Walking From Harringay Station To Harringay Green Lanes Station
This is what Transport for London call an official out-of-station interchange and you can touch-out of one station and touch-in the other without getting charged.
So after visiting Palmers Green, I got on a train, which took me to Harringay station, from where I walked down the hill to Harringay Green Lanes station.
It was an easy walk and this could be a one-way interchange for some people, as the other way you’d walk up the hill.
Harringay is a typical hole-in-the-wall station of which there are many over the UK.
When I got onto Green Lanes, I saw the enormous mural on the bridge for the first time. It is promoting the Big Plan, which is all about improving the area.
As the Gospel Oak to Barking Line is being upgraded, do we have the classic stimulus for improvement of the area? The area has had all sorts of problems, that I can remember.
Palmers Green Station To Get A Double Upgrade
After visiting Alexandra Palace station and the Yard Cafe, I took a Hertford North train through Bowes Park and on to Palmers Green station.
The station needs refurbishment and it is getting step-free access and a branch of the Yard Cafe.
Sixty Years On
I must have been about seven, when I went with my father to Earls Court to see the Printing Exhibition.
My father didn’t like deep tube lines, which I’d always put down to an experience during the Second World War.
So his route to Earls Court after parking his car outside his print works in Station Road, wasn’t to go the obvious one by Underground from Wood Green Tube station.
We walked up the hill to the train station that is now called Alexandra Palace station. In those days it was called Wood Green (Alexandra Park) and I still refer to it as Wood Green station, as the Underground one is Wood Green tube station.
From the station we took a local steam train, probably hauled by a Class N2 from the 1920s into Kings Cross. At Kings Cross it was onto a Metropolitan line train to Hammersmith and then it was back a couple of stops on the Piccadilly line to Barons Court for the exhibition.
A roundabout way compared to the way most would go. But it ewas an adventure for a seven-year-old, especially as you got to see lots of interesting machines at the exhibition.
I’d always though, as I said that something nasty in the war had put my father off the tube, but now I’m getting older, I find the older deep tube lines rather stuffy and usually plan my journeys to avoid them. As my father and I share several health problems like arthritis and catarrh, I now wonder if his avoidance of the deep lines, was because he didn’t like the atmosphere down there. You have to remember, that in the 1950s, smoking was allowed in the Underground, which certainly didn’t help matters.
Last night, I heard that Alexandra Palace was one of twenty-six stations that were going to get upgraded access. So I went to have a look.
What a change!
The pedestrian bridge across the lines will probably be fitted with lift towers and given a general upsprucing.
I particularly liked the architectural idea of the large window overlooking the tracks. There must be times when staff need to watch all platforms and this view sometimes must be better than sitting in the office watching screens.
In fact with its cafe and details, the station has the feel of a classy historic shopping arcade, all done with a modern feel. Whoever designed and rebuilt this station, has set a high bar for the hundreds of smaller stations all over the country.
So is it true to say that Crossrail 2 will be getting its first updated station in a few years and long before the new line is built?
Who’d Want To Live In Peterborough, Colchester, Milton Keynes Or Swindon?
This BBC article describes best and worst places to get around without a car. The four places in the heading are the four worst places.
I do know that as regards getting to the football ground, Colchester and Milton Keynes are pretty difficult, although Peterborough and Milton Keynes aren’t too bad.
This is the top ten worst and my thoughts.
Peterborough – I’ve been to the city several times by train and just walk into the town centre to see the magnificent cathedral or have a meal with a friend. I have never seen a bus there at all or any signs to a central bus station. But there are lots of taxis.
Colchester – It’s years since I’ve been there and it has a station, that is away from the town centre, the hospital and football ground, the only places I would ever be likely to go. As I don’t drive or take unnecessary taxis, I doubt, I’ll ever go to the town again.
Milton Keynes – I have no fond memories of the capital of roundabouts, but I was mugged there by the street furniture. I shall not be sad, if I never go to the town again.
