I’m Missing The Elizabeth Line Today
Today is a Sunday and because engineers are working on connecting the three sections of the Elizabeth Line, there are no trains in the central section between Abbey Wood and Paddington stations.
I have got used to the new line and generally use it if I stray farther than a couple of miles from home to the South. It’s just so handy, when you want to go in an East-West direction across London.
One of the draws to me of the Elizabeth Line is that it is air-conditioned and in the current heat-wave, it is much more pleasant to travel on the line compared to the Central and Northern Lines.
So for my journeys around Central London, I tend to stick to buses, the Overground, Elizabeth Line and Thameslink.
Gantry Removal At Moorgate Station – 18th June 2022
I took these pictures last night, as I came through Moorgate station.
It finally looks like the new entrance to Moorgate station is in the final phase.
The frontage of the building above seems complete and obvious to be installed include two escalators at the Southern end and Elizabeth Line signage.
It now looks like a new block will go up in front of the station. I would have preferred a nice square, with the bus stops alongside and a light-controlled crossing to the other side!
But then money is more important!
101 Moorgate
101 Moorgate is the new building between the new entrance to Moorgate station and Moorgate itself.
This page on the JRA Architects web site is entitled 101 Moorgate Crossrail Oversite Development, London EC2 and has a series of images of the finished development.
This image from JRA Architects shows the space between 101 Moorgate and the new station entrance.
101 Moorgate is the white and ruby building on the right.
In this image, there appears to be a gap between 101 Moorgate and the original Moorgate tube station entrance.
This image shows the Moorgate frontage of 101 Moorgate from the other side of the street.
The gap between the new and old looks substantial and will provide a high capacity route to the Elizabeth Line station entrance.
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.
Wheelchair Provision On Elizabeth Line Trains And Platforms
These pictures show the provision for wheelchairs on trains and platforms of the Elizabeth Line.
Note.
- The generous spaces for a wheelchair. There are four spaces in the middle carriage of the nine-car trains.
- There is a blue wheelchair symbol, that marks where wheelchair entry to the trains is easiest.
- There are blue wheelchair symbols on the floor at doors closest to the wheelchair spaces.
- There are a lot of wheelchair signposts on all platforms.
- There are no steps to negotiate taking a wheelchair in or out of the train.
- At Canary Wharf there was a small screen showing the next five trains in each direction, which appeared to be positioned at the right height for a self-propelled wheelchair user.
Whilst I was coming back from Canary Wharf, the wheelchair space opposite was occupied by a very elderly lady in a wheelchair, who was accompanied, by a couple I took to be her daughter and son-in-law.
Judging by the smiles and compliments all round, they all seemed well satisfied with the provision.
Elizabeth Line To Northern Line At Moorgate Station
In Elizabeth Line – Moorgate Station – 27th May 2022, I took the recommended step-free route at Moorgate station between the Northern Line and the new entrance to the station.
It is a rather underwhelming and long route and this was my conclusion.
The rat-up-the-drainpipe route is acceptable to me, but I don’t feel the step-free route via the long tunnel will be acceptable for all those, who need to use it.
It’s just too long to walk for many!
Perhaps the addition of seats for a rest would help.
I wrote about the rat-up-the-drainpipe route to the surface, in Up From The Depths At Moorgate Station and in my view, if you can manage an escalator it is a better route between the Northern and Elizabeth Lines. Once at the surface, there are lifts and stairs to the new entrance, where there are escalators and a lift to the Elizabeth Line.
This morning, I was coming the other way, as I’d just off an Elizabeth Line train from Canary Wharf. These pictures show my route to the Northern Line.
Note.
- The signing at the start of the route, which is shown in the first picture is dreadful.
- I suspect, it leads to some of those in wheel-chairs ending up at the main escalators to Moorgate.
- The main route to the Northern Line includes a double set of stairs, but there is a by-pass lift.
- The connecting tunnel is overly long.
- At the end of the tunnel, there is a choice of a lift or long stairs.
- At least the tunnel is fully air-conditioned.
I took the lift and then used the escalator to the Northern City Line opposite.
Step-Free Access To The Northern City Line
It hasn’t been added.
Conclusion
Routes between the Northern and Elizabeth Lines at Moorgate need to be improved.
Moorgate Station’s Facade At The New Entrance – 17th June 2022
These pictures show, the new facade of the Moorgate station’s new entrance.
This entrance is in addition to the original entrance on Moorgate and it has stairs and lifts to the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines and a giant escalator and a lift to the Elizabeth Line.
It does look as though, the construction of the offices on top of the entrance is coming to a completion. Two escalators will be fitted in the space guarded by the green hoarding to give access to the offices and the walkways, that will lead to the Barbican.
London Now Has A Large Communal Cool Room For The Elderly And Disabled
I would suspect that most elderly and disabled people, who live in the London boroughs have a Freedom Pass entitling them to free public transport.
London’s new cool room is large and fully air-conditioned, and stretches eight miles right across the city between Paddington and Canary Wharf.
It is officially called the Elizabeth Line, but others call it Crossrail or the Lizzie Line.
Perhaps, the seats in the stations are hard, to discourage overstaying in the well-controlled cool atmosphere.
These seats are used on most stations.
I wonder how many passengers will choose the Elizabeth Line in this heat?
I certainly will!
The Anonymous Widower 