The Anonymous Widower

From Whitechapel To Oxted

If you want to travel between Whitechapel and Oxted stations, it should be one of those journeys, where you get an Overground train to Croydon and then get a Southern one from Croydon to Oxted.

But the East London Line of the Overground was designed by a nincompoop, who did a course in transport system design at the Ryanair Business School.

So instead of going to East Croydon station, with all its connectivity to South London, Surrey, Sussex, Brighton and Gatwick Airport, and the London Tramlink to both East and West of Croydon, the East London Line goes to West Croydon, which just has a few odd services and the Tramlink to take you to East Croydon, which is where you should have gone in the first place, as you know, it generally connects to where you want to go.

This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of lines around Croydon.

Surely something can be done to improve connectivity.

So my simple trip down the East London Line meant a change at New Cross Gate, which was an up-and-down change of platform.

At least, I got the Oxted train at East Croydon, by just waiting on the platform  for a dozen minutes or so.

You’d think the uprated Thameslink will make this better, but it will actually make it worse, as it would appear, that there will be no simple way to get from Whitechapel to East Croydon, without going via Farringdon or St. Pancras. If this turns out to be the case, expect lots of complaints from those living on the East London Line.

Swapping the East London Line from West Croydon to East Croydon would probably solve the problem, but there probably isn’t enough paths or platforms at East Croydon station.

This Google Map shows the platform layout at East Croydon station a few years ago.

It would appear that, when this picture was taken, it might have been possible to squeeze another couple of terminal platforms under the tower blocks, that are now being  built to the East and West of the station.

I believe, that it a real pity, that when the opportunity was available, nothing was done!

An intelligent remodelling at East Croydon station, would surely have delivered the following.

An Improved East London Line

The East London Line would have become a valuable North-South route between the following stations.

• Highbury and Islington for Victoria Line, Northern City Line and North London Line
• Dalston Junction for North London Line and Crossrail 2 (when built!)
• Shoreditch High Street for the Central Line (when and if interchange built!)
• Whitechapel for Metropolitan and District Lines and Crossrail,
• Shadwell for the DLR
• Canada Water for the Jubilee Line
• New Cross Gate for the Bakerloo Line (when extended!)
• Penge (A proposed hub station!) for the Chatham Main Line

Other connections would also be possible, such as reopening the Dalston Eastern Curve to give access to Hackney Central, Stratford, Lea Bridge, Walthamstow and Chingford.

It would also mean that many stations to the South of London, like Arundel, Brighton, Hastings and Southampton would have a single change journey to many places in the East of London.

Is this Thameslink 2?

Or as I prefer, the Brunel Line?

An Improved West London Line

The West London Line is an underused line that allows trains to run from Watford to East Croydon calling at stations including.

• Watford Junction for West Coast Main Line and Crossrail
• Wembley Central for Wembley Stadium
• Willesden Junction for Bakerloo Line and North London Line
• Old Oak Common (A proposed hub station!) for North London Line, Crossrail and HS2
• Shepherd’s Bush for shopping
• Kensington Olympia for exhibitions
• Clapham Junction for Main Line services, Northern Line and Crossrail 2
• Balham for Northern Line
• Streatham Common (A proposed hub station!) for Sutton Loop Line

At present there are two train operators using the line.

• London Overground provides services from Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction and Stratford
• Southern provides an hourly service from East Croydon to Watford Junction and Milton Keynes.

I think that because of the connectivity to the West Coast Main Line and HS2, that there needs to be at least four trains per hour from East Croydon to Watford Junction and possibly on to Milton Keynes.

This  line is Thameslink 3.

A Proper Interchange At East Croydon

In an ideal world or where East Croydon station was in the middle of open countryside, the station would be very different.

It needs.

• Fast lines for trains not stopping in the station.
• Cross platform interchange between Thameslink and other services. At present many changes need a change of island platform.
• A better interchange to an expanded Tramlink
• Terminal platforms for the four trains per hour on both the East London Line (Thameslink 2) and West London Line (Thameslink 3)

In my view the station can either go wider or higher.

Wider is probably not possible any more, due to developments to the West and East of the station.

However, it would be possible to build a deck above the station for the terminal platforms needed for the East and West London Lines. The trams could cross on the Southern end of the deck and the area in front of the station could be released for pedestrians, taxis and buses.

