central London and Heathrow – up from 18 today
• Thousands of rail passengers to benefit from the convenience of Oyster and contactless ticketing – including on the Heathrow Express
• New services will increase choice of routes in and out of airport, strengthening rail network resilience for future generations

One billion journeys made by ‘Contactless’ on London Transport system

TfL has announced that one billion journeys have been made by using contactless payment cards.

From TfL press release

London's transport network has now seen more than one billion pay as you go journeys made by contactless payment cards - as the new payment option has substantially changed the way customers pay for their travel around the city.

London Bus routes 46, 153 and 214 to become fully electric

London Buses will become ‘more electric’ as the London Mayor has announced that three more routes are to be fully converted to single deck electric buses.

From TfL press release

TfL and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have announced three more electric-only bus routes - the latest in a series of bold measures to tackle London's toxic air. The routes being converted to fully electric buses are:

TfL unveils Tube Map with tunnels

TfL has unveiled a Tube Map showing tunnels to help people with anxiety and claustrophobia.

From TfL press release

People with claustrophobia or other anxiety conditions could find their journeys less stressful as TfL today launched a new map that shows which stations and sections of the TfL network are underground.

The new addition to TfL's broad selection of downloadable Tube maps will help a range of customers navigate the network more comfortably by showing them routes they can take to avoid areas with large stretches of tunnels.

24 hour service for the London Overground East London Line

As the Night Tube continues to expand, the former London Underground line ‘East London Line’ (currently part of London Overground network since 2010) will have 24 hour service on weekends.

From Greater London Authority press release

• Night Overground will build on the huge success of the Night Tube
• All-night services on Fridays and Saturdays will start on the East London route in December
• Services will run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction, and be extended to Highbury & Islington next year

Arriva purchases 13 Enviro400 City buses for Chester to Wrexham Sapphire Service

Arriva have invested £3.2 million for 13 new buses which hold design cues from the New Routemaster, such as the glazed staircase for their Sapphire luxury service.

From Arriva Wales

After a £3.2m investment, Arriva will welcome 13 of the most advanced double decker buses into its fleet at a launch event on Thursday 29th June at Water World in Wrexham.

The new buses form part of Arriva’s premium fleet of Sapphire vehicles which will operate on routes between Wrexham and Chester, one of 15 routes that have been upgraded with the Sapphire service.

Most polluting London buses to be upgraded to ultra low emission standards

TfL will be retrofitting 5,000 buses with a new exhaust system to cut emissions as part of the £86.1 million programme to “clean up” London’s most polluting buses.

From TfL press release

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that the most polluting buses in the capital are going to be cleaned up, with their harmful emissions cut by up to 95 per cent.