Westbound Elizabeth Line To Northbound Thameslink At Farringdon Station
This journey is the reverse of the one I did earlier today in Southbound Thameslink To Eastbound Elizabeth Line At Farringdon Station.
These pictures show my walk at Farringdon station.
Note.
- This route starts at the Western end of the Elizabeth Line platforms in Farringdon station.
- I took the escalator there to the top.
- I then walked to the left of the second bank of stairs and escalators.
- This took me directly on to the Northbound Thameslink platform.
This route also works if you’re going East on the Elizabeth Line and want to go North on Thameslink.
This second set of pictures show the walk in the reverse direction.
Interchange with the Northbound Thameslink platform is very easy in both directions, as most of the walk between platforms is done on the escalator.
Conclusion
There would appear to be an imbalance of quality between the connections between the Elizabeth Line and the two Thameslink platforms.
- Those going between the Elizabeth Line and the Northbound Thameslink platform will find it easy, as most of the route is on an escalator.
- On the other hand, those using the Southbound Thameslink platform at busy times could find it congested and slow.
I suspect that regular users of the station, will develop their own routes through the station.
Southbound Thameslink To Eastbound Elizabeth Line At Farringdon Station
I travelled today from St. Pancras International station to Whitechapel station, using the following route.
- Southbound Thameslink service to Farringdon station.
- Eastbound Elizabeth Line service to Whitechapel station.
These pictures show my walk at Farringdon station.
Note.
- I was riding at the back of the train, so I had a long walk to the lifts.
- It would be better to travel in the Southern end of the Thameslink train, as the lifts are at the Southern end of the Southbound Thameslink platform.
- I used the lifts to descend to the Elizabeth Line platforms.
- It is only a short walk between the lifts and the Elizabeth Line trains.
As the last picture indicates, the connecting lifts that I used, can also be used to go from the Southbound Thameslink to the Westbound Elizabeth Line at Farringdon Station.
These connecting lifts can also be used in the reverse direction to go from all Elizabeth Line services to Southbound Thameslink services to London Bridge, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Brighton and all the other Southern Thameslink destinations!
If you want to avoid the lifts, as it appears they can busy, you have to climb the stairs to get to the concourse and then descend to get the escalator down to the Elizabeth Line, that I wrote about in Westbound Elizabeth Line To Northbound Thameslink At Farringdon Station.
Conclusion
There would appear to be an imbalance of quality between the connections between the Elizabeth Line and the two Thameslink platforms.
- Those going between the Elizabeth Line and the Northbound Thameslink platform will find it easy, as most of the route is on an escalator.
- On the other hand, those using the Southbound Thameslink platform at busy times could find it congested and slow.
I suspect that regular users of the station, will develop their own routes through the station.
It’s A Tough Job, But Someone’s Got To Do It!
For a couple of stops today, on the Elizabeth Line, I shared my section of the carriage, with a party of four Japanese tourists, who I took to be mother, father and son, with an older man, who was probably one of the boy’s grandfathers. The father had his camera out and was photographing his family and the train. As I passed him to leave the train, he said “Good train!” He also pointed to himself and said. “Japanese railway engineer!”
I wonder how many other professional railway engineers will visit London and run their eyes over the Elizabeth Line?
TfL Advances Plans For DLR And Overground Extensions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on New Civil Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that it is moving ahead with plans to extend the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the West London Orbital (WLO), part of the London Overground.
So it appears that despite all their financial problems, some progress is being made.
The Docklands Light Railway Extension To Thamesmead
I first wrote about this project in TfL Considering Extending DLR As Far As Abbey Wood.
Now it appears that TfL has been working with Homes England and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on a feasibility study for the extension.
I would like to see this extension incorporation the following.
- A signature bridge over the Thames with good views of the river.
- A station with a convenient connection to Crossness, which could become one of major London’s tourist attractions with better transport links.
- A connection to the Elizabeth Line at Abbey Wood station.
It could help to level up Thamesmead, whose main claim to fame is that it was where the violent film Clockwork Orange was made.
The West London Orbital Railway
I have written extensively about this railway and you can see my posts here.
This map from the Mayor’s Transport Strategy shows the route.
I believe this railway could do the following.
- Level-up much of North-West London.
- Provide better access to Heathrow.
- Link West London to High Speed Two and the Elizabeth Line.
It would also provide better links to Brentford’s new stadium.
The New Civil Engineer says this about funding.
TfL now confirms that the West London Alliance has commissioned feasibility work for the scheme. Meanwhile, TfL is considering options for a Borough Community Infrastructure Levy to help pay for it and has been investigating development opportunities on the route that could unlock funds via Section 106 planning obligations and Carbon Offset funding.
Conclusion
It does appear there are ways and means to fund these schemes, without expecting the rest of the UK to fund London’s transport network.
Intriguing “Frozen Air” Energy Storage In Vermont Gets Canned
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Concord Monitor.
This is the first paragraph.
Alas, the company Highview Power has given up on a plan I wrote about in 2019 to develop a long-term energy storage project in northern Vermont that freezes and unfreezes air.
The author had asked Highview Power for an update and received this statement.
As a UK-based company our primary focus right now is on our Carrington project in the North of England. This will be our first commercial plant in the wider development of a 45GWh, £10 billion programme in the UK. While the Vermont project no longer remains in our current plans, we are developing a longer-term portfolio of projects in Spain, Australia, and the U.S and we look forward to pushing forward with these after we achieve our primary UK projects.
It sounds to me that the new CEO; Rupert Pearce, is simplifying the company’s operations and aiming to get the important Carrington plant working as a priority.
The Anonymous Widower 