Tottenham Hale Station Is Beginning To Make Sense
These are pictures, I took of Tottenham Hale station, this morning.
A few of my observations.
The Cladding Is Going On
The cladding is going on the building above the Victoria Line ticket hall.
It appears to be fireproof glass on a concrete and steel frame.
A Wide Island Platform
Platforms 2 and 3 form a wide island platform.
- Only Platform 3 appears to be in use for London-bound services to both Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Both faces appear long enough for a 240 metre long Stansted Express train.
- There is a step-free bridge at the half-way point of the platform.
- The original bridge with its escalator is still in place.
It is a design with good potential for handling more services.
- Platform 3 could handle all services to Liverpool Street station.
- Platform 2 could handle all services to Stratford station.
Travellers would just walk across the island platform.
The Step-Free Bridge Appears Almost Complete
The bridge appears to be almost complete.
- The bridge has lifts and stairs with double handrails on both sides.
- The lift and stairs on the London-bound side are in the middle of the island platform 2 & 3.
- There is an escalator for London-bound travellers to access the bridge, to give an easy route to the Victoria Line.
There appears to be just a bit of testing before full commissioning.
The Old Bridge Is Still In Place
It still has its up escalator from Platform 2 & 3 and there have been statements that this bridge will be modified to create a link between the Underground station and the developments on the other side of the tracks.
Most Of The Bus And Taxi Interchange Is Complete
With buses and black taxis, the interchange seems finished.
- Much of North and East London can get a bus to and from the station.
- Today, I got a 76 bus to Dalston for a two hundred metre walk.
- But with a heavy case, I’d get a black cab,
Transport planners usual only plan for travellers to and from the City centre.
The Future
The Stratford And Meridian Water Shuttle
This is rumoured to start in September and will probably be the following.
- Two trains per hour (tph) between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.
- Stops will be at Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park stations.
- Trains could be any length up to probably 240 metres, as all platforms are long.
- Current trains take sixteen minutes between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.
In addition services between Stratford and Hertford East and Bishops Stortford stations would stop at Meridian Water, to give the station a four tph service to and from Stratford.
The new Meridian Water station has been built with a dedicated bay platform for the shuttle service.
The bay Platform 2 is on the right and the through Platform 3 is on the left in this picture taken looking North at Meridian Water station.
Two tph to Stratford would leave from each side of this platform.
The new track between Meridian Water and Lea Bridge stations has been built without a passing loop, so the two tph shuttle must probably be run by a single train.
The shuttle would.
- Have exclusive use of the new track between Lea Bridge and Meridian Water stations.
- Have shared use of the existing track between Lea Bridge and Stratford stations.
- Call at Platform 2 at Tottenhale and Northumberlan Park station in both directions.
A two tph shuttle would consist of the following.
- Four journeys between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.
- Twenty-four intermediate station stops.
- Two turnrounds each at Meridian Water and Stratford stations.
- Current turnrounds at Stratford have in excess of twenty minutes to unload and load passengers and for the driver to change ends.
- Greater Anglia will be running the shuttle in September with nearly nearly forty-year-old British Rail-built Class 317 trains.
As there is not enough time to fit the trains with wings and jet engines, what the hell will be happening?
Go to Stratford station and there is an out-of-date sign at the end of Platform 1 and 2, where the Overground trains terminate.
It directs passengers to Platform 12 for Stansted Airport.
It dates from the time, when Stansted Express trains used to go to Stratford station.
They didn’t turnround in Platform 12, but used the High Meads Loop underneath the Eastfield Shopping Centre to reverse direction.
- The train stopped in Platform 12 long enough for passenger to leave and join the train.
- The driver stayed in the same cab and carried on driving.
I suspect that a Class 317 train could go from Platform 1 at Lea Bridge station, round the High Meads Loop and back to Platform 2 at Lea Bridge station, in these split times.
- Lea Bridge to Stratford – 6 minutes.