Passengers from the South needing to go to say Whitechapel or Shoreditch High Street would get on an  escalator or lift in the low-level platform to raise them to their Thameslink 2 train.

Passengers for the North needing to go to Gatwick or Brighton would use an escalator or lift to descend to their southbound train.

If all the trains were electric, then it would be possible for a good architect to design a station with plenty of space and lit by natural light.

I also think, that a station of this design, could be built from the current one in stages, where services were maintained during the construction.

Could West Croydon Station Be Closed?

If East London Line services moved from West to East Croydon station, the following services to Central London would be left.

• Four trains per hour to Victoria via Selhurst, Streatham Common, Balham and Clapham Junction
• Two trains per hour to Victoria via Norwood Junction, Crystal Palace, Balham and Clapham Junction
• Two trains per hour to London Bridge via Selhurst, Streatham Common, Tulse Hill, Peckham Rye and South Bermondsey.

I think there is scope for a sorting out of these services, given Transport for London’s plans for a major hub station at Streatham Common. I wrote about this in Puzzled Over Streatham Common Station and came to the conclusion a Streatham Common hub could be a masterstroke of an idea, for the following reasons.

• The station would connect the two lines crossing there; Brighton Main Line and Sutton Loop
• The station could be the terminus of a two train per hour local service around the Sutton Loop.
• The station could be a valuable interchange between Brighton Main Line and other services.
• The station could be a destination for Tramlink.
• The station could enable tram-trains on Tramlink.
• The station could be a terminus for a branch of the East London Line.
• The station could be an important hub, collecting passengers for HS2 and the West Coast Main Line, as it is on the West London Line.
• Crossrail 2
• Alternative routes for Croydon

One point to bear in mind, is that all of the land required is already owned by Network Trail/TfL and I doubt any demolition of other property would be needed.

I think there are various scenarios that will simplify train movements in the triangle of stations; Norwood Junction, Streatham Common and West Croydon.

It would be a great advantage to train companies, if there were no direct train services between West Croydon and Norwood Junction and all services went via the Streatham Common hub station, as this would simplify movements through the congested Windmill Bridge Junction.

But passengers would still want the service they’d used for years!

I do think though that there is some way to sort out services through West Croydon, perhaps by using tram-trains linking to Tramlink and running to Crystal Palace or Streatham Common, that could keep the functionality of West Croydon station and increase the capacity of the trains, but simplify the movements to Norwood Junction.

This Google Map shows the station with the Tramlink stop along the side.

Trams only go to East Croydon and to get one back, you have to walk halfway across Croydon. It’s another bit of connectivity straight from the Ryanair Business School.

This map is from carto.metro.free.fr and shows the rail and tram lines at West Croydon station.

I suspect that the layout is such that a connection could be made between Tramlink and the rail lines to enable tram-trains to run on both tracks.

It would certainly enable simplification of traffic through West Croydon station.

I think though, that this simplication can only happen if the Streatham Common hub station is developed and it is served by Tramlink.

I’ll be interested to see what Transport for London does in the next twenty years at West Croydon.

Sorting Out Windmill Bridge Junction

This junction to the North of East Croydon station, is often stated to be a bottleneck on the lines through the area.

This Google Map shows the junction and Selhurst station and depot.

There would appear to be a mass of railway lines, south of the depot, which makes Spaghetti Junction look positively simple.

But

• If the terminal platforms for the East and West London Lines were at a high level over East Croydon station, then surely, they could climb over the junction as well and enter the station at the right level.
• If there was a lot less traffic between the East London Line and West Croydon station, space would be released.
• Tram-trains could sneak through, using their better manoeuvrability.

I’m sure that if the services to the two Croydon stations are redesigned, then a better and more efficient junction could follow.

 

Conclusion

A rethinking of services through Croydon and on the East London Line is needed, otherwise thousands of Mr, Mrs. Ms. and Miss Angries will be steaming away at Transport for London.

TL would have appeared to sleepwalk into this train-crash, by not sorting out East Croydon station, when the site was clear and they were designing Thameslink.

 

April 4, 2016 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | After Overground, Croydon, London Tramlink, Thameslink