The Anonymous Widower

Missing Infrastructure In East London

As I write up all the stations that will transfer to Crossrail in May 2015, certain much smaller pieces in the jigsaw of the train services appear to be possibly missing.

1. Shoreditch High Street on the Central Line

Shoreditch High Street station is one of the larger, busier and most impressive stations on the Overground. It is also well-placed between London’s high-tech district of Silicon Roundabout and the City. But the Central Line runs underneath the station and some are pushing for an interchange between the Central and East London Lines. Wikipedia has a section on the plans, which says wait until Crossrail is working.

I suspect that this won’t happen quickly and only will if London’s politicians and passengers want the connection. Passenger flows will probably decide the issue.

2. A Station Under The Olympic Village

The Olympic Village, which is now being converted into housing, sits on top of a double-tracked and electrified chord that links the North London Line and the Lea Valley Line between Stratford and Tottenham Hale.

I can’t find any plans for a station on this line and it is assumed that residents of the village will happily walk to the other nearby stations.

Have the planners missed a trick here?

3. The Dalston Eastern Curve

Transport for London have plans to run twenty-four trains per hour through the East London Line.

If this is going to happen, I can’t see how without connecting the line to that to Stratford, the trains can be found places to serve.

It won’t be the most difficult job engineering-wise, but it will probably be the most difficult task politically.

October 10, 2014 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | London Overground, Trains