Most transport news you read in London originates from an approved stream of TfL press releases. I don't play that game.
⚡ It's always exciting when you accidentally stumble across the launch event for TfL's Press Release Of The Day. Normally you have to be invited to these things, but if you're passing Hatton Cross station and happen to spot a kerfuffle round the back you can drop in unannounced. They've been building a snazzy yellow-roofed electric charging station here for some time, and yesterday they finally got round to opening it. Lots of top brass turned up because EV charging is the future, and so did several PR folk because it's important the correct message gets out. Here is that somewhat convoluted message from the top of the press release.
Fastned sounds like a Beano character but is actually a Dutch company. Places for London is a TfL offshoot that attempts to make money out of real estate. A charging station at Hatton Cross is of zero use to most Londoners but well positioned beside a very busy road for maximum uptake. 24 more sites are in the pipeline including a biggie at Hanger Lane, but only five have so far entered the planning process. Three-quarters of London households lack private off-street parking so the provision of charging points is a particularly important challenge.
What you won't read in the press release is that every 90 seconds a huge aeroplane roared past on final approach to Heathrow, totally cancelling out all the climate change benefits of the charging station. Also a special tent had been set up to dole out Fastned goodies, specifically thick colourful Fastned scarves which many of the fifty people present were wandering round wearing. Also a coffee van had been provided to dole out refreshment which several attendees were clutching. I checked the Vauxhall Movano's numberplate and confirmed it was a diesel van so couldn't actually be plugged in here. More embarrassingly the van didn't meet emission standards so had had to pay £12.50 to attend the event, Hatton Cross being just inside the ULEZ boundary, so this wasn't quite the showcase green launch they said it was.
📶 The roll out of 4G and 5G mobile signals continues, having this week reached 60% coverage underground on the Underground. The newest sections are on the Bakerloo, Metropolitan and Circle lines but it's all a bit bitty as the accompanying map shows. For example on a Northern line train you get get coverage from Morden to Stockwell, then lose it to Oval, then regain it to Kennington, then lose it again to Embankment, then get it back until Hampstead, then lose it until you emerge from the tunnel at Golders Green. Meanwhile the Bakerloo line has two disjoint 4G sections, the Jubilee and Piccadilly lines also have two, the Victoria line has three and the Circle line has five. Essentially if you risk a phone conversation it'll likely cut out somewhere, at least until the end of the year when they hope to have every tunnel wired up.
🚡 Would you like a free trip on the cablecar? Well the good news is it's Loneliness Awareness Week so the Chatty Cabins initiative is back in partnership with the Marmalade Trust, Strangers In The City and Camerados. Pick from one of the following...
• London Chatty Cabins(15-19 June, 10am-noon): Book a slot, grab a hot drink and enjoy a 20 minute round trip trapped in a gondola with a stranger while hopefully having a nice chat about something.
• Games Night(16 June, 6-9pm): A couple of fun icebreakers, then a ride on the London Cable Car, then a few team games back down on the ground. Amusingly "if you're scared of heights, don't worry, the cable car ride is optional." Also fully booked already.
• Public Living Room(17 June, 10am-4pm): The Greenwich terminal becomes a "no agenda space where people can chat with others, put their feet up and get some company." Walk-ups are welcome, but only those who pre-book get a free dangleway roundtrip.
🚇 The latest extension of automatic signalling on the District line has been postponed. The plan had been to introduce it this morning, which would have meant no service on four Underground lines before 10.30am. However TfL sent out an email yesterday afternoon saying "Planned works affecting the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines on Saturday 13 June have been postponed due to last minute technical issues." That's disappointing, given this date had been in the calendar for some time. Also it's quite hard to reverse a closure at the last minute so the email continued "we are working hard to restore as much service as possible, but unfortunately we will not be able to restore a full service in the morning." Hopefully SMA10 and SMA12 will be introduced soon but expect further disruption when they eventually are.
⭕ According to papers accompanying next week's TfL Finance Committee meeting, it's proposed to increase toll charges through the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels in September to take account of inflation. That's 5p more for motorbikes, cars and small vans, 10p extra for large vans and another 25p for HGVs. Future increases, when necessary, are expected to occur in March alongside the annual TfL fare rise.
🚌 Yesterday morning I saw a red TD bus carrying passengers down Surbiton high street, a day early for today's Route 213 Heritage Day. Route 213 never went to Surbiton but it definitely said 213 on the front, and sorry but I didn't get a photo.
🚉 Barons Court's eastbound platform has reopened after five months of canopy repair and it looks very splendid. They've seriously spruced up the woodwork, replaced the glass in the roof and repainted the chunky benches, also added white DDA bands to the light green pillars. You can really see the contrast if you look across to the shabby westbound platform (which'll be closing on July 6th until December for its own upgrade). I hope the tennis crowds flooding into Queen's are appreciating it.
🚌 Yesterday on Reddit they asked "Where can you find the most consecutive bus route numbers at one bus stop?" This was accompanied by a photo of the bus stop at Oxlow Lane, one of many stops in Dagenham displaying routes 173 174 175. That's three consecutive numbers and is equalled by 160 161 162 in Chislehurst. If you allow lettered routes then you can also have K2 K3 K4 K5 in Kingston and S1 S2 S3 S4 in Sutton for four, also U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 at Hillingdon Hospital for five. Orpington High Street used to have eleven(!), namely R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11, but last year route R6 was withdrawn so that's now two consecutive runs of five.
