Improving Bus Information
The latest bus shelters seem to have video screen for advertising.
The shelter shown is outside South Tottenham station.
The shelter has no bus information.
Would it not be a good idea to incorporate bus information in a window in this screen?
Improving Safety On Stations
Some of London’s stations have stairs down to the platforms as this picture taken at Hampstead Heath station on the North London Line shows.
Hampstead Heath is a fully-rebuilt station.
- Each platform has a set of stairs and a lift.
- The stairs are also divided into two by a central double handrail.
Transport for London have posters everywhere, that say that passengers shouldn’t rush and to hold the handrail.
But accidents do happen, as I witnessed a few days ago at Manor House station.
So would it be safer, if at the top of the stairs, there was a display showing how long it was to the next couple of trains?
It might just encourage people to slow down, if they knew they had eight minutes before the next train, or it wasn’t for their destination.
The Mayflower At South Tottenham Station
The steam engine called Mayflower came through South Tottenham station this morning.
It was the first steam special along the Gospel Oak to Barking Line since the recent electrification.
Intriguingly, the locomotive is younger than I am and it has probably had better TLC than I have had in the last seventy years.
The crowd at the station wasn’t that large, but I don’t think there was that much publicity, outside of enthusiasts and the Barking – Gospel Oak Rail Users Group.
As an engineer, I think that the enlightened policy of allowing heritage steam and diesel locomotives to use the main line, is a good one. If it encourages bright students to become engineers, all the investment will be repaid in the long term.
Funding For Homes And A New Railway Station In North London
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
The government has said, that two major housing developments will be built in London beside new railway stations.
Brent Cross Thameslink
The development and the funding for Brent Cross West station is introduced by this paragraph.
The larger investment will see £320 million being spent on a new Brent Cross West Thameslink station which will lead to a new community of 7,500 properties being built. This is in addition to the £97m grant awarded in the 2016 budget bringing total government investment £416.5 million.
Other points about the development include.
- The development is on the site of the Cricklewood depot.
- The station could be asn interchange with the West London Orbital Railway.
- A contractor should be appointed this year, with opeing in 2022.
- Services could be eight trains per hour (tph) in the Peak and four tph in the Off Peak.
- A public bridge over the railway will be included.
- There will be new offices.
- The Brent Cross Shopping Centre will be extended.
- The £320 million investment will be repaid from business rates from the commercial development.
It all seems to me, that there could be a lot of winners here.
Old Oak Common
The development and the funding for Old Oak Common station is described by this paragraph.
The government will also be providing £250 million so up to 13,000 new homes can be built close to the new HS2 railway station at Old Oak Common.
This scheme provides more properties, but it doesn’t as yet include the commercial development.
Conclusion
London seems to be building more housing, that at any time in my life.
‘Washington Feels Like An Island’ – Minister Agrees To Consider Case For Bringing Metro To Town After MP Raises Issue In Parliament
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Sunderland Echo.
These are the first two paragraphs.
She asked: “What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington?”
She added: “Residents of Washington often feel like the town is an island compared with neighbouring cities and towns. It contains 70,000 of my constituents, 70% of whom use their car to get to work.
The Minister thanked the MP for her comments and said they would be taken into consideration.
Washington station was on the Leamside Line. There have been plans for over ten years to reopen this line to passenger trains linked to the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Under Proposed Extensions And Suggested Improvements in the Wikipedia entry for the Tyne and Wear Metro this is said.
Washington, either via the disused Leamside line or a new route. Present planning may lead to the Leamside line being opened at least as far as Washington as a conventional rail line for passengers as well as freight, although this could be shared with Metro trains in the same way as the line from Pelaw Junction to Sunderland. In 2009 ATOC suggested reopening the Leamside line as far south as Washington.[70] On 12 July 2010 local MP Sharon Hodgson started an online petition on the website of local radio station Sun FM to get the Metro extended to Washington.
It is also intriguing to look at the specification for the new trains, where this is said.
During supplier engagement events in 2018, Nexus have now removed the provision for dual voltage operation from the specification, with preference for passive provision for future battery storage technology.
These are my thoughts.
- Battery technology is an interesting possibility for an extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington, as it’s only a few miles.
- The junction between the Leamside Line and the Tyne and Wear Metro would be easier to build, if trains only went North to Newcastle.
- Heavy rail could be used to Washington, but on balance it would probably be easier to use the Metro, as where would heavy rail trains turn?
- There is also a good suggestion to develop a South Shields to Sunderland service. This would balance services to Sunderland, if some Sunderland services were switched to Washington.
There certainly seems to be a lot of support for reopening railways in the North East!
ProRail And Arriva Launch Automation Trials
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
I have posted this article, because it lays out in a simple way, the benefits of digital signalling and Automatic Train Operation.
Hastings Bus Stop Note Lands Homeless Man Job
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first paragraph.
A man who has been living on the streets for nine years has been found a home and job after a teenager spotted his note posted next to a bus stop.
This is a must-read heartwarming story.
My father always reckoned if you wanted something from an individual, company or organisation, that a polite, well-written note often got results.
It’s a technique, I’ve used all my life and it has been successful on the whole.
This guy has just used a modern version, helped by a school-girl and social media.
Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
FirstGroup has finalised an order for five Hitachi AT300 electric trainsets which it will use to launch a London – Edinburgh open access service in autumn 2021.
The trains appear to be be similar to those used by FirstGroup companies; Hull Trains and Great Western Railway.
These are some points from the article.
- FirstGroup is targeting the two-thirds of passengers, who fly between London and Edinburgh.
- They are also targeting business passengers, as the first train arrives in Edinburgh at 10:00.
- The trains are five-cars.
- The trains are one class with onboard catering, air-conditioning, power sockets and free wi-fi.
- Stops will be five trains per day with stops at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth.
- The trains will take around four hours.
- The service will start in Autumn 2021.
These are my observations.
Earlier Start
I suspect that the service can’t start earlier, due to one of the following.
- The lead time in building the trains.
- Completion of the new Werrington Junction.
- Completion of the sorting of Kings Cross.
- Completion of the works at Stevenage station.
The track works will probably be needed to create the extra paths needed on the East Coast Main Line.
Electric-Only Trains
Most other AT300 trains are bi-mode trains, but will these be electric-only?
Capacity Issues
If the trains prove too small, they can just add extra carriages or two trains can run as a pair.
Timetables
Trains will probably take nine hours for a round-trip, allowing 30 minutes for turnround.
This would mean that two trains leaving London and Edinburgh at six, would arrive back at home after two round trips around midnight.
Conclusion
I think it will be a successful service.
Government Promises To Look ‘Very Carefully’ At £218m Bid For Second Chelmsford Station
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
The government will look “very carefully” at a £218m funding bid for a new railway station in Chelmsford, Theresa May has said.
It was said in response to a question in Prime Minister’s Questions.
Beaulieu station has been a long time coming.
The Anonymous Widower 