Latest news Archive

Signalling failures have caused severe disruptions to trains after thieves stole copper from signalling units near Twickenham.

Trains between London Waterloo and Reading and London Waterloo and Wimbledon have been affected since 6.30am today, after the copper was stolen overnight.

11:02, 12 Dec 2011 by Matthew Rees

The Mayor of London will drive the first new bus for London off the production line today (4 November) in a major step towards the commitment made in his last election manifesto.

The New Bus for London is the first bus designed specifically for the streets of London in more than 50 years and has been built by specialist engineers at the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. In just under two years the bus has gone from the drawing board to a fully functioning prototype.

11:30, 04 Nov 2011 by Matthew Rees

An arson attack on a station that caused an estimated £20,000 in damage has prompted detectives to launch an appeal for information.

Police and the London Fire Brigade were called to New Malden station on Friday, September 16, at 4am following a report of smoke being seen. They found that two wheelie bins were on fire, which caused damage to the stairs and CCTV cameras.

British Transport Police have now released CCTV images of two men they want to identify in connection with the attack.

12:10, 01 Nov 2011 by Matthew Rees

Edward Davey has said South West Trains’ decision to place Kingston and Surbiton stations in zone six rather than zone five means passengers suffer from unreasonably high fares.

Both stations are only 12 miles from London, while 23 stations in zone five are actually further away from the capital.

Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith and Mr Davey met with transport minister Teresa Villiers on Tuesday, October 25. She agreed to let Surbiton academic and campaigner Dr Tim Leunig work alongside Department for Transport officials on the case.

09:28, 31 Oct 2011 by Matthew Rees

Bus lovers flocked to Brooklands for the first major event since the opening of London Bus Museum.

The bus museum, known to many as Cobham bus museum, opened its doors within Brooklands Museum in August, revealing a 25,000sq ft purpose-built building to display its impressive bus collection.

The museum holds the world’s largest private sector collection of London buses and the vehicles tell the story of London’s transport in days gone by. There are more than 30 complete buses, mostly full restored, from the horse-drawn buses of the late 19th century through to the iconic Routemaster.

12:59, 27 Oct 2011 by Matthew Rees

Thousands of frustrated commuters suffered delays of up to an hour after a trespasser broke onto train tracks at Ashtead. Over 100 trains were disrupted travelling through Surrey and south London, with five services cancelled, four trains terminating early and 97 delayed.

14:05, 20 Oct 2011 by Matthew Rees

Network Rail has named Surbiton as one of 11 stations throughout the country which need urgent action to ease overcrowding.

The rail firm has suggested measures to combat congestion including encouraging more print at home ticketing, relocating information points and provision of additional space. 

13:33, 06 Sep 2011 by Matthew Rees

A woman has died after she was hit by train at Norbiton station. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene after she was hit by the train at about 1.21pm on Tuesday. A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesperson said the woman’s death was not being treated as suspicious.

22:48, 26 Aug 2011 by Matthew Rees

Motorists caught in the wrong lane could have their fines refunded after a £900,000 bus lane blunder. A total of 15,359 drivers were fined up to £120 after being caught in the bus lane in Eden Street, Kingston, since it was introduced on July 13, 2009.

However, an adjudicator at the parking and traffic appeals service last week overturned a fine incurred on October 3, 2010. Edward Houghton said he was not satisfied the [bus lane] signage was lawful, meaning Kingston Council could now be forced to fork out thousands in refunds. 

18:04, 09 Aug 2011 by Matthew Rees

The largest private sector collection of London buses anywhere in the world has found a new home alongside old planes and vintage cars. The London Bus Museum, known to many as the Cobham Bus Museum, is now open at Brooklands after years of planning.

It opened its doors on August 1, unveiling a 25,000sq ft purpose-built building to display the buses every day of the year. There are more than 30 complete buses, mostly fully restored.

10:01, 08 Aug 2011 by Matthew Rees

Commuters are set to miss out on Transport for London’s (TfL) planned improvements to the District Line, it has been claimed.

TfL has proposed increasing the number of Wimbledon trains during the morning rush hour, providing capacity for more than 4,000 extra passengers from December this year. It also hoped to bring in another train to Ealing Broadway during the evening, benefiting more than 800 people.

But commuters in Richmond claimed TfL’s plans left them out in the cold and it desperately needed to improve their stretch of the District Line as well. 

21:18, 11 Jul 2011 by Matthew Rees

A man has died after being struck by a train at a level crossing. The incident happened at 6.50am on Tuesday 5 July at the level crossing at Summer Road in Thames Ditton.

