Ticketing On Heathrow Southern Railway
This article on City AM is entitled New Elizabeth Line Services Are Coming To Heathrow’s Terminal 5 After Airport Strikes Deal With The Government and TfL. It contains this paragraph.
Heathrow has also announced that it is introducing Oyster and contactless payments for all rail services going into the airport. From May 2018, new ticket readers will be installed at Heathrow, so anyone using Heathrow Express and TfL Rail will be able to use an Oyster or contactless.
When I passed through Heathrow a couple of weeks ago, there was evidence of new ticket gates being installed.
Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Services
Heathrow Southern Railway are proposing four services to the West of Terminal 5 at Heathrow.
- Heathrow Express from Terminal 5 to Woking, Guildford and Basingstoke, with an additional stop at Farnborough Main.
- Crossrail from Terminal 5 to Staines
- A service from Terminal 5 to Waterloo with stops at Staines, Clapham Junction and possibly Ashford, Felham, Twickenham, Richmond and Vauxhall.
- A service from Terminal 5 to Weybridge with stops at Egham, Virginia Water, Chertsey and Addlestone.
Some of the stations like those between Feltham and Waterloo already accept contactless ticking, but surely all of them must if Heathrow Southern Railway is built, as you’ll be able to use contactless ticketing at Heathrow, but not at say Woking or Basingstoke.
Onward From Basingstoke, Guildford And Woking
A proportion of travellers from places like Bournemouth, Exeter, Portsmouth, Salisbury and Southampton will use Heathrow Southern Railway to get to the airport, with an appropriate change at Basingstoke, Guidford or Woking.
Will these travellers want to use contactless ticketing?
Conclusion
There will be a lot of discussions about ticketing on the Heathrow Southern Railway.
These ticketing issues, help to make it very understandable, why MTR, a partner in South Western Railway, want to join the Heathrow Southern Railway, as I wrote about in MTR Vying To Join Heathrow Southern Rail Bid.
Travellers want the ticketing system with the least hassle and as London is proving, contactless ticketing with bank cards works well!
HS2 Need To Get Their Act Together
Crossrail has been good in keeping Londoners and others informed about designs and what is happening, with constant updates to the News page on their web site.
Last month, HS2 started the contractual process to find a builder for the HS2 station at Old Oak Common.
But there is nothing about it on their News page, which is just a load of press releases.
I have found this picture of the proposed station in several places on the Internet.
But where is the detailed information page, which explains it all?
I found this map of the rail lines in Wikipedia Commons.
Note.
- It would appear that the rail line going along the North side of the common in the visualisation is the Great Western Main Line, which will also be used by Crossrail.
- It appears that the rail loop in the foreground of the visualisation, which is not shown on the map, is to allow Crossrail trains to access the North London Line.
- There must be another proposed loop or viaduct to allow trains to connect to the Northbound West Coast Main Line. This would allow Crossrail to be extended to Watford and Milton Keynes.
Where is the definitive map and information from HS2?
Old Oak Common station will affect travel plans for millions of travellers to and from most parts of London and a lot of places in the wider South East.
No wonder, there are people who don’t want HS2 to be built, if they have no information!
So why aren’t HS2 following the same news and information route, that has been successful for Crossrail?
More Train Services Between Leeds, Huddersfield And Manchester
This article on the Huddersfield Daily Examiner is entitled Important Timetable Changes For Huddersfield Rail Passengers Heading To Manchester.
It is a good explanation of the major changes that will take place to TransPennine Express services after the 20th of May.
- There will be four fast trains between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester Victoria station
- There will be two slow trains between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly station
- But nothing is said about Northern services.
I suspect, it will be sorted by the time the service starts.
I would check before you travel.
Hopefully, if you want to go to Piccadilly and get on a train that only goes to Victoria, it will be a same platform interchange to continue, your journey if your ticket is marked Manchester Stastions.
I would assume that you won’t be able to touch in with a contactless card on this short journey as is becoming the norm in a lot of the World.
Ticketing in the North is so Nineteenth Century.
TfL In Talks Over Extending Crossrail Eastwards
The title of this article is the sam as that of this article on Construction News.
The article talks about the following.
- Extending from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet International.
- TfL has had discussions with Network Rail.
Serious talks may well happen, once the new Southeastern Franchise takes over later this year.
Noise From Trains Revisited
Nearly, two years ago, I wrote a post entitled Are You Annoyed By Noisy Trains At The Bottom Of Your Garden?.