- Stop in Platform 12 at Stratford – 1 minute
- Straford to Lea Bridge – 6 minutes.
I believe all these times can be achieved by well-driven Class 317 trains, which gives a timing of thirteen minutes.
Currently, Lea Bridge to Meridian Water takes nine minutes in the elderly Class 317 trains, sharing the track with other trains.
But the shuttle trains will have a clear track, once they are on the new track North of Lea Bridge station.
I believe they could do this in perhaps seven minutes.
Applying, the sort of maths a bright nine-year-old should be able to master.
60 – 2*13 – 4*7 = 6
So could you turn a train round at Meridian Water station in three minutes?
- London Overground regularly do this at Dalston Junction station.
- Stepping-up might be needed, where a second driver immediately gets into the rear cab and takes over the train.
But it all leads me to the conclusion, that a single Class 317 train can run a two tph shuttle between Meridian Water and Stratford stations.
The following conditions would apply.
- The trains must use the High Meads Loop.
- There would be a fast stop in Stratford, taking less than a minute.
- Stratford to Lea Bridge times should be six minutes or less.
- Meridian Water to Lea Bridge times should be seven minutes or less.
- Stepping-up might need to be employed at Meridian Water.
- Trains could be up to 240 metres long.
- The trains would have to be well-driven.
There is also the fall-back position, that the new Class 720 trains to be delivered later in the year will have increased performance.
Development Of The High Meads Loop
The High Meads Loop is an almost unique piece of railway infrastructure on the UK rail network.
- The simpler Wirral Line Loop under Liverpool turns upwards of twelve tph back for the Wirral Line.
- The Wirral Line also has four stations on the loop.
- I believe the High Meads Loop could easily handle a similar frequency to the Wirral Line Loop.
- The High Meads Loop is also double-track.
I believe, that currently, the High Meads Loop is only planned to only handle the following services.
- Two tph – Meridian Water Shuttle
- Two tph – West Anglia Main Line services.
There is a lot more capacity to handle services from the West Anglia Main Line or its branches.
Liverpool Street And Meridian Water Services
When the Field Day Festival took place a couple of weeks ago, Greater Anglia stopped several services, including some Stansted Express services at Meridian Water station to bring festival-goers back to Central London.
Currently, the following Liverpool Street services pass through Meridian Water station.
- Two tph – Liverpool Street and Hertford East
- Two tph – Liverpool Street and Cambridge
- Four tph – Stansted Express
As Greater Anglia’s new fleet of trains, will all be optimised for fast stops, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Greater Anglia services to and from Liverpool Street station doing the following.
- Northbound services would stop in Platform 4 at Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations.
- Southbound services would stop in Platform 3 at Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations.
If Northumberland Park and Median Water stations deserve four tph to and from Stratford, surely they deserve the same frequency to and from Liverpool Street. Could both Cambridge and Hertford East services stop at Northumberland Park and Meridian Water station?
- Both Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations could get direct services to and from Liverpool Street station.
- The island platforms at all three stations could give some useful cross-platform interchanges.
Stations North of Tottenham Hale would get these frequencies to and from the station and the Victoria Line.
- Eight tph – Northumberland Park
- Eight tph – Meridian Water
- Two tph – Ponders End
- Two tph – Brimsdown
- Four tph – Enfield Lock
- Three tph – Waltham Cross
- Six tph – Cheshunt
- Six tph – Broxbourne
Note.
- With a few extra stops by Stratford services, all stations between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne could get at least a very customer-friendly four tph.
- If your station didn’t have a Stratford service, there would be a cross- or same-platform interchange going at Tottenham Hale station.
- Using Stratford and Crossrail may be preferable on some journeys than Tottenham Hale sand the Victoria Line.
- In this hot weather give me an air-conditioned Aventra over a furnace on the Victoria Line any time.
A Lea Valley Metro could be emerging.
