Siemens: inspiring the future
Siemens’ vision for the future of the Tube has been showcased at its urban development centre – The Crystal – in London. The Inspiro family is the next-generation of metro train from the German company. The full-size mock-up displayed at the Royal Victoria Docks in London is a brand new design created exclusively for the Tube […]
Little Red launches with big campaign
Virgin Atlantic recently launched its ‘Little Red’ brand, flying between Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Manchester and London. Little Red aims to take market share not just from BA on short-haul and domestic flights, but on connecting long-haul flights to destinations across the globe. The service launched using Airbus A320 aircraft operating 26 flights daily from Heathrow – […]
First Group to sell eight London bus depots
First Group today announced they are to sell all but one of their London bus depots. In a press release, First broke the news of the sale of five of its depots to Metroline, with a further three to Transit Systems Group. The future of its Dagenham depot is unclear. The move is reminiscent of […]
In pictures: Margaret Thatcher’s transport legacy
The Right Honourable Baroness Thatcher passed away today, aged 87. We take a second to remember her transport legacy. Many in the transport (and related) industries will recount that there are two words almost synonymous with Thatcher’s time in office: privatisation and deregulation. It’s fair to say that Thatcher irreversibly changed the face of the transport industry […]
London City – the floating airport
Yes, it’s another one of those plucky little people movers we love so much at transportdesigned; this time, it comes in the form of a floating airport. London City Airport (LCY) is the British capital’s smallest commercial airport. Located in the Docklands area of east London, the airport consists of terminal buildings and a single […]
Harry Beck – 80 years
The late Harry Beck this week received a blue plaque on the 80th anniversary of his Tube map’s first appearance. Beck’s map, created in 1933, would set the future standard for London Tube maps (and indeed, transit maps the world over). His design, though updated over time, remains in use right up to the present […]
All change for the Woolwich Ferry!
We like plucky little people-movers here at transportdesigned – see our post on the Stourbridge Class 139 railbus for starters – and with Briggs Marine taking over the running of London’s Woolwich Ferry next month, we thought we’d take this opportunity to put the spotlight on this quirky south London crossing. The Woolwich Ferry, in its current guise, […]
Turning over a new leaf: UK electric hybrids
We all love a good marketing campaign. Ever since ‘low floor’ became old hat, UK operators had been left wondering what the next big thing in bus branding would be. And now, it appears that they’ve found it. Electric hybrids tick all the boxes – they’re the latest in modern technology, good for the […]
The transformation of King’s Cross
London King’s Cross has undergone something of a revamp. Needless to say, quite a bit of work has gone in to revamping this magnificent piece of architecture. We took a visit last week, and these are our first pictures of the stunning new Western Concourse. Designed by John McAslan, the curved lattice roof is […]
Borismaster: a design triumph…?
It’s fair to say – there’s nothing on the road quite like the lovingly-named ‘Borismaster’ right now. These iconic vehicles are, by any measure, an impressive piece of kit. The first few have entered service on Arriva London route 38 (Victoria – Hackney Central), a route which takes in a big chunk of central London […]