The Anonymous Widower

Changing At New Cross

If you get an East London Line Class 378 train and want to continue your journey South from New Cross station, you often just walk across the platform to catch your next train.

The pictures show how I changed at New Cross for St. John’s station.

There is no problem going South but coming North, you have to climb over the bridge from platforms A or B to get to platform D. The walk is step free, but modern station layouts would be designed, so that you walk across between trains or wait on the platform for a few minutes, until your train arrives.

In an ideal world Northbound East London Line services would start from Platform A, with Platform B being reserved for services to Cannon Street.

New Cross Gate station uses a layout with the East London Line trains calling at the outermost platforms.

This would not be possible at present with the trains terminating at New Cross in Platform D, as they have no means to get to Platform A, without reversing out and crossing the busy lines through the station.

But if the East London Line trains terminated South of New Cross, this would not be a problem.

The service frequency from New Cross to Dalston Junction would still be the same as now, but there would be differences.

• Passengers joining the railway at New Cross wanting to use the East London Line to go North would have to cross the step-free footbridge, just as passengers for Cannon Street do now.
• Usually, because the Northbound East London Line train is waiting, you can sit and wait in a warm train, rather than on a draughty platform.
• Passengers from St. John’s, Lewisham and other stations in the South might avoid at least one change of train, by using East London Line trains.

Remember too, that from 2019, Crossrail will run through Whitechapel, giving better access to the West End, Paddington. Heathrow and East London. Charing Cross and Cannon Street aren’t exactly connected well to Crossrail. This will surely see a lot of passengers going between New Cross and Whitechapel.

November 27, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Crossrail, East London Extension To Lewisham, New Cross Station, Trains, Whitechapel Station