Stansted Express And Meridian Water
Consider.
- Various arguments and statistics could be used to decide whether Stansted Express trains stopped at Meridian Water station.
- I suspect too, that if Spurs continue to play in Europe, that a strong case can be made for stopping Stansted Expresses at Northumberland Park station.
- But the performance of the trains on the West Anglia Main Line will enable Greater Anglia to do what’s best for passengers and profits.
As Greater Anglia did a couple of weeks ago with the Field Day Festival, they can even be selective.
Stansted Express And Stratford
The Stansted Express is currently a four tph service between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.
Consider.
- In the past, Stansted Expresses ran to and from Stratford.
- As they did in the past, they could terminate in the High Meads Loop at Stratford.
- Big International events are held at Stratford.
- The Central Line links Stratford and Liverpool Street.
- Crossrail will link Stratford and Liverpool Street at a frequency of twelve tph.
- Stratford and Tottenham Hale will soon be linked at a frequency of four tph.
- Extra trains could be needed to run Stansted Expresses to and from Stratford.
I think that running a Stansted |Express to and from Stratford that will remain under review and could be implemented at some date in the future.
In Future Stansted Airport Train Services, I outline how trains might serve Stansted Airport from Norwich and Stratford stations.
Any trains between Stratford and Stanstead Airport, would probably terminate in the High Meads Loop, as they did in the past.
Should High Meads Loop Services Use Platform 11 Or Platform 12?
When Stansted Express services used the High Meads Loop a few years ago, they used to use Platform 12, as the sign still shows.
It could obviously handle the planned four tph, but suppose the High Meads Loop was handling twelve or sixteen tph, as a high-frequency route to Crossrail would Platform 11 be a better option?
Certainly, if the High Meads Loop was handling a lot of services including Stansted Express, Cambridge and local services, there would need to be a lot of thought about how to organise passengers.
There would need to be a fast pedestrian route between Platform 11 or 12 and the two Crossrail/Central Line platforms.
Extra Services That Could Use The High Meads Loop
As I said earlier, I think that if a Stratford and Stansted Airport service is revived, it will use the High Meads Loop.
My preference would be to run a Stratford and Norwich service, that would call at Stansted Airport.
- It would serve greatly increase capacity all along the West Anglia Main Line, through Cambridge.
- It could give intermediate stations a direct service to Stansted Airport.
- Two tph would be a sensible frequency.
- Calls could include Tottenham Hale, Broxbourne, Harlow, Bishops Stortford, Whittlesford Parkway, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely and all stations to Norwich.
A two tph service would need twelve Class 755 trains.
The High Meads Loop would also be available to turn extra local services.
One possibility is to reinstate the Hall Farm Curve and run services between Chingford and Stratford.
The level crossing at Highams Park station is a problem, but in Improving The Chingford Branch Line, I outlined how it could be possible to run four tph between Chingford and Stratford stations, using clever timetabling, digital signalling and good driver aids.
Another possibility is to terminate some London Overground services from Cheshunt and Enfield Town at Stratford, instead of Liverpool Street.
Services could be .
- Two tph between Enfield Town and Liverpool Street
- Two tph between Cheshunt and Liverpool Street
- Two tph between Enfield Town and Stratford.
- Two tph between Cheshunt and Stratford.
This would mean.
- London Overground’s preferred frequency of four tph to Enfield Town and Cheshunt.
- All stations between Edmonton Green and Seven Sisters, including White Hart Lane, would get an eight tph service to London and Crossrail.
- Four tph in both directions would call at South Tottenham station to give a same platform interchange with the Gospel Oak to Barking Line..
Most of the infrastructure is already in place, although improvements might be needed to the Seven Sisters Chord, that links Seven Sisters station to the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
Summing up, I believe we could see the following services using the High Meads Loop.
