Would Extending The Gospel Oak to Barking Line Unlock Land For Development?
If the Gospel Oak To Barking Line (GOBlin) is extended to Hounslow, it looks like it will branch off the current line at Junction Road, to join the Midland Main Line through West Hampstead Thameslink and on to the Dudding Hill Line for Old Oak Common and Acton.
This map shows the lines to the east of Gospel Oak station towards Kentish Town.
Railways Between Gospel Oak and Kentish Town
The GOBlin runs across the top, with the other orange line being the North London Line. Across the bottom of the picture there is the Midland Main Line. The link between the GOBlin and the Midland Main Line is clearly shown., but note that the area to the east of this link is industrial. It is the headquarters and main London site of the Murphy Group.
Think about the area in the triangle defined by the railways to the east of Gospel Oak station and further east towards Kentish Town.
1. In my A-Z, the area is a big white space.
2. When Thameslink is complete, there will probably some release of land near Kentish Town station.
3. An extended and electrified GOBlin could have a station in this area, giving any new developments better transport links. This station could also give an interchange to the North London Line. This would be a better interchange than the current one at Gospel Oak station.
4. One of the reasons given for linking the GOBlin at Junction Road to the Northern Line at Turnell Park tube station, is to link the GOBlin to a North-South route. But an extended GOBlin going through a properly sorted West Hampstead Interchange, gives passengers access to a multiplicity of North-South routes, including Thameslink, Chiltern, North London line and the Underground.
5. Unless it is needed for freight trains, the stub of the line to Gospel Oak might be closed.
6. The northern part of the site could be linked in a sympathetic way to Parliament Hill Fields. There could even be a green walk to the new station, if one is built.
7. There used to be a link to allow trains coming west on the GOBlin to go South on the Midland Main Line. If there was a need for it, then it could be reinstated.
There is every reason to believe in the next few years, Transport for London will extend the GOBlin and if they do, this site’s development potential could be fully unlocked.
Would Reorganising Cross-Channel Freight Cut Illegal Migration?
People can argue about the advantages and disadvantages of migration into the UK.
But in my view one of the reasons for the high level of illegal immigration into the UK, is that it is a rich source of income for criminal gangs and probably money lenders in countries like Syria, Ethiopia and Somalia, which transport these migrants to the French ports. Never underestimate the role of money-lenders in these sort of enterprises!
Once in the ports, they probably only have one reliable way to get into the UK and that is to sneak or be welcomed aboard a truck. I have only heard very occasionally of an illegal immigrant trying to get into the UK in someone’s car.
So could we reorganise cross-channel freight to cut illegal migration?
It would be a good exercise to analyse truck movements through the Channel Tunnel and see how many could be replaced by a direct rail container transfer. It could be argued that jumping on to a train going at over a hundred kilometres per hour is not easy and this alone would cut the number who try to enter the UK illegally.
Could we also run the truck-shuttles from a dedicated truck terminal at a remote location perhaps fifty kilometres from the tunnel itself? I’ve heard drivers complain of bad facilities and not being able to stop before the tunnel, so this could be a lot better for the drivers. I’m sure the French have a really isolated spot close to the autoroutes. If someone thought about this sort of terminal, it could be made into a very secure and comfortable facility.
Obviously, we’d need a similar facility on the UK side! Manston?
Energy Efficient Houses Linked To Asthma
I found this research on the Exeter University web site, after seeing a report in today’s Sunday Times.
Very Interesting!
The Anonymous Widower 