If you're the forward-thinking type who likes to read Londonist on your BlackBerry or iPhone while heading to or from work, yet resent having the myriad delights of John Q Stranger's armpit swabbed over your face on yet another overcrowded carriage, some good news: the government has promised an extra 100,000 seats across the country's rail networks. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly confirmed that a 10% increase in rolling stock is planned, with around 600......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 7th January 1927: The first commercial transatlantic telephone service is launched, connecting London and New York. Tuesday – 8th January 1991: A packed rush hour train carrying over one thousand commuters collides with the buffers at Cannon Street station, killing one person and injuring hundreds more. Wednesday – 9th January 1806: Following a grand state funeral, the body of Lord Nelson is buried beneath the dome of......

It’s not all about St. Pancras, you know. (Although, to be honest, it is mostly.) Some First Great Western services into Paddington are a bit shit, MP implies. Overrated immature French plonk now available on the Gatwick Express from Victoria. Yippee. Major vexations for some East Sussex commuters travelling into and out of Cannon Street and Charing Cross. Naff re-branding for trains out of Liverpool Street. Spluttering indignation over mothballed ex-Eurostar platforms at Waterloo.......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 20th August 1989: The Marchioness pleasure boat collides with the dredger Bowbelle under Cannon Street Railway Bridge, causing the Marchioness to sink rapidly. 51 of the pleasure boat’s 132 passengers drown. Tuesday – 21st August 1920: A boy who would be named Christopher Robin Milne is born in Chelsea, West London. His father, the author A. A. Milne, would use him as inspiration for the Christopher Robin......

This Week In London’s History Monday – 28th May 1908: Ian Fleming, creator of the character of James Bond and author of more than a dozen novels featuring the British agent, is born in Mayfair. He also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Tuesday – 29th May 1886: The current Putney Bridge is opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales, replacing an earlier bridge that was built in 1729. Wednesday – 30th May 1972:......

A trackside fire in Bermondsey this morning has led to the closure of London Bridge station with Southeastern, Southern and First Capital Connect services to London Bridge, Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Waterloo East affected. The station will remain closed until at least 7pm this evening although London Bridge tube is still open. Additionally road closures are in place at Blue Anchor Lane, Rockgrove Way, Southwark Park Road, Lucey Way, St James' Road, Jamaica Road.......

A scene that changed forever 66 years ago today... Imagine that you're standing in St Paul's Churchyard, across the road from Peter's Hill - the somehow unsatisfying approach route to the no-longer-wobbly bridge. Looking East along Cannon Street there's little to see these days. Modern buildings line that most soul-less of City roads, while a windswept coach park takes up the foreground. The older shot, from 1908, contains a rather special, drum-shaped building, which was......

This Day In London’s History 1991: A packed rush hour train carrying over one thousand commuters collides with the buffers at Cannon Street station. At 8:44am on 8th January 1991, the 07:58 train from Sevenoaks failed to stop when pulling into Cannon Street station and hit the buffers at the central London terminus at about 5 miles per hour. Despite the relatively low speed, the impact caused the infrastructure of some of the carriages......

You wait a couple of millennia for ancient remains to be recalled to life, then two instances come along at once. Only last Friday we reported on plans to move the sorry-looking Temple of Mithras back to its rightful home. And now the BBC are declaring a brighter future for London Stone (one of those strange entities that inexplicably shuns the definite article. See also Magna Carta, Carnival and, erm, Londonist). You may not......

Whoever took the Minutes at a recent City planning meeting must have been burning the midnight oil. No less than three major developments were approved by the committee, as reported by one of our favourite London sites, Skyscrapernews.com. They have all the details, so we’ll be brief… First, a height increase for the (in our opinion) overrated Heron Tower. Construction is due to begin on the much-delayed Bishopsgate high-rise next year. And now it’s......

The Waterloo & City line is to be closed for as long as five months from next April so that "urgent repair" work can be undertaken. "Travel hell" hardly begins to cover it; the odd little W&C line, known to its "fans" as "The Drain" relieves a terrific amount of pressure on the Underground system. If closed, the thousands of commuters pouring in from the southern suburbs and attempting to get to the Square......

It's probably a good job we don't have an -Ist outpost in the Antipodean regions otherwise there may have been a bit of gloating going on yesterday. As it is we here at Londonist will be able to placate our celebratory appetites by joining tens of thousands of other people who will "line the streets of London" today to congratulate the England cricket team as they are paraded through the city upon the traditional......