The Iron Lady Rides Again
I don’t think I saw Margaret Thatcher in a debate like last night’s, although I did hear her many times on the radio during Prime Minister’s Questions.
I was speaking to a Scot this morning, and we both felt that Nicola Sturgeon has a lot of Margaret Thatcher about her.
I’ll probably be sent to The Tower for treason or whatever the Scots do, for such a thought!
Last Night’s Mass Debate
The Times has a leader article entitled The SNP Challenge, where it discusses last night’s political debate between party leaders on the BBC.
It is very much a must-read and it sums the debate up like this.
There was a lot of discussion of what politicians will spend money on. There was very little on how money will be created.
I suppose that the parties, who took part last night will be borrowing it from foolish lenders!
Archaeology At Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street, just outside the station of the same name, is home to a large archaeology project.
The pictures of the actual dig was taken from a publicly accessible walkway on the South side of the Street.
Crossrail’s Secret Ventilation Shaft
When I researched the ventilation shafts for Crossrail, I was surprised how few of them there are.
But there was one I missed that is not mentioned in the usual web sites and it was built in 2004.
This article on the website building.co.uk describes a secret ventilation shaft for Crossrail underneath Moor House.
Crossrail’s Secret Ventilation Shaft
How much disruption was avoided by incorporating the shaft in the building?
One advantage in the early firming up the route of Crossrail 2, is that if a building has to be rebuilt on the route, it can incorporate features so that it is ready for the line.
Hospital Closure Protests
Yesterday’s BBC London local news led with a story about how the hospitals of Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust will be redeveloped.
They currently have three hospitals at Epsom, St. Helier and Sutton and consultants overhead on a train, are saying that a new hospital will be developed on one of the sites.
From what the report said, the locals want to keep all hospitals, which may not be the most economic or practical solutions.
I have looked at Google Earth images and the details on how you get to these hospitals and I suspect that the only practical way to get to these hospitals is by car or taxi. But as they probably charge an arm and a leg for parking, this is probably something that gets protested about all the time.
If they do build a new hospital it must be easily accessible by public transport. At present all sites need a long walk to all except Epsom, which is obviously a policy designed to discourage poorly and elderly patients and visitors without their own transport. There have been plans to link St. Helier hospital on the Tramlink, but nothing seems to be happening in that area. This is the Google Earth image for the hospital.
St. Helier Hospital
Surely, if you are going to create a new super-hospital it must have first-class public transport links. This article in the Local Guardian shows the route of the proposed Tramlink extension.
St. Helier Tramlink
I would assume that the loop to St. Helier Hospital includes street running or goes through Rose Hill Park. This a Google Earth image of the area.
St. Helier Tramlink Detail
The roundabout at the top left is Rosehill roundabout, which is planned to have a tram stop and the hospital is at the bottom right.
It would seem feasible to run the Tramlink to the hospital, but would the street running and/or possible loss of green space, create a lot of opposition?
A survey on the Merton Council web site is very supportive of Tramlink going to the hospital.
An interesting fact is that there is a frequent train service, that takes just ten minutes between Epsom and Sutton stations, so if a super-hospital was built on the St. Helier site, getting there from Epsom wouldn’t be difficult, provided of course the Tramlink extension was built.
If we look at Epsom Hospital becoming the super-hospital, then here is a Google Earth image that shows both Epsom station and the hospital.
Epsom Station And Hospital
The station is at the top and the hospital is indicated by the red arrow at the bottom.
From experience of the area years ago, it is not an easy walk and should a super-hospital be served by buses alone?
The other site is to build it on the old Sutton Hospital. But this is only served by buses from Sutton station, as is the nearby world-class Royal Marsden Hospital. This Google Earth image shows the two hospitals and the nearest rail station at Belmont.
Sutton Hospitals And Belmont Station
There could be possibilities to sort out the transport links in some way to Belmont station, but it only has an infrequent service with nothing on a Sunday.
I have a feeling that if the Tramlink extension is built between Wimbledon and Sutton stations, that if tram-trains were used they could extend down the Epsom Downs branch, with perhaps a loop to serve the developing Health Campus based on the Royal Marsden and perhaps a super-hospital built at Sutton.
