Show Me The Way To Motspur Park
A few days ago, I saw on a web site, that Motspur Park station had been made step-free.
I tried to go yesterday, but I made a big mistake – I started from Moorgate station and intended to use the Waterloo and City Line to get to Waterloo station, from where I could get a direct train.
But after taking forever to walk between the Northern and Waterloo and City Line at Bank station, I arrived at Waterloo station, too late to get to Motspur Park station before dark.
Today, I looked up Transport for London’s Journey Planner and it told me to do the following.
- Walk to Newington Green Road, which is rather a long walk for my 77-year-old legs.
- Get a 341 bus to Manor House Station.
- Get a Piccadilly Line train to Finsbury Park station.
- Get a Victoria Line train to Vauxall station. This is a cross-platform interchange.
- Walk to Vauxall National Rail station.
- Get a South Western Railway train to Motspur Park station.
Note.
- Normally, I would use a variation of this route and take a 141 bus from the corner of my road to Manor House station.
- But due to road works, the 141 is not stopping near my house, so I have no easy way to get to Manor House station.
- But in some ways to start a journey to the South-West, by going North to Manor House station is a bit silly.
- This detour is caused because neither the Victoria or Piccadilly Lines have an exchange station with the Lizzie Line.
If the 141 bus were running, I’d take that to Moorgate, then take Lizzie to Bond Street and the Jubilee Line to Waterloo for a train to Motspur Park.
I would have taken this route yesterday from Moorgate, but I was advised otherwise by a station guy at Moorgate.
In the end today, I took a bus to King’s Cross and got the Victoria Line from there.
I took these pictures of the elderly Class 455 train en route.
Although at forty, it was still in good condition.
I took these pictures of the new bridge at Motspur Park station.
Note.
- The two-button lift controls. Would they be faster if single-button?
- I am surprised that solar roofs weren’t fitted as at Denmark Hill station.
- The station must be the only station in London with an island platform and three lifts. See Picture 6.
- PPicture 6 also clearly shows a ticket machine on the platform, which serves both entrances.
It certainly looks to be a comprehensive job well done.
The Anonymous Widower 
You’d think that any upgrade of a station would include solar panels wouldn’t you. Still I’ll bet it’s the budget avaliable to Network Rail that stops that happening.
BTW, to get to Motspur Park wouldn’t using one of your local Dalston Overground stations to Clapham Junction have served those 77 year old legs just as well?
Comment by fammorris | February 6, 2025 |
I do wonder if they had to make the decision about Motspur Park, before the results of the trial at Denmark Hill had come in.
I typed “Were the solar panels at Denmark Hill Station worth it?” into Google and was pointed here for Network Rail’s view.
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-and-improved-denmark-hill-station-delivers-first-carbon-positive-upgrade-on-rail-network
Sounds like it wasn’t a bad party, especially as in my experience, medical institutions usually know how to throw one.
I came home via Clapham Junction to Dalston Junction and then a bus from the station, which is a route I regularly use to come home from South-West London and the South-West, where the train stops at Clapham Junction.
Going out is more difficult, as buses from my house to DJ can be widely spaced and black cabs have got very rare due to the LTNs.
Comment by AnonW | February 6, 2025 |