Transport News Roundup for 2017

As we approach the end of year, I’ve decided to do a round up of selected transport news items which took place during 2017.

All track work completed at London Bridge railway station and progress report on Rail Ticketing

Network Rail has announced the completion of track work around London Bridge station as part of the Thameslink Programme.

From Network Rail

Network Rail’s Thameslink Programme has reached another crucial milestone ahead of the New Year with the completion of all track work around London Bridge.

The infrastructure is now in place around the striking new station, ready to be brought into use on 2 January 2018 following ten days of major re-signalling, during which there will be major changes to services and line closures affecting London Bridge and other London stations.

One year to go until Crossrail Elizabeth Line starts!

With 2018 rapidly approaching, it’s not much longer until the Crossrail Elizabeth Line officially kicks in. We’ll still have to wait until December 2018 though for the ‘main core’ of the Crossrail Elizabeth Line to open up!

From TfL press release

Elizabeth line services will be introduced in phases, with the central London stations opening in December 2018.

New December 2018 Tube map featuring the Elizabeth line unveiled - images are available via Flickr

London Bus Tender awards: Retains and gains for RATP-Dev

Here’s a quick news update showing the London Buses route tender awards:

RATP-Dev who owns subsidiary companies of London United and London Sovereign has retained and gained new route contracts with new low emission vehicles for some of their routes they won.

LBSL intends to enter into new contracts for the following routes with the operators listed below:

Alexander Dennis celebrates 10,000 milestone with luxury Enviro400 bus

Alexander Dennis has rolled out a luxury Enviro400 MMC to celebrate their 10,000^th milestone.

Congratulations Alexander Dennis!

From Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) celebrated a major milestone with the roll-out of its 10,000th two-axle, low floor double deck bus. The landmark Enviro400 is emblematic of how ADL has influenced the progressive shift by the UK bus industry to high quality, low floor, easy access buses over the last two decades.

TfL and the Mayor announces consultation to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone

Here is a quick news update:

TfL and the Mayor have announced a consultation on 30^th November 2017 to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to the North and South Circular in order to help reduce emissions in London.

From TfL press release

· Mayor proposes ULEZ standards would also apply Londonwide to buses, coaches and lorries from 26 October 2020
· Mayor wants public's views on these actions to lower toxic polluting emissions

The Mayor of London today launched a new public consultation on the next phase of his hard-hitting plans to tackle London's toxic air, reduce filthy emissions and protect the public from harmful pollution by expanding the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

New hybrid and electric buses for 2018

As 2018 is approaching, I’ve compiled a list from London Bus Routes Service Changes page to show the upcoming routes with new diesel-electric hybrids and zero-emission electric buses for London.

I’ve coloured the rows to make it easier for people to know that a blue background is for new hybrid buses and a green background shows the zero emission electric bus.

The purpose of this table is to make it easy to see when the next bus route will convert to hybrid or zero-emission electric buses.

Cross-City Extension for the Dublin Trams Luas has opened!

In Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Luas has opened up the extension for the Green Line Tram service which began on 9^th December 2017.

From Transport Infrastructure Ireland

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar; Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Shane Ross; and Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe were in attendance today at the official opening of Luas Cross City at the GPO in Dublin.

Blackpool Transport orders more Enviro400 City buses!

Blackpool Transport has once again purchased more Enviro400 City buses for their fleet.

From Alexander Dennis

The unique partnership between Blackpool Transport and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) took another step towards the future when a further 20 Enviro400 City buses were introduced to the seaside resort recently.

The New Routemaster opens the door for more stylish conventional buses

The New Routemaster (NRM) rollout has ended with route 267 being the last route to convert to these buses. We now move on to the next chapter where we are seeing more stylish and conventional buses holding NRM design cues being rolled out not just for London, but for Britain as well!

The original plan of the New Routemaster (formerly known as New Bus for London) project was to bring back the rear platform, but instead, since the conductors were withdrawn back in September 2016 it has evolved to a three-door, two-staircase hybrid bus. The rear platform and design was inspired by the original AEC Routemaster. There are now 1,000 New Routemaster buses built for London bus services.