The Victoria Line, London Underground

Ah, the glorious London Underground. My post today is in honour of the Victoria line. I was happily sat reading on the tube as usual, when the train in front (one of the new ones) decided to break. I was stuck in a boiling hot, cramped carriage for nearly an hour, missing my connecting train and was an hour late to work. Some poor lady even fainted. So, today I'm going to read about the Victoria Line.

According to TFL (that's Transport for London, the official tube people) all the trains, track and signals are being replaced and modernised for faster and more reliable journeys and an increased capacity. The first of the new trains was in service from the 21st July 2009 and TFL aim to have the upgrade totally finished by 2012. It promises 21% more capacity and 16% shorter journey times.

The line itself first opened to connect Walthamstow Central and Highbury & Islington on the north-east of London, on the 1st September 1968, with a further part going to Warren Street (central London) later that year. On the 23rd July 1971 it was extended again to Brixton in the south-west of London. It is a deep level line 13.25 miles long and serves 16 stations; if you went from Walthamstow Central to Brixton in one journey, it would take 32 minutes. It is the 4th busiest of all the tube lines, and the first automated passenger railway in the world. The first trains used were constructed in 1967 by Metro-Cammell; the new ones from 2009 by Bombadier.

There's loads more information on this, but it's maily all facts about the trains themselves or general information on the London Underground system.

The Mozambique Rain Frog

Breviceps mossabicus is a frog of the family Microhylidae, in which there are 413 species. It is one of approximately 22 species in the Breviceps genus of frog. In terms of conservation status, they are in the Least Concern category.

Breviceps mossabicus is found in Africa, specifically Botswana, the Congo, Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. They are also thought to be found in Lesotho. In terms of habitat, it prefers savanna, shrub land, grassland and farmed areas, generally preferring moister areas. It is a robust little frog with short legs and a rounded nose; females are larger and generally grow to around 5cm. They eat termites and ants, and live underground by burrowing into the soil. They lay their eggs in burrows which hatch into tadpoles underground, where they completed their growth to adulthood. They call incessantly throughout the winter from October to February; their call is a short high-pitched chirp emitted at around 2 per second, and on hot humid stormy nights are known to emerge from their burrows in huge numbers.

Sadly, I couldn't find much more information on this rather cute little froggy anywhere.