- Stagecoach comes to Kingston Upon Thames
- New Underground ticket hall and entrance opens at Victoria Station
- Abellio sells 40% of their Greater Anglia stake to Japanese based Mitsui
February
- Council owned bus company “Thamesdown” sold to Go Ahead South Coast
- Step-free access for Tottenham Court Road station
- National Express sells their c2c franchise to Italian state owned Trenitalia
- New Routemasters come to East London Transit services
March
- Construction for Northern Line extension begins in March
- New Buses for Sullivan buses
- Subsidies for London Bus Route 465 saved!
April
- Stagecoach orders new buses for 2017
- Farewell to the London Underground D78 stock trains
- Central London bus route changes confirmed by TfL
- TfL invests £18 million for the electric vehicle scheme
May
- London Buses brings back route branding for Barkingside routes
- Bus Services Act 2017 is now Royal Assent
- Citymapper trials bus service in Central London
- Gas buses for Nottingham and three-door two-staircase buses for Switzerland
June
- Electric buses for London Bus routes C1 and 70
- FirstGroup and MTR purchase Crossrail style trains for South Western Railway franchise
- Rail franchise bidders announced for West Coast Partnership and South Eastern
July
- Most polluting London buses to be upgraded to ultra low emission standards
- Arriva purchases 13 Enviro400 City buses for Chester to Wrexham Sapphire Service
- London Bus routes 46, 153 and 214 to become fully electric
- One billion journeys made by ‘Contactless’ on London Transport system
- Crossrail Elizabeth Line to serve Heathrow Terminal 5
- TfL orders more Class 345 trains for Crossrail Elizabeth Line
- Enviro400 City buses for Wheelers Travel and Uno Hertfordshire
- 30 year anniversary of the Docklands Light Railway
August
- Stagecoach loses routes 5, 15 and 115 to Go-Ahead London
- Consultation report for the Bakerloo Line Extension and London Bus tender awards
- London Overground extension to Barking Riverside goes ahead!
- Go Ahead Group wins Dublin Bus contract but loses West Midlands Rail franchise
- Double deck Bio-Gas buses for Bristol and Sunderland
- Network Rail completes Waterloo upgrade and London Bus Tender awards
- End of an era for the original Thameslink Class 319 trains
September
- Department for Transport announces successful bidders for greener buses
- Consultation to abolish cash fares for Croydon Tramlink
- TfL launches app to enable passengers to top up their Oyster ‘on the go’
- Track installation for Crossrail Elizabeth Line is complete!
- Popularity grows for the Enviro400 City as Uno launches for Comet services
October- 6 new electric buses and 20 hybrid buses for Lothian Buses
- Refurbished trains for the New York City’s Subway E Line
- Irizar electric buses for London Bus routes W13 and 153
- Tri-Axle Enviro200’s for New Zealand
- Belfast Rapid Transit unveils new Glider vehicle
November
- Five train manufacturers shortlisted to build new HS2 trains
- Plymouth Citybus launches Contactless payment
- Consultation to pedestrianise Oxford Street includes proposed changes to bus services
- Tunnelling for the Northern Line Extension is completed
- 10 years of London Overground
- Route 267 - the last ever route to convert to New Routemasters
- New station entrance for Bond Street Underground Station
- TfL reveals pre-qualified bidders to build new DLR trains
- Six bus operators awarded to develop safety improvements for London Buses
- TfL confirms second year of fares freeze as their new business plan sees record investment in transport
December
- 24 hour service for the London Overground East London Line
- London Buses route 96 started to use the Fastrack busway in Dartford
- Blackpool Transport orders more Enviro400 City buses!
- Cross-City Extension for the Dublin Trams Luas has opened!
- TfL and the Mayor announces consultation to expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone
What I expect to happen next year is to see an increase of zero-emission electric buses as the rollout of three-door two-staircase hybrid New Routemasters comes to completion. I’ve published an article about the New Routemaster bus opens the door for more stylish conventional buses which is worth a read.
Thameslink will be calling at London Bridge station which is expected to happen in May 2018. Also in the same month, TfL will be taking over Heathrow Connect services (Heathrow to Paddington) as
.
The main section of the Crossrail Elizabeth Line (Paddington Crossrail station to Abbey Wood) will be launching in December 2018, the rest of TfL Rail services will be rebranded as Elizabeth Line. The full route is expected to open in December 2019.
And lastly, I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I can’t believe how quickly 2017 went - hopefully 2018 will be better.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter and Google Plus by searching for @CLondoner92
Transport videos of 2017