Swindon – When I went to Swindon, the road in front of the station was being dig up, but I don’t have any fond memories of my walk to the football ground.
Wigan – I suppose it’s got a public transport system, that suits the character of the town. It hasn’t even signposted a decent walking route from the rail station to the football ground.
Bradford – I remember Bradford, as one of the worst places I went to, when I visited all 92 football grounds.
Derby – I go to Derby regularly to see Ipswich play at Pride Park, which is close to the station. There is nothing at the station, that might draw me into the city to perhaps have a meal. Is Derby’s passenger-unfriendly public transport system summed up, by the fact that there are no late trains back to London, after an evening football match? It treats those without cars and especially visitors as losers, who should be ignored.
Dudley – No comment. But I don’t think I’d ever want to go!
Northampton – A strong contender for the capital of roundabouts, where I would definitely think twice about going.
Gateshead – See Dudley
If I look at the best places, London is top, with Manchester second and Liverpool third. My big argument with most of them in the top ten except London, is that the information and maps aren’t good enough for someone, who doesn’t know the city well.
One big difference between the top and bottom tens, is that Derby is amongst the worst and Nottingham is in with the best. Surely, as the cities are so close together, the comparison between them should be examined in detail.
The full details of the Better Transport 2014 Car Dependency Scorecard, should be read by everyone.
Network Rail Publishes A List Of Stations To Be Given Updated Access
Network Rail has published a list of 26 stations, that it hopes to update by 2019.
I have visited some and I have added my thoughts.
Alexandra Palace – I know this station well and it has certainly improved in recent years. Lifts will probably be added to the existing footbridge.
Bexley – Lifts will probably be added to the existing subway.
Carshalton – Lifts will probably be added to the underbridge.
Crawley – I’ve been here once, but it was late after a football match and I can’t remember much.
Kilwinning – This station is also being developed.
Of the stations, fourteen are in London. I shall certainly visit them before and after they are upgraded.
Are Rail Passengers Enthusiastic About High Speed Rail?
I ask this question, as in some ways it is a continuation of a conversation I had with a fellow First Class passenger, whilst we were waiting for our Manchester train on Saturday in the Lounge at Euston.
He asked if I’d ever flown to Manchester from London. I said no and he said he wouldn’t either, as the trains were good enough. So we were two satisfied Virgin riders.
But we were both travelling on a Saturday and I bought my ticket some weeks ago on-line.
So what if I needed to go urgently to see someone tomorrow, how much would it cost?
Looking on the Virgin web site this morning, I can get a ticket to Manchester from Euston for £67.50, if I leave on the 10:00. The cheapest flight available on British Airways in the morning is £211. But there is one big difference, with Virgin the ticket is a First Class Advance, which includes an unlimited baggage allowance and free drinks and snacks. I’d also get a third off the £67.50 as I have a Senior Railcard.
The conversation was typical of many, I’ve had with savvy passengers on British trains, not always in First Class. Moans include the overcrowding and the quality of on train snacks and drinks. But with most passengers going a distance, there is generally no problems with the price. Obviously, passengers would like to get there quicker, but in the UK in recent years, I’ve never heard anybody complain about the length of the journey, on trips to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cornwall and Wales.
You might get the odd comment, about looking forward to a slight speed-up, but no-one has ever mentioned that they can’t wait for a High Speed train to whisk them to say Edinburgh at 200 mph.
I think that passengers choose a train that meets certain criteria. It must be convenient and comfortable, at a keen price and so long as it is fast enough no-one seems to care. I remember, once being told by a one of First Great Western’s Customer Service Agents, that one of the common question they get asked is “Is the train going to be an InterCity125?”
I must admit, that one of the reasons, I travel on Chiltern to Birmingham, is that the trains are comfortable and spacious, Mark 3 coaches, rather than the cramped Pendelinos. My only problem, is that Euston is easier for me to get to, than Marylebone.
