Accessibility of school buses

Provided the buses are suitable for everyone who needs to use it, there is nothing wrong with 30-40 year old buses on school routes. It is obviously easier to determine what those requirements are if the provision is a private charter for a specific group of individuals, such as the pupils enrolled at a school, rather than a public service, and it is irrelevant whether the school in question is private or state.

What would be illegal is to refuse to enrol a new pupil simply because the school bus is unsuitable. The legally required "reasonable adjustment" would be to provide a suitable vehicle, either by replacing the school bus with a wheelchair-accessible one, or by making alternative arrangements for that pupil, such as a taxi.

Thameslink

Although TfL like to pretend it doesn't exist, Thameslink has been running through central London for 30 years now, (and like the RER the original rollinmg stock has been replaced) and it has several hugely-expanded stations (see Blackfriars and London Bridge in particular, but not forgetting the new stations at St Pancras Low Level and City Thameslink, which replaced Kings Cross and Holborn Viaduct).

Yes, it's only one line whereas the RER has five. But many of our Tube lines also go much further out than the Paris Metro does, (e.g Amersham), and also have taken over main line suburban routes to West Ruislip, Harrow & Wealdstone, High Barnet, Epping, Hainault, Upminster, Wimbledon and Richmond, (and, arguably, Stanmore) in some cases more than 100 years ago.

Automatic engine cut-off

Automatic engine cut off ("auto stop-start") is quite common in cars. Mine has it, and is not a hybrid.

London's hire bikes

Having tried the "new improved" hire bikes once, immediately resolved to only use them if nothing else was available. Much less stable.

Gare du Nord

Trains go from Gare du Nord to many places in Belgium, Netherlands and northern Germany, as well as Normandy.

Extended ULEZ

The five outer London boroughs south of the Thames have a grand total of zero Tube stations between them. NR trains are less frequent and more expensive, so there is less opportunity to switch from car to public transport south of the River.

Completion dates

M25 completed 1986
A13 Wennington bypass 1997
HS1 2007

Adlington to Adlington

In the new timetable that comes into effect at the end of May 2019, there will be an 0624 on weekdays from Stoke-on-Trent to Blackpool North, which will call at Adlington (Cheshire) at 0700 and at Adlington (Lancs)at 0804. Is this the only known example of a direct service between two stations with exactly the same name?