A Transport Hub Fit For A Major Airport
I’ve only been to Manchester Airport once and that was many years ago, when I flew my Piper Arrow into the then single-runway airport.
On my trip north today, I wanted to take a ride on one of the refurbished Class 319 trains running between the airport and Liverpool Lime Street, so as I got a good deal on tickets including a trip in First to Crewe, I went via the airport.
The pictures show the rail station at the airport, which has three platforms for trains and one for the Metrolink. A fourth rail platform is under construction.
Most of the pictures were taken looking towards the entry to the station, with the platforms being number 1, 2 3 and 4 for right to left (south to north).
If the Metrolink platform was given a number, it would be five.
This Google Earth image shows the station and the surrounding area.
Manchester Airport Station
Note the current three rail platforms with the Metrolink between them and the bus station. My Class 323 train from Crewe arrived on the southernmost platform, which is numbered one. Platforms two and three are either side of a long island and it would appear that the construction work between platform three and the Metrolink and the bus station will be the new platform four.
A station-man indicated that the lines into the station are a bit limited and expansion of the rail links out of the station might be something to upgrade in the future.
One difference between this airport station and most of the other ones I’ve visited was that it wasn’t buried deep in a dark claustrophobic pit under the airport. So I was able to walk up and down in the sun, whilst waiting for my train!
My only disappointment was that instead of getting a refurbished Class 319 train, I got a clean Class 156 train.
Where Has Waitrose’s Grated Parmesan Gone?
I do a lot of recipes which use a breadcrumb and parmesan crust like this salmon based on a Mary Berry idea.
Mary Bery’s Salmon
It is quick and delicious and only needs some cream cheese, a lemon and the salmon to be purchased.
Usually, I keep the parmesan sealed in its container in the fridge.
The Last Of My Waitrose Parmesan
I only ever use a little, so one pack lasts a month or so.
Recently, Waitrose have stopped selling the parmesan and the only alternative was some in a round packet.
I’ll never buy that again, as within a few days of opening, it had gone mouldy.
I want the original parmesan back.
It is wasteful and grossly immoral to buy food, only to throw most of it straight in the bin.
Transport for London Is The Fastest Growing Contactless Merchant In The UK
The title of this post is the title of an article in Computer Weekly, which describes the enormous take-up of using contactless cards for payment on London’s transport system. This is the first two paragraphs.
Transport for London (TfL) has become the fastest growing contactless Visa merchant in Europe, and the fastest growing Mastercard and American Express merchant in the UK, a mere six months after it first launched contactless payments in September 2014.
TfL claimed 60 million contactless journeys had now been made on its system since September 2014, 20 million of those since mid-February 2015, and 14% of all journeys made on the system were now contactless.
Perhaps, the most surprising thing, is why so few other transport operators in the UK, Europe and the wider world, have disclosed plans to go to a similar system.
Perhaps, what is most remarkable about London’s contactless payments system, is that there seem to have been no adverse media reports on the system, whereas before it started various political parties were saying it would be a disaster of Titanic proportions.
It probably says more about the average politician’s knowledge of technology, than anything else.
I believe that any city or region that doesn’t sign up for contactless ticketing will see a reduction in visitors and economic activity.
If you take Scotland as an example of a region, where several antique ticketing systems are still in existence, the total population is less than that of Greater London. So if it can be implemented in London, surely an appropriate system can be used in Scotland.
Crossrail Extension Work Has Started At Shenfield
I passed through Shenfield station this morning and took these pictures of the work that has started to create an additional Platform 6 at the station for Crossrail.
The work would appear to be not causing too many problems for rail passengers. This Google Earth image shows the station.
Shenfield Station
The platform will slot into the green area to the north of the current Platform 5, which is the odd platform of five, as 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 are all arranged on either side of an island platform. This is how the work is described in Wikipedia.
Ten-carriage Crossrail trains will run over the pair of ‘electric lines’, rather than the mainlines, replacing the existing eight-carriage “metro” trains and allowing Crossrail to serve all stations between Shenfield and Liverpool Street, continuing west towards Reading and London Heathrow Airport. At peak hours the frequency of service will increase from eight trains per hour to 12, necessitating the construction of a new 210-metre long platform 6, which will be built to the north of platform 5, replacing one of the existing three western sidings. The two remaining western sidings and three new eastern sidings will also be used by Crossrail. It is estimated that Crossrail will cut morning peak journey times by up to seven minutes although there will be no reduction to some journey times.
As the new Platform 6 will be paired with Platform 5, which is already step-free with a lift, this be one of the more simpler station upgrades for Crossrail.
I can’t help feeling that when Crossrail is open, that Shenfield will become a major interchange for passengers travelling between Crossrail stations in Central and West London and stations on the Great Eastern Main Line like Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.
Crossrail is not a high-speed line, but the increase in connectivity the line will bring, will change the lives of everybody who use it or live within a few miles.
The Natives Seem Reasonably Happy In Watford
According to this article in the Watford Observer, George Osborne gave the green light to the tune of £284 million to the Croxley Rail Link this morning.
Judging by the comments by readers to the article, the natives seem reasonably happy.