Paramedics from the South East Coast Ambulance Service attended, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. A spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP) said the incident was not being treated as suspicious.

13:48, 07 Jul 2011 by Matthew Rees

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man suffered fatal injuries after falling over on a bus.

David Meade, 88, fell over while travelling on the route 151 bus from Cheam towards Worcester Park on Wednesday, June 8. He fell over while the bus was moving after standing up to make his way towards the doors.

Later that evening, Mr Meade was taken to hospital by family members after complaining of feeling unwell. He died in Kingston Hospital on Tuesday, June 14. 

23:05, 22 Jun 2011 by Matthew Rees

South West Trains (SWT) issued an apology this week after delays in upgrade work for top up machines meant train passengers were still unable to top up their Oyster cards at the borough’s 15 stations, despite being promised the facility by May. 

13:36, 01 Jun 2011 by Matthew Rees

Double the number of trains will now be running on the London Overground following the completion of a three-year £550m upgrade. Services from Richmond to Stratford will now run four times an hour every day during peak hours.

The new timetable is the result of the first major revamp of the line since 1869, which has seen Transport for London (TfL) fund 57 new air-conditioned trains, and a station refurbishment programme to deliver cleaner and well-staffed stations along the route.

17:23, 25 May 2011 by Matthew Rees

A £300,000 funding package from the Mayor of London's Great Outdoors programme has transformed the approach to the recommissioned Brighton Yard entrance to Clapham Junction station, which had been disused for more than half a century.

The restored entrance and improvements to its approach now means Clapham Junction, Britain's busiest station, has step-free access with much reduced congestion. The investment is part of a £14.5 million restoration scheme which has also seen access to the platforms and trains transformed with the installation of new lifts and the construction of a new ticket hall.

00:54, 22 May 2011 by Matthew Rees

A council in England is facing legal action following its decision to cut all subsidised bus services, in what could be a landmark case for the sector.

The challenge comes from a resident in Cambridgeshire who has claimed the county council’s move would leave bus passengers stranded.

14:34, 17 May 2011 by Matthew Rees

Bus Mapper is a very useful and friendly map tool that shows the best London bus routes between any two points.

15:45, 13 May 2011 by Matthew Rees

Vince Cable has been accused of a u-turn on his tough stance on transport unions as the RMT threatens the longest series of Tube strikes ever.

The Business Secretary said London Mayor Boris Johnson needed to have a strategy to deal with the dispute. However, Mr Johnson said Government ministers needed to "pull their finger out" and bring in tougher labour laws to prevent such industrial action.

Richmond’s London Assembly member Tony Arbour claimed Dr Cable’s comments contradicted views he expressed to the BBC in March last year when he said the Liberal Democrats, if elected, should look at toughening laws to make it more difficult for rail unions to strike. 

16:42, 10 May 2011 by Matthew Rees

A man who died at Surbiton train station this morning was a 68-year-old from Surbiton, according to British Transport Police. Police have not formally identified the man, who was struck by a train off platform two just after 9am.

Trains are still disrupted because of the incident, made worse by a national issue with the rail network’s IT system.

16:20, 06 Apr 2011 by Matthew Rees

From April 1, Surrey County Council will take over the management of concessionary bus passes from Surrey’s borough and district councils. Under the new scheme, applicants and those renewing passes can visit Surrey libraries to get their bus passes.

11:10, 01 Apr 2011 by Matthew Rees

Calls have been made for a new bus route which it is claimed will improve the lives of school children and commuters.

Residents living in and close to Strawberry Vale, in Strawberry Hill, have launched a campaign calling for a new bus service which will link Twickenham and Kingston along the A310.

Supporters have claimed the route will benefit youngsters living in the area who currently need to take two buses or endure a bus ride and a long walk to Teddington School or Richmond College, in Twickenham.

16:18, 29 Mar 2011 by Matthew Rees

Shocked commuters saw a man survive being hit by a train on Valentine’s Day. The man was hit by a train at Surbiton station after falling into the tracks just after 6pm.

Both paramedics, Metropolitan Police officers and British Transport Police (BTP) were called to the rush-hour scene. A BTP spokesman said the man suffered a bump to his head and was taken to hospital.

A spokesman for South West Trains said the line was closed for 10 or 15 minutes and delays to the service were minimal.

22:20, 17 Feb 2011 by Matthew Rees

Mayor of London Boris Johnson today published proposals for consultation that would, through the planning system, seek contributions from most new developments in the capital towards the costs of delivering Crossrail. These will form part of London’s share of the funding package for the project agreed between the Mayor and ministers.

13:22, 17 Jan 2011 by Matthew Rees