Fire delays rail travel in/out of London

Blaze disrupts railway services
Rail passengers in and out of London are facing major delays due to a trackside fire in south-east London.
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 23 May 2007, 12:35 GMT 13:35 UK

Southeastern, Southern and First Capital Connect services to London Bridge, Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Waterloo East are affected.

Click here for complete article.

Dinner Party on the Jubilee Line

I'm not sure how hygienic fine dining on the Tube is, but I love the irony and the fact that people are taking candy from strangers!

Free Tube rides for the kids

Free Tube travel scheme extended
Children aged under 11 will be able to take advantage of travel free on the Underground at any time on any day of the week from Sunday.
BBC News
Last Updated: Saturday, 31 March 2007, 09:18 GMT 10:18 UK

Now up to four children under 11 will be able to accompany an adult paying a full fare at peak times.

Click here for complete article.

Black cab driver for 70 years!

Longest serving cabbie honoured
London's longest serving black cab driver has been honoured with an award after 70 years of service.
BBC News
Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 13:05 GMT



Alfred Collins, aged 92, was given the award from Transport for London at a specially organised ceremony at the Public Carriage Office.

Click here for complete article.

Pun Intended?

I wonder if the writer of the BBC article about "a childless couple who are advertising on London buses for an egg donor," was being cheeky when entitling the story, "Dozens of replies to egg donor ad"?

Routemaster row

London icon or 'bashed-up relic'?
More than 50 years since they appeared on London's streets, the Routemasters are still running - but not everyone is delighted. The veteran vehicle with its curvy design and its open platform has been called "the last bus to be a proper bus".
By Trevor Timpson
BBC News
Last Updated: Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 04:28 GMT











Many Londoners remember fondly how they used to hop on and off them and pull the string to ring the bell.

Click here for complete article.

Singing? On a bus? In London?

Spend any amount of time anywhere near public transport in London, and you'll know why the following clip is absolutely absurd with no basis in reality whatsoever.



Wondering why the above clip even exists?

BBC London's Anthem for 2012
We know London is the greatest city on earth, so why doesn't it have an anthem?
BBC News
last updated: 07/03/07








It's simple, we want an original song with inspiring lyrics which capture the spirit of the capital and get people to sing.

Click here for complete article.

Busloads of calamari for everyone!

Admittedly, this BBC article has nothing to do with London. However, I couldn't resist posting the London Bus size comparison chart - it's brilliant!

Super squid surfaces in Antarctic
A colossal squid has been caught in Antarctic waters, the first example of Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni retrieved virtually intact from the surface of the ocean.
By Kim Griggs in Wellington
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 2 April 2003, 15:13 GMT 16:13 UK














Click here for complete article.

Snowy morning commute

Heavy snow hits London commuters
Heavy overnight snow in London has led to some travel disruption and the closure of at least one school.
BBC News
Last Updated: Thursday, 8 February 2007, 09:34 GMT

It is expected to continue snowing in London until about lunchtime.

Click here for complete article.

Automated buses: innovative design or future cock-up?

Futuristic automated bus unveiled
A model of a futuristic driverless bus which promises to cut pollution and congestion has been unveiled.
BBC News
Published: 2007/01/17 15:09:46 GMT











Designers said the state-of-the-art bus will navigate the streets using magnets embedded in the road as markers.

Click here for complete article.

New Year's Eve travel info from Transport For London

Click here to down TFL's New Years Eve travel information leaflet.

Click here to download TFL's New Year's Eve information leaflet - cover.

Which way to Brick Lane?

Bid to name Tube stop Brick Lane
Aldgate East Tube station should be renamed Brick Lane, a local councillor has said.
BBC News
Published: 2006/12/15 15:50:28 GMT

"It would be a fitting tribute to one of the most recognised landmarks in Britain ... a haven for immigrant communities, from the French Huguenots to Jewish people to today's mainly Bangladeshi community."

Click here for complete article.


Making some cash [on Brick Lane]
Photograph by Emiana © 2006
Interested in contributing a photograph of London to this blog? Click here for details.

Wave and pay with Barclays

Barclays eyes Oyster credit card
A new contactless credit card combined with a London transport Oyster card, is to be launched by Barclays.
BBC News
Published: 2006/12/13 14:46:53 GMT

The idea is that users will be able to use the "wave and pay" card to in shops with special new card readers, such as newsagents, pubs, and coffee bars, as well as car parks and vending machines.

Click here for complete article.

Check out the new black cab for London

New London black cab unveiled
A re-styled and more environmentally friendly version of London's iconic black cab has been unveiled.
BBC News
Last Updated: Wednesday, 18 October 2006, 15:45 GMT 16:45 UK

Called TX4, the new cabs will sport a mesh grille on its front-end and its interiors have been upgraded to make the ride more comfortable.



Click here to read the complete article.

Perfect weather? Never!

Sunshine delays train
Yahoo! News UK
Friday September 1, 02:24 PM

A c2c spokesman said: "The driver was looking into a mirror on the platform to check to see if he could proceed ... Because of the glare on the mirror, he felt he could not properly see and the train was delayed for seven minutes."

Click here to read the full article.

London Transport best in the world? Really?

London Tops For Transport
Sky News
Updated: 11:46, Tuesday August 29, 2006

Commuters may find it hard to believe, but London has the best public transport system in the world, a new survey suggests ... Ironically, the news was released as tens of thousands of passengers faced a travel headache thanks to a strike by South West Trains workers.

Click here to read the full article.

How to pack for your flight (for the time being anyway)

Baggage advice for UK passengers
BBC News
Tuesday, 15 August 2006, 11:33 GMT 12:33 UK

Click here to read the full article.

(A similar entry has been posted at ontoTravel)

Utopian Japanese Glow at Gloucester Road Tube

Chiho Aoshima
City Glow, Mountain Whisper
25 July 2006 – 25 January 2007
Gloucester Road Underground Station


Coming from the Great British Beer Festival last night (click here for that post), I found myself at Gloucester Road Underground station waiting for my train and admiring the artwork of Chino Aoshima's "City Glow, Mountain Whisper," a new commission for the station by Platform for Art, London Underground's public art programme, which is "designed to showcase and celebrate a rich and vibrant art scene."Aoshima is a Japanese artist (this is her first solo project in the UK) associated with the "superflat" movement, "the simplified and emphatically two-dimensional forms employed by a generation of young Japanese artists." Her piece, "City Glow, Mountain Whisper," suggests a utopian vision of organic creatures and inanimate object merged into one. As the name suggests, the installation brings a pleasant and appreciated glow to this otherwise grim station.

Read more about London Underground's Platform for Art programme :
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/arts/platform-for-art/

View more of Aoshima's work:
http://www.blumandpoe.com/chihoaoshima/