A few days ago, the post had a comment from a lady saying this.
we live on top of thames link between st pancras and farringdon stations. We are used to the trains having lived here for nearly 30 years. But recently in the last 6 months 2017/2018 the noise and vibration from the trains has increased also the frequency. From before 6am until after 1am in the morning. These new trains make the house rattle and you can feel the vibration through the floor. You have to turn up the radio or TV and visitors always comment on how do you manage to live with it.
No one seems to know anything when I made enquiries to thameslink. Spoke to me as if i was completely mad.
I contacted the lady and the problem seems to be that the eight-car Class 700 trains are the problem.
Now if the twelve-car trains are quieter, it sounds to me, that there must be a peculiar resonance between eight-car trains and the track.
According to Wikipedia, the train formations are.
- Eight-car – Bo’Bo’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’+2’2’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’
- Twelve-car – Bo’Bo’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’+Bo’Bo’+2’2’+2’2’+ 2’2’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’+Bo’Bo’+2’2’+Bo’Bo’
Note.
- Bo’Bo’ is a powered-car.
- 2’2′ is a trailer car.
- The plus sign separates each car.
From my engineering knowledge, could it be something to do with the fact that the twelve-car train has four trailer cars in the middle of the train, whereas the eight-car train has only two.
I suspect that these trains were designed as twelve-car units and because of the problems of lengthening some platforms, Siemens were asked if they could build an eight-car version as well.
With the dynamics tuned to the twelve-car train, I’m not surprised that the eight-car trains create an annoying resonance.
I shall be using my Freedom Pass to investigate this phenomenon, by riding in the middle sections of these trains.
‘Assassination List’ A&E Doctor Jailed For 12 Years
The title of this post5 is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
A former A&E consultant has been jailed for 12 years for possessing firearms with intent to endanger life.
Dr Martin Watt, who worked at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie from 1994, was sacked in 2012 following disciplinary proceedings.
The 62-year-old was later found with three sub-machine guns, two pistols, ammunition and an “assassination list” of those he blamed for his dismissal.
Why do guns make people lose their minds?
I find this a chilling tale!
New Istanbul Tram Line To Be Catenary-Free
The title of this post, is the same as that in this article on Global Rail News.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Contractor Dogus Construction has selected Alstom to supply a full APS ground-level power supply solution for the Eminönü-Alibeyköy tram line in Istanbul.
Choosing Alstom’s street-level power rail solution means that the 10km-long line will be entirely catenary-free.
I suspect, catenary-free will become the norm, either using systems like in Istanbul or batteries like the Midland Metro.
Could Improved Public Transport Cut Crime?
London is going through a murder epidemic at the moment, mainly with knives and a couple of guns.
I’m not worried about it, as why would anybody bother a seventy-year-old man, who doesn’t have the best dress sense?
But I wasn’t always old and I can remember the 1950s and 1960s, where things weren’t as idyllic, as those who voted Brexit like to think.
A friend of mine was a policeman in the East End in those days and he has some interesting tales.
Return To Dalston
I moved to Dalston in 2010, after the deaths of my wife and our thirty-seven year-old son from cancer, and a serious stroke, which left me with damaged eyesight and unable to drive.
You might ask, why I moved from deepest Suffolk to a slightly run-down area of London? Free public transport was a big draw!
A hundred and thirty years ago, all my grandparents and lots of relatives lived in this area.
My paternal grandmother would shop in the Marks and Spencer and the Woollies at the Angel, as I still do, although the Woollies is now a Waitrose.
This part-Jewish, part-Huguenot, part-Devonian, very stubborn London mongrel has come home!
An Observation
When I moved here, if I walked down Kingsland High Street, at times, the pavements were crowded with youths with nothing better to do. I wasn’t actually threatened, but I would avoid the area.
Now, the street is probably more crowded, but everybody is going about their business or pleasure in a calm manner.
I can only speculate about why the atmosphere has changed, but there has been two major developments.
- The Overground has arrived to replace the travelling urinals of the North London Line and provide new services to the City and South London.
- Most of the bus routes now have new buses.
Local people even got excited, that Hackney and Dalston got the first of the New Routemasters on route 38.
Have those young people from Dalston, now found better things by using public transport, such as work or a pleasureable leisure activity?
Research needs to be done, but there’s nothing on the Internet.
The Rise Of Dalston
I truly believe that the rise of Dalston has been created by the better public transport.
Who would have wanted to live in the new flats or the old Victorian houses, if you couldn’t get to work?
We’re now in an upward spiral, as property is improved, businesses are created and restaurants and cafes open.
The Next Experiment
Several major rail projects are underway in North and North East London.
- The Gospel Oak to Barking Line is being electrified.