So you pays your money and takes your choice.
Obviously, we’d all like to get there a few minutes sooner and to illustrate this, at Bolton, I had a long chat with a fellow Ipswich fan, who like me was looking forward to the implementation of the Norwich in Ninety improvements.
When HS2 is built to Birmingham, I do wonder if I’ll use it! A lot will depend on the trains, being comfortable and spacious, and I’m not going to pay a silly price to save a few minutes. I’d also be more likely to use the line, if I could just hop on the Overground at one of the Dalston stations and then change across the platforms at say Old Oak Common.
Convenience is everything! Especially, when there is a comfortable, affordable alternative! Which there will be!
If you look at the only high speed link we have, that to Paris and Brussels, through the Channel Tunnel, it obviously meets a lot of passengers’ criteria. But it did take some time to get popular, as I believe it will with HS2.
The interesting thing, will be how successful, the new electrified line to Bristol and South Wales, is in attracting passengers, after it opens hopefully in 2017. There will be new Class 800/801 trains, but I have my doubts, they will be liked as much by passengers as the forty-year-old InterCity125s.
The Great Western Main Line, like the West and East Coast Main Lines, will be a genuine 200 kph plus line, that because of signalling developments will be able to run faster than current services.
All three lines by the end of this decade will share some characteristics.
1. Fast, frequent services in modern trains at speeds up to 140 mph.
2. Services will stop at a convenient intermediate stations, like Crewe, Doncaster, Swindon, Newport and many others.
3. If the current trend continues its upward curve, on-board service will be better.
4. All classes will have free on-board wi-fi.
These services will set a very high bar for services on HS2 to achieve.
The more, I read about HS2, the more I’m convinced that it is needed more on capacity grounds than anything else. And especially, the capacity the line will release for freight! It will certainly find it difficult to offer some of the reasons we use the trains we do today.
So to answer my original question, I think the current answer is no. But in a few years time, there may be a different answer. Unless of course all of the negative publicity about HS2 convinces a government, that it is not worth the trouble.
The Proposed Ordsall Chord
The Ordsall Chord is going to allow trains to call at both Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations as they pass through the city. This map from Network Rail shows the layout of rail lines in Manchester and the position of the proposed Ordsall Chord.
Rail Lines Around The Ordsall Chord
There is also this image from Google Earth.
The Area Of The Ordsall Chord
The two lines that will be connected meet at the left or West of this image. The Ordsall Chord will make a triangle with the existing lines and will connect the line going to the top of the picture towards Victoria, with the one going to the bottom towards Piccadilly.
The project is not without controversy. A lot of the arguments are laid out in this article in the Manchester Evening News. This is said.
Ministers have been asked to step in over fears a new £85m bridge will sever the world’s oldest train station from the rail network. Bosses at Network Rail are consulting on plans to build the new bridge over the River Irwell in Castlefield to link Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time.
I’m all for looking after historic sites, but in some cases economic necessity will mean, that things have to be done that can’t please everybody.
It would appear that the chord has not been approved yet.
So does this mean that the completion of the Northern Hub is going to be delayed?
An Idea For A New Station At Shoreditch High Street
I read today in The Sunday Times, that Network Rail are looking to create some new terminal platforms for Liverpool Street.
One of the ideas was the obvious one to add some extra platforms at Liverpool Street. but I know the station well and can’t think where they would be fitted in, unless they were do away with the taxi ramp or put the platforms in tunnels underneath the current ones.
Another idea mentioned in the Sunday Times, is to build a station at Shoreditch High Street on a site owned by Network Rail, next to the current Overground station. The idea is described in the Architect’s Journal.
Terry Farrell’s contentious proposals for Bishopsgate Goodsyard could be sent back to the drawing board after plans emerged for a major new station on the east London site
A report by Network Rail outlining options for rail upgrades on the Anglian Route suggests the City fringe plot could house the first new rail terminus in the capital since the completion of Marylebone in 1899.