As new rail links generally seem to be successful, with perhaps the exception of the Dutch High Speed Line; HSL-Zuid, this rail link will probably be a valuable addition to the rail network in London and the South East.
Will Brent Cross Thameslink Station Get The Go-Ahead?
This was said in this article in the Standard last night.
At the same time, the Chancellor is promising a £97 million downpayment for a new station at Brent Cross, a major redevelopment area highlighted in his National Infrastructure Plan with last December’s Autumn Statement. It could help start construction of 7,500 homes. Another £7 million will go to the Croydon growth zone, aiming to create 4,000 homes. A further £1 million will fund the new London Land Commission to help create a “Domesday Book” of surplus public-sector land and brownfield sites for redevelopment.
London desperately needs more housing and building it around the Shopping Centre and a new Brent Cross Thameslink station at Brent Cross, astride the North Circular Road on surplus railway land must be a good idea.
This is a Google Earth image of the area.
Brent Cross
The Midland Main Line on which the station will be built runs north-south at the western edge of the image, with Hendon station just visible at the top beside the M1.
The Shopping Centre is clearly marked and the A41 passes beside it towards the east.
The whole area is dominated by the roads and flyovers of the M1, A5, A41 and North Circular Road, which are choked with traffic. As the developers of the new Brent Cross Cricklewood development are spending £4.5 billion over the next twenty years and have stated they are improving the roads and other transport links in the area, together with creating four new parks, could we see all of these roads either buried in tunnels or more likely roofed over so that all traffic is put out of sight and mind?
According to the development web site, one of first things being done is this.
Renew and revive Clitterhouse Playing Fields and Claremont Park creating two beautiful community parks, as well as starting to create Brent Riverside Park.
Let’s hope this defines how they mean to carry on. Clitterhouse Playing Fields are at the south-east corner of the Google image.
The developers and their architects could have great fun with this development.
Looking at the position of the station, one place to put it could be where the Midland Main Line crosses the North Circular Road in an echo of how Blackfriars station was recently rebuilt over the Thames.
I can see in my mind, a shining glass palace with a roof garden above the roads with an enormous red rail sign, saying “I’m Brent Cross Thameslink, Ride Me!”
It would be the signature for the whole development.
The new station would also be a major interchange where passengers to and from the East Midlands and South Yorkshire changed between the new electric trains on the Midland Main Line and London’s rail system.
Will Osborne Abolish Tax On Savings Interest?
This is said in this article in The Independent.
Tax on income from savings will be abolished for millions of people in the Budget today as George Osborne woos pensioners and “hard-working taxpayers” ahead of the May general election,The Independent has learnt.
So is the paper right?
It would make a lot of sense.
1, It would certainly encourage saving.
2. Encouraging saving may mean that more money will go into peer-to-peer lending, which will help lower interest rates for borrowers and give the banks a bit of a kicking. So a by-product of abolishing tax on savings interest could be better availability of finance for individuals and businesses.
3. I can see those who provide homes for savings like banks, building societies and peer-to-peer lenders getting increasingly innovate in finding ways to create high-interest, instant-access accounts.
4. It could put a lot of financial advisers out of business, as if say you had a lump sum to invest, you could easily work out what would be the best savings account, to keep the money until you need it.
5. But surely, the biggest benefit will be that as savings will now be held in an account, that doesn’t carry any tax, it will simplify tax accounting and returns for banks, building societies and savers alike.
If he does do it, then just imagine how any party who put it back would fare in an election!
On a personal note, if it does happen, I’ll be putting more of my money into Zopa!
Match Thirty-Eight – Ipswich 1 – Bolton 0
The best things about this match were the fact that the trains to Ipswich were working well and the result.
It was yet another tricky match and Ipswich won it with a late goal from Tabb.
The only problem I had was I fell asleep on the train and nearly ending up sleeping in a siding.
Luckily I woke up just in time!
Rail Freight Contributes £1.6billion To UK Economy In 2013
This is said in a report on Rail Magazine, based on details from the Rail Delivery Group.
The report also says that £30 billion of goods were moved by rail and that the amount of shipping containers moved has increased by 30% since 2006.
How much extra motorway space has been created by all this rail freight?
Cheshire East And Southend Strike Cheaper Energy Deals With OVO
This report on the BBC tells how Cheshire East Council has done a deal with OVO to get cheaper energy for residents and businesses.
The report also says that Southend are doing something similar.
I think we’ll be seeing lots of deals like this in the future. Some might even be provided by the Big Six energy companies as they try to keep market share.
I do think though, that linking energy to a community could give a lot of advantages.
1. It creates a direct incentive for councils to bring in energy saving and local generation schemes, like the one created by Islington at Bunhill Row.
2. The philosophy might also push developers to create new offices, business premises and housing, that is less energy intensive, due to the higher profile of energy costs in the area.
3. Those not on-line or without a bank account, would gain access to cheaper energy through the council’s payments system. I can just about remember people paying for their energy in small gas and electricity offices.
4. We might even see the time, when you pay a single on-line payment to your local council for Council Tax, Resident’s Parking, gas, electricity, broadband and water.
If the system doesn’t deliver cheaper prices and better service, you can always vote the politicians out of office.
The Anonymous Widower 