The Anonymous Widower

Towards The Olympic Park

When I left Dullingam, I had had the vague intention of taking the newly rebuilt North London Line, either to Richmond or Stratford to see the Olympic Park for 2012. Access to the line is just one stop away from King’s Cross at Highbury and Islington.

A few minutes later, I was on the platform there waiting for my brand-new train to Stratford. 

What impressed me was the attention to detail.  Look at this staircase for example.

Stairs at Highbury and Islington

Now I am not disabled, but the grip in my left hand is not good and I have some issues with my eyesight, in that I miss objects at a low level. But here the rails and step edges  are in bright orange, so I had no difficulty negotiating them at all.

Have they also have decided that on an outdoor station, that flowers rather than art is the best way to decorate the stations. Note the hanging baskets shown here as the train arrives.

The Stratford Train arrives at Highbury and Islington

The trains are a far cry from the old stock that used to creep around the North London Line, when I used to take it from Broad Street to Willesden to get to Metier at Stonebridge Park.  They were third rail electric trains then, but now they are fed from an overhead catenary.  This is a first for London Underground or Overground, but it is so they can get freight trains from East London to the main West Coast Main Line. 

Here a load of containers are trundelling towards Stratford and then probably up the Norwich line to the port of Felixstowe.

My train was on time and I took it all the way.  The last part of the journey is through the Olympic Park.

Here the main stadium is rising towards completion.

The Olympic Stadium Rises

And this is the aquatic centre.

Aquatic Centre

It is all very different from when as a child, I used to go to Stratford to bunk the engine sheds to collect engine numbers. I don’t think kids do that any more!

At Stratford, you have several choices about how to continue your journey.

1. North London Line – You could take the line across the city, with its superb views of central London, to have a walk in Hampstead Heath.Kew Gardens or along the river at Richmond.
2. Central Line – This is the quickest way back to the City and central London.
3. Jubilee Line – This will take you to Greenwich, Canary Wharf and the West End, through some of the most spectacular stations on the planet.
4. Docklands Light Railway – This is the route for people, who like to explore. Get a good guide book and just go to a station and walk around what I say is the real London, with its markets, churches, canals and historic buildings. And of course, its rich tapestry of people!

 I chose the last and took the driverless train to Canary Wharf.

July 25, 2010 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Freight, London Overground, Metier Management Systems, North London Line, Olympics, Trains