The currently uncosted option – part of a document prepared by Network Rail for its future railway investment period CP6 – explores the ‘creation of an additional terminus to the north of London Liverpool Street’ on Network Rail-owned land next to Shoreditch High Street station.
It strikes me that this could be a good idea. Although, it won’t be plain sailing, as there was so much aggravation, when they wanted to demolish the Braithwaite Arches to build the East London Line through the area. This article from Spitalfields Life gives some of the history of the area.
I think if a station gets built alongside or under Shoreditch High Street station, it will be nothing like any ideas, thatr might get talked about in the media now. One of the Foster/Farrell/Rogers fraternity could probably do something extraordinary here.
This map shows the site.
Shoreditch High Street Station
The orange line defines the route of the East London Line and the red line is where the Central line goes underneath. The site itself is the green area between these lines. It would appear that there is quite a bit of space to put in a decent sized station with perhaps four main line platforms, which would be linked to the East London and Central lines.
But it would be a lot of work and money for a station, that would only have limited connection to the Underground/Overground compared to Liverpool Street.
However, look at this wider map of the area.
Old Street To Shoreditch
The first thing to notice is the size of the site, when compared to Liverpool Street station, which lies to the West of Spitalfields Market.
Also note the black line going North-South, which is the Northern line, fom Moorgate to Old Street. The latter is highlighted. Somewhere in the same direction from Moorgate northwards is that relic of previous expansion plans for the Underground; the Northern City line.
I think that if a main line station is built at Shoreditch High Street, it might also connect some of the lines into Liverpool Street to the Moorgate suburban services.
Consider.
1. Railways hate terminal platforms with all their restrictions and much prefer two lines linked end-to-end as Thameslink links Brighton and Bedford via St. Pancras.
2. So could say some of the Lea Valley services be diverted from Liverpool Street to the new station and then onto the Moorgate suburban lines? Not only would it link Silicon Fen with Silicon Roundabout, but also it could be used for the Stansted Express. At the new station, there could be cross-platform interchange between the through lines and the Central line.
3. Original plans showed Crossrail 2 stopping at Essex Road station, which is on Northern City line.
I have only listed three of any number of possibilities, but a new main line station at Shoreditch High Street providing extra capacity for Liverpool Street might be feasible.
On the other hand, it might annoy a lot of the passengers, by giving them inferior onward connections. Remember that many who commute into Liverppol Street, just walk to their place of work.
Something will happen, as Liverpool Street doesn’t have enough capacity, but in my view the first thing to do would be to see how Crossrail affects traffic.
To take one example in a frivolous manner, think of all those Essex boys going to their desks in Canary Wharf, How much will all the other routes possible after Crossrail opens, take the pressure off Liverpool Street?
I think the most likely scenario will be a mixture of all current ideas and proposals together with some no-one has thought of yet.
At a minimum, the addition of two platforms in the cab rank at Liverpool Street .will happen.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of platforms on the Lea Valley lines at Shoreditch High Street giving an easy and quick interchange to the East London and Central lines. If nothing else it would link the curremt Overground to the Lea Valley lines and give it a much-needed connection to the Central line.
Chaos At The Angel
I went to the Angel this morning to get some shopping and the jams were so bad, I actually got off the bus and walked.
I sometimes think that not driving a car any more sometimes is an advantage.
The cause of all the problems was roadworks.
But luckily it didn’t affect my journey home as my 38 bus was able to sneak through.
Virgin’s Better Offering On The Way From Manchester
In the seven hours I spent in the Manchester area, things improved.
All allergies were explained as they should be.
I also got two cups of tea and a Pepsi from the very good steward.
The ticket collector said he’d come back to collect my First Class Supplement. But he didn’t!
So I got it all for the price of a Standard Class Ticket.
Compare this with the outrun.
The Anonymous Widower 