The Guardian: "On track for Britian? Italy's Ferrari of the railways gets off to a flying start"

Link to web site

"Could this sleek, red railway equivalent of a Ferrari one day cut a blurry dash through the Chilterns? If Britain has struggled to sell the idea of high-speed rail to a sceptical public, the government might like to turn to Italy for inspiration.

"From Saturday, the traveller from Rome to Naples can cover the 225km (140 miles) in little over an hour, paying as little as €20 (£16.33) for the pleasure."

Network Rail: "The Case for New Lines" (2009)

"The Forgotten Great Western and Great Central Mainline from London" (through Old Oak Common)

Wednesday 2 May: The Rail Engineer: "Making London’s railways fit for the challenge of major growth"

Link to The Rail Engineer

"... The next decade will see upgrading of radial routes, and the creation of major new cross-London capacity in the form of Crossrail and Thameslink, as well as the continued development of orbital routes and interchanges."

The Londonist: "A Modest Proposal To Improve Crossrail"

Link to The Londonist
(to satisfy the Daily Mail Science Correspondent)

The Londonist: "Will Someone Please Explain What’s Wrong With The Hammersmith Flyover?"

Link to The Londonist

"Ever since work began on the Cromwell Road Extension in the 1940s, a complicated set of junctions at Hammersmith Broadway prevented the scheme from linking up with the Great Western Road. In 1962 the Hammersmith Flyover opened to much acclaim, providing this missing link. It is this structure whose current state of ill-health is bringing West London to a grinding halt. The source of its woes are the corroding steel reinforcement cables, but they are most certainly not to blame.

"The Hammersmith Flyover is an ingenious design. It was necessary to provide an elevated carriageway 61 feet wide in a space that was only 28 feet wide, using a construction site suspended above a busy arterial traffic route that was to remain operational."

F&H Chronicle: Overnight closure as work to re-open A4 Flyover reaches 'critical' point'"

Link to Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle

"WORK to re-open the stricken A4 Flyover has reached a 'critical' point with the stretch set to be closed overnight to allow key strengthening work to be completed.

"... Work to strengthen the five weakest spans of the 16 span structure will be completed in June 2012, well ahead of the London 2012 Games."

Evening Standard: "High-speed rail link 'would struggle to break even'"

Link to Evening Standard

"Transport Secretary Justine Greening was today urged to order an independent review of the high speed rail link to the North after new figures suggested the scheme would struggle to break even.

"... A Department for Transport spokesman said the benefit-cost ratio was only one part of the decision-making process, arguing that the benefits 'reach well beyond transport economics'."