- Two tph to and from Meridian Water
- Two tph to and from Bishops Stortford via Meridian Water
- Two tph to and from Norwich via Stansted
- Four tph to and from Chingford via the Hall Farm Curve.
- Two tph to and from Enfield Town via South Tottenham and Seven Sisters
- Two tph to and from Cheshunt via South Tottenham and Seven Sisters
That is an easy-to-handle fourteen tph.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr, shows the lines connecting the North London Line and the High Meads Loop to platforms 1m 2, 11 and 12 at Stratford station.
Given that freight trains pass through the area to get between the North London Line and the Great Eastern Main Line, there may need to be some track reorganisation to make full use of the High Meads Loop.
Digital signalling would also help, as it would all over the London Overground network.
I think it would not be unreasonable to expect that in some point in the future twenty tph could be running around the High Meads Loop.
A new rail terminus for London would have been created with the ability to handle more trains than either Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street or Marylebone. stations.
Could we see all West Anglia Main Line services terminate in the High Meads Loop?
Probably not, as the platform wouldn’t be able to cope with all the passengers.
Crossrail 2
If Crossrail 2 is ever built, it will terminate at Broxbourne on the West Anglia Main Line.
It will need four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne stations, which will create massive disruption for passengers and residents.
Conclusion
There is a lot of development, that is possible on the West Anglia Main Line to make it into a world-class commuter route and a main line route with good services to Stansted Airport, Cambridge and Norwich.
Cambridge is a big growth point in the UK economy and dveloping the West Anglia Main Line will only improve the economy of the area.
Refereeing At The Women’s World Cup
At times, as in today’s England game against Cameroon, refereeing has not been of the highest quality.
I watch a lot of football and being a referee is something I would not want to do!
But I do have a few thoughts!
Are Some Of The Referees Not Fit Enough?
I have my suspicions on this one, as some of the bad decisions seem to have happened, when the referee is behind the play!
Referees from major football playing countries, probably officiate in many more games and come under much more scrutiny about their fitness, than they do in other countries.
Was It A Mistake To Send Referees Home From The Last Sixteen Countries?
I know why FIFA has done this, but does it get rid of a lot of the best and most experienced referees?
Perhaps delaying until the last eight would have been better?
Should We Integrate More Women Officials Into The Men’s Game?
We are always hearing that there is a shortage of referees for matches in the UK
I wouldn’t be surprised that this is a problem in a lot of countries, with large league structures.
Surely, welcoming more women into the profession would help to ease the shortage.
I actually, think, as with many other trades and professions, the shortage will mean that more women are welcome.
I should say that at Ipswich in the Chapionship, we have had the occasional woman assistant referee and there hasn’t been any adverse crowd reaction.
But, I suspect, other crowds and possibly countries wouldn’t be so friendly.
Conclusion
The standard of refereeing by women will improve, as more come into the game, due to the shortages.
But no real progress will be made in the UK, until a woman referees a high-profile League or Cup match.
The first time it happens, will be down to a chapter of unfortunate circumstances.
Perhaps a team of four for a match will contain two women, one of whom will be the fourth official.
The man refereeing the match, becomes unable to do so, as happens a couple of times during matches in the Premier League every year.
Perhaps, the man running the line has made a terrible howler and is getting stick from an angry crowd.
So, the inevitable decision will be made.
After all, Bibiana Steinhaus, has refereed in the Bundesliga for a couple of years.
One of her problems according to Wikipedia, has been that Iran cut her out of broadcasts of matches, when she is the referee.
But then there’s no accounting for that religious basket-case!
The Importance Of Libraries For Research
I went to a fund-raising event for Book Aid at the British Library on Monday evening.
The main purpose was to raise funds for the library in Mosul, which has been wrecked by IS.
The event made me think, about the number of times in the 1960s and 1970s, I used libraries for research.
- My undergraduate thesis was about analogue computing and I used information about how Lord Kelvin and his elder brother; James, were developing and using mechanical analogue computers in the late 1800s, that I had found in the Liverpool University library.
