Painting London Orange
This article on BBC News is entitled Transport for London to take over suburban rail routes and it describes how TfL will have much more control over trains within and around London.
These are relevant points from the article.
- The new partnership between the Department for Transport and TfL says it aims to ensure there are more frequent trains and increased capacity.
- As franchises come up for renewal, they will come more under TfL’s control.
- The plan would mean more than 80% of stations would have a train at least every 15 minutes, up from 67%.
- Services running from London Bridge, Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Moorgate would all be transformed under the scheme.
I think we’ll be seeing a lot more Overground orange on stations.
The Overground Philosophy
There are well-run railways all over the world, but somehow the Overground is different.
Whether it is because it is an offspring of the well-respected and much-loved Underground or whether because it reaches the parts the Underground doesn’t, it is difficult to explain, why in only a few years, the Overground has wormed its way into the hearts and minds of residents and visitors alike.
All lines adhere to the following principles.
- Trains at a frequency of at least four trains per hour.
- Staff on the station from the time the first train arrives to the time the last train leaves.
- Clean, modern trains and stations.
- Simple contactless ticketing.
- Increasing the proportion of step-free access.
- No pre-booking for passenger assistance for the disabled.
- All profits made, are invested back in the network.
- Continuous innovation and improvement
Some of these principles have come direct from the Underground.
The North London Line
Around the turn of the millennium the North London Line, had all the charm of a set of travelling urinals. Everything was tired and worn out, but within a few years of the start of the Overground, with new Class 378 trains, a couple of new stations and a deep clean of the others, ridership had soared and its major problem was increasing the size and number of the trains to cope with the growth in passenger numbers.
One of my local stations is Canonbury. The Overground has improved the station in the following ways.
- Six trains per hour on the North London Line and eight trains per hour on the East London Line.
- A new ticket office and two extra platforms.
- Full step-free access to all platforms.
- Large platform shelters.
- Cross platform interchange between Westbound NLL services and Southbound ELL services.
The only thing it lacks is a high quality artwork on the spacious island platform.
Canonbury even gets the occasional steam train, as I wrote about in Tornado at Canonbury Station.
I think it’s probably true to say, that Transport for London haven’t spent a fortune at Canonbury, but somehow they’ve created a quirky station that does its job with style.
London needs more Canonburys.
London Votes
London doesn’t vote red or blue any more. It now votes red, blue and orange!
In other words, if you stand as Mayor and don’t have a creditable policy for expanding London’s transport network, you won’t get elected. And one of the things you must do is support the Overground.
So now that Transport for London is going to get overall control of suburban services, it is perhaps worth looking at what lines out of London stack up against the principles of the Overground.
The Orange Standard
I’ll first look at various Overground routes to gauge their characteristics.
- Clapham Junction to Stratford – 2 trains per hour
- Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction – 2 trains per hour
- Dalston Junction to New Cross – 4 trains per hour
- Dalston Junction to West Croydon – 4 trains per hour
- Euston to Watford Junction – 3 trains per hour
- Gospel Oak to Barking – 4 trains per hour
- Highbury and Islington to Clapham Junction – 4 trains per hour
- Highbury and Islington to Crystal Palace – 4 trains per hour
- Liverpool Street to Cheshunt – 2-4 trains per hour
- Liverpool Street to Chingford – 4 trains per hour
- Liverpool Street to Enfield – 2-4 trains per hour
- Richmond to Stratford – 4 trains per hour
- Romford to Upminster – 2 trains per hour
All have or will have new trains by 2020.
Non-Train And Station Improvements
When you travel to a TfL-controlled station like say my local one of Dalston Junction and need to get a bus to your ultimate destination, there are lots of maps; geographic and spider and staff to ask as well.
This is not the same if you turn up at some stations controlled by South West Trains, Southeastern and other companies.
Transport for London should devise a standard for all stations connected to London.
London Lines To Paint Orange
The next few sections deal with London terminals.
Waterloo
These are the suburban lines out of Waterloo.
- Chessington South – 2 trains per hour – Must try harder
- Epsom – 4 trains per hour
- Hampton Court – 2 trains per hour – Must try harder
- Shepperton – 2 trains per hour – Must try harder
Quite frankly it’s a mess.
- There are not enough platforms at Waterloo.
- Some stations like Raynes Park come from the Topsy school of design.
- Some stations need lengthened platforms.
- There is a lack of turn-back platforms.
- Services tend to go a long way out of London, stopping in too many places, so you have overcapacity at the outer ends and overcrowding towards Waterloo.
- Connectivity meeds to be improved between the various lines.
- A lot of sacred cows need shooting.
- Action is needed now!
- South London can be very obstructive of changes!
Transport for London are promoting Crossrail 2 to sort out the mess, but I think there is a need to act immediately.
I think that these services need balancing, so that the outer overcapacity and inner overcrowding are reduced.
I have my ideas, which I’ll keep personal, but they involve rebuilding the truly awful Raynes Psrk station.
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