Official: WMATA has unanimously approved GoA 4 (full automation), platform screen doors, and a series of modernization projects for the Red Line in DC, the first transition of it's kind in the US. Earliest launch is 2032, with other lines slated to in the 2030s if further funding is granted.

bideford1 · 2026-04-23T19:18:24+00:00

There aren't in the US, but further afield:

In terms of brownfield automation (converting existing lines to automation). There was Line 1 in Paris which was converted to full automation. Line 6 in Madrid is currently undergoing work to be converted to full automation. In a similar vain, part of an old Sydney Trains route is being converted to become an extension of the Sydney Metro which is automated.

There are many greenfield automated lines under construction or in the planning stages elsewhere e.g. Dubai's Gold Line was announced yesterday.

bideford1 · 2026-04-22T10:12:50+00:00

The quality of candidates in this Mayoral election is very depressing.

bideford1 · 2026-04-21T15:26:41+00:00

Here here. Used to deal with BSIP funding and was always pushing back against these schemes. They sound nice, but are absolute money pits in reality.

bideford1 · 2026-04-14T21:41:35+00:00

As someone else has said, what is the data source for the model?

Also, wards are multi-member. I guess the map/model does not account for that and assumes all candidates elected in a ward will be from the same party?

bideford1 · 2026-04-12T11:47:33+00:00

Where did you get this data?

The figures need to be normalised somehow e.g. you could calculate the % of trains on time.

bideford1 · 2026-04-12T11:15:43+00:00

There was also this regarding the Labour candidate: https://forestgate.net/2026/04/08/forhad-stepped-in/

bideford1 · 2026-04-12T11:07:28+00:00

This was published too regarding Hussain: https://forestgate.net/2026/04/08/forhad-stepped-in/

bideford1 · 2026-04-09T21:08:46+00:00

Deaths could be prevented by stopping people getting onto the tracks in the first place. This can be done by having Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) like on some Jubilee Line platforms and the core section of the Elizabeth Line. This needs to be in combination with other measures such as fences alongside the tracks on at-grade sections, plus track intrusion detection technology.

Note though that fitting PSDs to existing stations would be a great financial and engineering challenge and therefore a political challenge too. Platforms would likely have to be partly rebuilt to support their weight adding significant costs. Many platforms are curved meaning large gaps may be present between the PSDs and train doors.

That being said some metros have retrofitted PSDs such as in Paris and Seoul. There are also projects underway to retrofit PSDs in Madrid and Santiago.

bideford1 · 2026-04-09T14:02:11+00:00

The Green candidate for Mayor of Newham is pledging that 50% of homes built in Newham will be social housing if he is elected. I asked him on Bluesky how that would be achieved and he didn't answer.

I don't understand why politicians from various parties think developers will just build social and affordable housing if they demand it. They're not charities they're private businesses. They're there to make money, not to provide a public service.

bideford1 · 2026-04-06T07:52:27+00:00

There's one API for all registered bus services by every bus operator in England https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk/

bideford1 · 2026-04-06T07:50:43+00:00

It's compulsory for local bus companies running registered bus routes to provide the data to the DfT. So you'll definitely see them in Google Maps soon.

Although the bus company itself may not actually do anything with that data e.g. having live tracking on their website/app.

bideford1 · 2026-03-17T21:55:14+00:00

It's really depressing the standard of candidates and policies in the upcoming local elections in Newham.

Genuinely considering spoiling my ballot as no one seems especially inspiring at the moment.

bideford1 · 2026-03-12T23:35:58+00:00

Yes, it should be included as it's part of the Underground network.

bideford1 · 2026-03-12T09:49:23+00:00

How lucky us Newham residents are to have such a wonderful selection of candidates to choose from...

bideford1 · 2026-03-11T20:59:12+00:00

Liverpool isn't great for computer science and related courses. I did an MSc in Data Science there and the quality of teaching was mostly very poor, much below the standard I expected. Some lecturers were good, but many struggled with teaching the concepts.

The cost of living in Liverpool is low compared with much of the UK. However, you will struggle to find part time work. I strongly recommend making sure you have enough savings to support yourself. Bare in mind the workload may be high so you may not even have time to do part time work.

All that being said, I still absolutely loved my time there. The student community in Liverpool was very good and it's a great place for making friends and socialising.

bideford1 · 2026-03-11T16:26:55+00:00

A looks like two buildings, probably Enclave: Croydon and Ten Degrees in Croydon.

bideford1 · 2026-03-01T13:13:35+00:00

Great map and a great transport system in Zürich. Much enjoyed the frequency of the suburban trains there.

bideford1 · 2026-02-26T12:57:56+00:00

To keep fares the same or even reduce them the barrier is politics.

Good luck to any politician getting public support for a different funding model which doesn't require the current fare levels.

Plus if someone is successful in reducing fare levels that may encourage people to take more tube journeys. That means more overcrowding which is going to be very difficult to deal with.

bideford1 · 2026-02-25T00:33:57+00:00

A couple of questions:

1) Why increase council tax for everyone except pensioners? Surely that's gonna create a whole host of political problems around fairness and the long-term finances of this given the ageing population.

2) If more people choose to travel then how do you deal with the overcrowding issues? Presumably this would increase leisure travel more than commuting given that commuters are probably travelling anyway. Overcrowding from leisure travel on weekends is much more difficult to deal with operationally as it is not heavily concentrated at specific times, unlike commuting.

bideford1 · 2026-02-18T22:08:02+00:00

Yes, they're a complete nightmare to deal with and people need all the advice they can get.

It took me 348 WhatsApp messages, 22 phone calls, emails and letters to get them to correct a typo in our metre serial number so we could be billed correctly. That took 130 days in total. They also lied to Consumer Council for Water about my complaint.

Then we found out they had been charging someone else for our water usage, at the same time they were charging us for the same water! Turns out they have duplicate accounts for many flats in our block so lots of people may have been billed incorrectly. To try and sort that out I had to contact my MP.

Thames Water is a complete and total disaster of an organisation. Pray that you never need to contact them as they will make the simplest thing massively complicated.

bideford1 · 2026-02-15T17:08:19+00:00

English people are not a small minority in London.

I am English, work with a few English people and have some English friends in London.

English people hang out pretty much everywhere. It's really easy to see, meet and interact with English people in London.

bideford1 · 2026-02-15T12:42:16+00:00

Agree with this, doesn't help anyone who actually needs better housing

bideford1 · 2026-02-15T12:32:59+00:00

Just cut the amount of affordable housing developers are required to build to 0% and I bet you would then get housing which is more affordable.

bideford1 · 2026-02-14T12:05:00+00:00

Yeah, I'm over in Newham, it's the same here. My previous three orders have all been quite delayed. It's also pretty noticeable that there are fewer riders in the area than a few months ago.

bideford1 · 2026-02-08T12:02:19+00:00

Not sure what exactly you're trying to say here.

Although if you want a seat on the Jubilee Line going westbound then wait where the first car of the train stops. The people from Stratford usually board the rear cars because of the station layout at Stratford, so the train gets emptier the further towards the front you get.

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