- A few years later, whilst working for ICI, I found that by properly searching Chemical Abstracts in their library, I could find the solution to difficult problems. Nowadays, you’d use the Internet!
- When I developed Artemis, I needed methods to improve the performance of the software. Some I developed myself, but one particular algoithm used for linking datasets together was found in a paper, written in the 1960s in IBM’s library. In those days, getting the maximum performance from not very powerful computers was more difficult and the algorithm was important.
- These days, with everything on the Internet I use libraries less. Although, I regularly visit Hackney’s Records Office near to where I live, to browse old images, reference books and maps.
Do we all underestimate the part books, play in our lives?
A Brief Glimpse Of The Class 799 Train On BBC Breakfast
The Class 799 train is being launched today and BBC Breakfast were there with cameras.
These are my thoughts.
A Test Train
Helen Simpson from Porterbrook, said it was very much a test train.
Seats appear to be in some of the cars.
It looks like Birmingham University have sensibly put the hydrogen drive system in one or both of the two central cars, which in the original Class 319 train were given the designations PMSO and MSOL
The Hydrogen Tanks And Fuel Cell
The hydrogen tanks didn’t appear to be unduly large, which suggests, the the train is not going for a very long rang. But it is only a test train.
The fuel cell was clearly marked from Ballard and was just a large anonymous box. I would think, that it was probably upwards of 100 kW.
It should be noted that the Class 319 train was originally a 1,000 kW train, with a top speed of 100 mph and good acceleration.
I’ll be interested to see what size these components are, when they are published.
The Battery System
The battery did appear to be large, but then these are probably not batteries designed to fit the train, but what is available.
As with the hydrogen tanks and fuel cell, sizes would appear to have been chosen large enough to make sure that the train is not significantly less powerful, than current Class 319 trains.
Does Boris Need To Be Prime Minister For The Flat And The Money?
According to Camilla long in The Sunday Times, Boris is living n a flat in Camberwell and outside is his 1995 Toyota people carrier, sdorned with a few parking tickets.
It sounds to me, like the lifestyle of a loser, not that of someone, who aspires to lead the country.
Jeremy Hunt is shown on the Internet driving a clean Volkswagen estate, that appears to be a few years old.
So is Boris short of money, as he strives to win the most important election of his life?
There is also the small matter of his divorce from the barrister; Marina Wheeler.
Even if she is not a divorce specialist, then one of her friends will be an expert is making sure the wayward Boris is strewed, glued and tattooed.
Conclusion
Winning the election and the free flat and increased salary would do Boris just fine.
Free Device Charging On The Overground
This picture, that I took at Shoreditch High Street station, says it all.
There were a selection of leads for all the different devices.
A Plaintiff Plea On Wake Up To Money
I regularly listen to Wake Up to Money on BBC Radio 5 Live.
One morning, they were talking to Kentucky Fried Chicken about their new vegan burgers. As a coeliac, I say Yuck! to that!
Somebody else texted the program and said something like.
I’m a coeliac, how about more gluten-free food.
In fact it was a bad week for me as a coeliac last week.
- I found Beyond Bread had closed on Upper Street.
- Le Petite Bretagne closed in Dalston.
- I spent about twenty minutes looking for a coffee and a gluten-free cake in Liverpool Street.
All this passion for vegan and vegetarian food, is marginalising those like me, who have to avoid gluten.
I’ve still got a couple of cafes in Dalston, where this is possible and I could always go to M & S and take a cake home.
But I refuse to buy an expensive coffee maker.
After Liverpool Street, I ended up in Leon in Moorgate.
Note the excellent gluten-free cake and the posh cup and saucer.
Note, that because of my stroke, I like a proper china cup or mug
I tend to avoid American-owned chains like Costa and Starbucks, as some American gluten-free practices are suspect to say the least. I used to like Cadbury’s Bournville chocolate, but now I believe it uses addictive wheat-derived glucose, I wouldn’t dare touch it.
