The Anonymous Widower

Crossrail 2 At Tottenham Hale

As regards Tottenham Hale this has been said recently.

A new tunnel entrance south of Tottenham Hale station to take the line from above to below ground

This is Crossrail 2‘s map of the area, which I obtained from this page on the Crossrail 2 web site.

Crossrail 2 At Tottenham Hale

Tottenham Hale station is at the top of the map and the Lea Valley Line to Liverpool Street and Stratford goes down the map. The other railway going across the map is the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. Note the curve that makes a triangular junction that encloses a large amount of safeguarded land, which is shaded and bounded in red. This is a Google Earth image of the area south of Tottenham Hale station.

South Of Tottenham Hale

I’ve tried rather badly to match the two maps, but it does show that there would appear to be enough space to fit a tunnel portal into the area. This is a detailed look from Google Earth of the eastern end of the land enclosed by the triangle of lines.

Industrial Land At Tottenham Hale

As the safeguarded route moves away to the west from here to join the New Southgate branch of the line, it is probably in this downmarket industrial area which appears to be a depot of some sort, that the Crossrail 2 tunnels will emerge. I actually put up a post entitled Could This Be Where Crossrail 2 Is Dug?, which shows this area.

As a site from where to build the tunnels, it has a lot to recommend it.

1. It is well served by railways and the River Lee and the related substantial canal, so it would be unlikely that there would be many heavy lorries associated with the construction.

2. There is little housing in the area and it would appear few or even none will be needed to be demolished for the construction. The only sensitive area would possibly be Markfield Park with the recreational developments and steam engine by the River.

3. There is plenty of space to create a surface junction with perhaps a flyover for operational reasons to connect to the Lea Valley Lines. On the other hand, the tunnels may turn north underground and just emerge alongside the Lea Valley Lines.

4. Perhaps crucially though, Tottenham Hale station, the Tottenham Hale Retail Park and the surrounding area are the subject of a big development to create almost a new town centre in South Tottenham, which I talked about in this post. I doubt this development will not be built to be totally Crossrail 2 ready.

Looking at these maps in detail, I can’t help feeling that in a few years time, there will be something special in this area, given that Thames Water and Waltham Forest Council are developing the reservoirs to the south-east of Tottenham Hale station into the Walthamstow Wetlands.

Some maps have shown Crossrail 2 surfacing north of Tottenham Hale station. This Google Earth image shows the area.

North Of Tottenham Hale Station

The strange structure underneath the lines through the station is the tunnel portal for the Victoria Line, where trains go to and from the Northumberland Park Depot.

I think the image shows why the Crossrail 2 tunnel portal can’t be north of the station.

March 28, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Crossrail 2, Development, Tottenham Hale Station, Tunnels, Walthamstow Wetlands