Towers At Lewisham Station – 2nd February 2019
Lewisham station is becoming increasingly surrounded by tower blocks.
With the Bakerloo Line Extension planned to reach the new station around 2030, surely it is time to rebuild the station with more blocks over the tracks.
Wind Farms Sale Is Breath Of Fresh Air After Merger Setback
The title of this post, is the same as that as an article in the Business pages of The Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Selling stakes in two wind farms for £635million will provide funds to reduce debt and to launch up to £200million of share buybacks, SSE said yesterday.
Amongst the purchasers of the stake in the wind farms is an unnamed British pension fund.
So yet again, we’re seeing pension funds investing our future in wind farms.
It is a trend that will continue, as pension funds look for safe places to put the massive funds they have under management.
- We need the electricity the farms produce.
- The engineering of wind farms will get better, and farms will be more reliable and produce electricity economically for years longer.
- The farrms will probably get the best of maintenance, as pension funds will protect their investment.
In addition to wind, I suspect pension funds and insurance companies will invest in other large renewable energy schemes like solar and wave power and energy storage.
Schemes, such as those I mentioned in Exciting Renewable Energy Project for Spennymoor, will surely be ones that will appeal to the funds.
Conclusion
Pension funds and insurance companies with their massive funds are becoming a major force in vutting carbon emissions.
I suspect that this is not just a UK trend, but one with a world-wide dimension, that includes a lot of the EU, the Far East, North American and Australia.
Kidbrooke Village
Kidbrooke Village is a new housing estate next to Kidbrooke station. Previously, the site was occupied by the Ferrier Estate.
The estate has over five thousand units and several towers.
I think we’re going to see a lot more developments like this.
- Good quality housing (Hopefully!)
- Local employment.
- Shops
- Parkland
I think that a railway station with a frequent well-connected service is essential. Kidbroke has a train every ten minutes in both directions, with a choice of three London terminals.
Developers like a rail service, as it makes units easier to sell or rent and the amount of car parking can be reduced.
Hopefully Kidbrooke will be turned into a thriving community.
New Tracks. New Platforms At Ipswich Station. And Faster Trains. Will East Anglia’s Rail Bosses Be Able To Deliver?
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the East Anglian Daily Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Rail bosses have outlined a bold new vision for the East Anglian network over the next 25 years at a major transport conference in Ipswich.
A number of possible projects were outlined.
New Tracks For The Main Line
Possibilities include.
- Two new tracks between Shenfield and Chelmsford,
- A third track between Witham and Chelmsford.
- New tracks South of Colchester,
- New tracks between Ipswich and Haughley Junction.
these are my observations South of Colchester.
- Two extra tracks should be possible between Shenfield and Chelmsford, but there would be some bridge reconstruction and the problem of Ingatestone station.
- The third track between Witham and Chelmsford should be possible with only one major bridge South of Witham station.
- There would appear to be space to fit in two extra tracks between Marks Tey and Colchester.
Although much of the line is only double-track, it does run through mainly farming country and there appears to be fairly wide green spaces on either side for much of the route.
These are my observations between Ipswich and Haughley Junction.
- The line goes through the towns of Needham Market and Stowmarket and it would appear putting in extra tracks would be difficult in places.
- There are also several bridges and a couple of level crossings.
But it does look like much of the route between Stowmarket Haughley Junction could have extra tracks added.
Removing Bottle-Necks
Two bottle-necks were specifically mentioned.
- Haughley Junction
- The Trowse swing bridge just South of Norwich.
The later would allow more services into Norwich.
Expanding Ipswich Station
The article says this.
New longer trains could force Greater Anglia and Network Rail to lengthen platforms at Ipswich Station – and Greater Anglia is looking at the possibility of building new platforms on what is currently the freight depot next to Platform Four.
Expansion of the station would allow more service to Cambridge, Lowestoft and Peterborough.
Boosting Smaller Stations
The article says this.
The growth in passenger numbers at the largest stations on the GEML in Essex – Chelmsford and Colchester – has slowed while more passengers are using smaller stations with improved parking facilities. Marks Tey, Manningtree, Kelvedon, Ingatestone, and Hatfield Peveral have become more popular with commuters driving to stations because they don’t have to drive into the heart of large towns or cities to find an expensive parking space.
I used to live near to Dullingham station, which is a commuter station for Cambridge. When I last used the station, it could do with more facilities.
Will this policy be complemented by the reopening of sclosed stations?
The article also talks about faster services and the improving of regional services.
Conclusion
East Anglia is going to get much better rail services.
Progress At The New Platforms At Waterloo – 2nd February 2019
I took these pictures of the so-called orchestra pit at Waterloo station and the walkway to the South Bank.
I think that it could be impressive.
Doping Bans For 12 Russian Athletes Including 2012 Olympic Champion Ivan Ukhov
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
London 2012 Olympic high jump champion Ivan Ukhov is among 12 Russian track and field athletes banned for doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Three years of Ukhov’s results, including the 2012 Olympics, have been disqualified, meaning Britain’s Robert Grabarz could be upgraded to silver.
I grew up in the 1960s, where Russian and East German athletes used every trick in the book to win.
Many clean athletes like the incomparable Kathy Cook, never won the medals they deserved, competing against athletes cheating like mad.
Let’s hope the Russians aren’t returning to the bad old days.
Chris Grayling On The RMT
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled I’m A Lightning Rod’: Grayling Dismisses Criticism From Rail Unions And ‘Anti-Brexit Brigade’
This is Grayling’s view of the RMT.
“This is a trade union that regards Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party as too right-wing to affiliate to and wants to stand in the way of modernisation of the railways.
It is one of the better political put-downs.
‘Light At The End Of The Tunnel’ As Gatwick Express Trains Trial Due To Start
The title of this post, is the same as that fn this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
There has been pressure for Gatwick Express trains to stop at Preston Park station.
The trial will now start this month, with two stops in the Peak hours at 0714 and 1744.
I think that the trial sets an interesting precedent.
- Modern trains like the Class 387 trains used on the Gatwick Express can execute a station stop much faster than earlier trains.
- This could mean, that there is a high chance that operationally, the trial will be a success.
- I can’t imagine a train company agreeing to the trial, if the trains didn’t have the performance to do the extra station stop.
So could ia successful trial at Preston Park station, mean that other groups, start pressing for a stop at their local station?
- The trains would need to be modern ones.
- The trains would need to able to stop at the station.
- The signalling must allow it.
I can also see train companies adding extra station stops to take advantage of changing passenger numbers.
The Anonymous Widower 