As I said finding good cafes and restaurants that do gluten free well is becoming more difficult.
- Carluccio’s is creaking and many that I used regularly like Glasgow, Islington, Liverpool and Westfield have closed.
- Pattiserie Valerie is struggling and has closed a lot of outlets.
- Jamie’s Italian has gone bust.
- If I go a bit upmarket, there is Bill’s and Cote, but they are not ideal for a fast pit-stop.
As last week, I suspect that most coeliacs hope that Leon or others following their relaxed, quirky and customer and diet-friendly model, prosper.
Freedoming
These days many pensioners like me, get free public transport in their local area.
Londoners like me, get a Freedom Pass, which gives free buses, Underground, Overground, trams and trains, within the M25.
I will often get up, look at the BBC London News, the weather and other sources. I may then decide to go to Canary Wharf, Richmond ir wherever to have a walk, see an exhibition or whatever.
London is an amazing cornucopia of delights, which is a sentiment echoed by others who live close to our other great cities.
Free public transport enables this lifestyle.
I think the various cafe and restaurant chains can tap into this lifestyle, as often one of the reason to go to a place is to have a good meal or a drinki.
If like me, you like particular chains, I believe that their web sites could be an important part in planning how to waste a few hours.
Suppose, their web site had the following features.
- A simple list of all their cafes and restaurant, with st most a short description like “Close to Pierhead”
- The ability to sign up to a simple e-mail alert of new openings and closures. Note the word simple!
I believe that if I got a message saying a chain had opened in say Kingston, it might prompt me to go and have a walk and perhaps lunch, with a friend I haven’t seen for years.
Note.
- Lists are much better than maps, if you don’t know the area.
- Companies are relying too much on apps, which are OK for finding places near where you are, but are useless, if you are using the cafe or restaurant, as the resewn to go or the starting point for an explore.
- I believe Carluccio’s troubles started, when they abandoned their list on their web site. I told them so in strong terms.
Patteriserie Valerie has an excellent list.
Mathematics Of A Stadler Flirt Akku Battery Train
In Stadler Receives First Flirt Akku Battery Train Order, I quoted this from as that of this article in Railway Gazette International.
Schleswig-Holstein transport authority NAH.SH has selected Stadler to supply 55 Flirt Akku battery multiple-units to operate regional services and provide 30 years of maintenance.
This is a substantial order for a large number of trains and many years of maintenance, and would appear to be structured similarly to deals in East Anglia, Glasgow and Liverpool in the UK.
Does The Train Have A Central Power-Pack Car?
Is the Flirt Akku, similar to Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains and other of the companies products, in that it has a central power-pack car?
This picture shows a Class 755 train at Norwich.
Note that this four-car train has four full-size cars and a shorter one, that doesn’t appear to have any doors or proper windows.
This is the power-pack car, which in these trains has the following properties.
- The power-pack car is 6.69 metres long.
- The power-pack car is identical in both the four-car and three-car versions of the Class 755 trains.
- The four-car trains have four diesel engines.
- The three-car trains have two diesel engines.
The number of engines possible, leads me to believe there are four slots for engines in the power-pack car.
Transport for Wales have ordered a number of Flirts, which are similar to those in use by Greater Anglia, but they are tri-mode trains, that can run on overhead 25 KVAC electrification, diesel or battery power.
I speculate that they have one diesel engine and three batteries in the four slots.
This is a picture of the Flirt Akku.
I have enlarged the image and it would appear that the trains do not have a central power-pack car, but they do seem to have a lot of electrical gubbins on the roof.
This video shows the Class 755 train being tested at Diss.
It looks to have a much smoother roof line.
Could this indicate that the batteries on the Akku are placed on the roof of the train, as there is certainly a lot of equipment up there?
The Anonymous Widower 