Does Milband Want To Alienate Voters?
Ed Miliband today launched the Labour party’s manifesto in Manchester.
Knowing Liverpool as I do, I can imagine some of the chat in the pubs in that city. And probably in other cities like Birmingham, Leeds and Newcastle. And certainly, London!
Certainly, this Londoner feels it was not a good idea to launch in Manchester and perhaps the only worse place would be Scotland.
I think that the only policy you’d launch in Manchester would be one that is specific to the area. Surely, that way if you launched specific policies all over the country, you’d get the most good coverage.
Van Sales Are Rising!
I had a shipment today from IKEA and it was delivered in a new truck efficiently at the time they said it would come.
The growth in on-line purchases is according to this article on the BBC responsible for a rise in truck and van sales.
So are we spending more and boosting jobs in retail and logistics businesses? The BBC article says this!
Online sales in the UK hit £103bn last year, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, creating a booming market for home delivery of orders.
The figure is expected to rise by 12% in 2015 to about £1 in every £4 spent by Britons.
Could this rise in online sales be attributed in part to much better on-line systems and more confidence on the part of purchasers that on-line systems work?
I think it is and if so this will have other effects.
I processed a complex order on-line with IKEA, but why can’t I deal the same way with the NHS on simple repeat prescriptions and appointments?
In a few years time, citizens will want to deal with all health and government business on-line.
We’re getting there in parts, but when we’ve got all simple processes on-line we’ll see a large improvement in service and hopefully a reduction in costs.
It all adds up to another factor, that will ensure whoever wins the 2015 election will have a head-start to winning the next.
Whoever loses this election, will really be a loser for all time! Unless the Luddites make a late comeback!
Clocks In Stereo
I took this picture early one morning.
Clocks In Stereo
They do seem pretty much in agreement!
Work On The Hackney/Downs/Central Link Has Started
The long-awaited pedestrian link between Hackney Downs and Hackney Central stations seems to be arriving on the eastbound Platform 2 at Central.
That could be a bit surprising, as I thought it was arriving on the westbound Platform 1.
This page on London Reconnections has this diagram.
Hackney Downs Central Link
Note that the link goes to Platform 1, whereas it now goes to Platform 2.
I can’t find anything on the usual web sites, but this page on the contractor; Spencer Rail’s web site, says this.
An earlier proposal had to be abandoned because it would interfere with Network Rail signalling equipment. The latest plan avoids this problem by building the interchange on the northern side of the track.
I think for some passengers this will be better. It will probably only make a difference to me, if I’m coming from my son’s in Walthamstow and need to pick up some supper in Marks and Spencer.
On the other hand the link may connect the stations in the dry, but some transfers will mean going up and down the stairs at Hackney Downs, which is a station that is in desperate need of lifts.
Crossrail And The Channel Tunnel Rail Link Compared
The differences between the ventilation and access shafts in Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link seem to be more than you would think.
Those in the newer tunnel appear to be smaller and possibly lesser in number. Certainly after a redesigned Crossrail abandoned eight further shafts, which must have been a substantial saving.
Perhaps too, as Crossrail has stations in its tunnels under London, the number of shafts can be reduced.
If you look at the pictures of the five Channel Tunnel ventilation shafts, you will see a series of brutal brick towers more equivalent to Napoleonic War defence installations, than anything built in this century. None of those for Crossrail have yet been built, but they seem to be innovative structures that enhance rather than confront their environment. This page on the Fereday-Pollard web site shows a few concepts. I particularly like this visualisation of the concept for the ventilation shaft in Mile End Park.
Mile End Park Ventilation Shaft
This is another almost cheeky concept from this page on the Acanthus Architects web site.
Crossrail Ventilation Shaft By Acanthus
This Google Earth image may show the location of this ventilation shaft.
Ranelagh And Westbourne Bridges
The shaft is above the Royal Oak portal by the elevated A40 Westway between Ranelagh and Westbourne Bridges over the Great Western Main Line into Paddington station.
I think it all points to Crossrail 2 being simpler still! But then with my experience of watching projects for many years, as each version of a series of similar projects gets implemented, the engineers and managers ratchet up the design quality, speed of construction and efficiency.
The Anonymous Widower 