An Opportunity At Catford
I’d never been to Catford before, but several things drew me to the area.
- Catford Bridge station is mentioned as a possible stop for the Bakerloo Line Extension.
- Maps show it is very close to Catford station and I wondered why they weren’t one station.
- Catford is mentioned in the Appendix of TfL’s Transport Plan for 2050, as a place for a new link and/or station.
This Google Map shows the two stations.
Catford Stations
The two stations are only about eighty metres apart and they are not that far from Catford Town Centre. The big drawback is that the road between the stations and the centre is the dsreaded South Circular Road, so it is busy with traffic.
To be fair to Lewisham Council, they have produced this document entitled Catford Town Centre Local Plan.
The plans are sensible and envisage improving the area of the two stations considerably.
This pictures show the area now.
Barratts are building a large number of dwelling on the former Catford Stadium site between the stations. They call it Catford Green and there are more details on the Lewisham Council web site. This is said on the council web site.
The development – located between Catford’s two stations and Ladywell Fields – will comprise 13 blocks up to a maximum of eight storeys in height, along with associated landscaping, including naturalisation of the River Ravensbourne and the creation of a public plaza between the stations, plus a footbridge to Doggett Road.
I’m no architect, but even I can see that the site has a lot of possibilities, especially as the lines through Catford are on a viaduct and are thus higher than the lines through Catford Bridge. So perhaps this natural slope could be used to advantage.
Remember too, these facts.
- Over a million people use both stations in a year.
- Interchange passengers are over fifty thousand a year.
- I think it is true to say that neither station is very customer-friendly and I suspect Catford is rather cold and draughty.
- Catford station will see new Class 700 trains in a few years, as it is on Thameslink.
The effects that the last fact will have on passenger numbers, won’t be negative.
I think it will be unlikely if the two stations are not linked to each other and the town centre by an imaginative development, within the next few years.
Fasciitis In My Foot
I have got fasciitis in my right foot. It has nothing to do with my current conditions, as I have had it at odd times over my lifetime.
The last time was probably about twelve or fifteen years ago and it was a lot worse than my current bout.
A chiropodist and my doctor have both recommended rolling a cold drinks can with my foot.
I keep the tin in the fridge. Incidentally, I chose the tomatoes as it is more robust than say a can of Coke.
Doing it on a carpet is easier too!
Let’s hope it all works!
Incidentally, are there any other words with a double-i in the middle? You have a few plurals like radii with the letters at the end.
Sounds like a Pointless question to me!
Signs Of The Northern Line Extension
I have been past Battersea Power Station twice in the last few days and have been able to take pictures of the conveyors linking the excavations of the now-started Northern Line Extension to the river.
I do wish I could find a train from which it is possible to get a decent photograph of the conveyors and the barge, which is used to take the spoil away. Sadly, it wasn’t there when I took the Thames Clipper trip yesterday.
In this article in the Railway Gazette, the following is said.
Boring of twin tunnels is due to begin in early 2017 and is expected to take six months to complete. An expected 680 000 tonnes of material would be excavated. A 300 m long conveyor belt will carry 92% of this to the River Thames, from where barges will carry it to Goshems Farm in East Tilbury to the east of London.
This is only a small project compared to Crossrail or Crossrail 2, but you have to wonder, if we should be doing a few smaller rail projects like this, to squeeze more capacity out of our overcrowded railways, metros and trams.
In London some smaller projects come to mind.
- Extending the Victoria Line to Herne Hill station, which I wrote about in Could The Victoria Line Go To Herne Hill?
- Extending the Bakerloo Line, which according to this TfL press release has overwhelming support.
- Reinstating the Hall Farm Curve to allow direct services between the Chingford Branch Line and Stratford.
- Connecting the Central and East London Lines at Shoreditch High Street station.
The only certainty, is that the projects that get started will surprise us.
The Anonymous Widower 