- White Hart Lane station is going to be rebuilt, to serve Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium development.
- Capacity is being increased on the West Anglia Main Line, by the STAR project.
- New or rebuilt stations are planned for Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water, in conjunction with STAR.
- London Overground and Greater Anglia have ordered new Class 710 and Class 720 trains to replace the current elderly rolling stock.
It will be very informative, to see whether crime is lower or higher in a couple of years.
Conclusion
Improving public transport is one of these measures, that benefits a wide range of people; the elderly, the disabled, the unemployed and families with children.
It may also encourage those, who might drift into gangs and crime, to do something more worthwhile.
Lots of other places in the UK are getting or need the same treatment as Dalston has received.
- The West London Orbital Railway could invigorate North West London.
- Kirkby to Skelmersdale, would connect the latter town to Liverpool.
- Newcastle is planning to reopen the railways to Ashington and Blyth.
- Birmingham is expanding passenger railways on reopened and freight lines.
The future could be fascinating.
Heathrow Southern Railway And The Windsor Link Railway
The Windsor Link Railway is a proposed new railway, that if it is approved, will be built in two phases.
Phase 1 is described in Wikipedia, like this.
Phase 1 of the scheme would run from Slough to Staines, via Chalvey, Windsor, Datchet, Wraysbury and Sunnymeads. A new all-in-one station in the Windsor Goswells would replace the existing two nearby stations (Riverside and Central)
Phase 2 is described like this.
Phase 2 of the project involves linking to Heathrow. As the Heathrow Airtrack scheme has been dropped by BAA, the proponents say a much cheaper method of connecting Heathrow to the north west, west and south would be via a bridge over the M25. This would also have benefits for the proposed intermodal freight depot at Colnbrook, Berkshire.
This map from the Windsor Link Railway web site, shows the new tracks for both phases.
Note that Southern Access on the map is close to the route of the Heathrow Southern Railway.
Thoughts On Phase 1
Phase 1 is mainly a scheme for Windsor and I believe, it could be very beneficial to a town, that will become an even bigger tourist attraction.
It is a scheme, that has no affect on the construction of the Heathrow Southern Railway.
However, if the Windsor Link Railway wanted to increase the frequency of the train service between Windsor and Eton Central and Waterloo, there may well be arguments over who gets the paths on the crowded lines between Staines and London.
Thoughts On Phase 2
If the Heathrow Southern Railway and Windsor Link Railway designed a joint scheme, I don’t believe there is any reason, why trains couldn’t use the Windsor Link Railway to run between Reading and Heathrow.
Capacity Of Heathrow Terminal 5 Station
Heathrow Terminal 5 station has been built with space for two bay platforms.
Each platform could probably handle four trains per hour (tph), although with the right scheduling and good signaling and operation, six tph is possible.
Heathrow Southern Railway proposes the following services to the terminal.
- Four tph from Waterloo via Clapham Junction and Staines.
- Two tph from Weybridge via Viginia Water, Egham and Staines.
So there could be upwards of four tph from Windsor and/or Reading, that terminate at Terminal 5.
Crossrail To Reading Via Windsor And Heathrow
Somebody will want to run Crossrail trains through Heathrow Terminal 5 to Windsor and Reading.
Would Windsor cope with all the extra visitors?
Note that Heathrow Southern Railway are already suggesting that Crossrail trains to Terminal 5 could be extended to a new platform at Staines.
Waterloo To Reading Via Staines, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Windsor
Suppose two tph of the Waterloo to Heathrow Terminal 5 trains, reversed and went on to Windsor and Reading.
- It could make better use of the platforms at Heathrow.
- Reading would have an additional two tph service to Heathrow.
- Windsor would have a four tph service to Waterloo.
It’s a possibility with benefits.
Conclusion
Co-operation could be beneficial to both projects.
Heathrow Southern Railway And West London Orbital Railway
West London waits umpteen years for more rail lines and then two come along at the same time.
Both do substantially, what their names imply.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the tracks between Feltham, Hounslow and Whitton stations.
Note.
- Heathrow Southern Railway’s proposed Heathrow – Clapham Junction – Waterloo service will probably go via Whitton, rather than the Hounslow, as Whitton is the faster route.
- Hounslow is the proposed terminus of the route of the West London Orbital Railway from West Hampstead Thameslink station.
- Hounslow will have a new East-facing bay platform, to handle the trains from West Hampstead.
- Heathrow Southern Railway have said their service between Heathrow and Waterloo will be four trains per hour (tph)
I suspect that the West London Orbital Railway will have a typical Overground frequency of four tph.
Unfortunately, the two railways don’t meet up, as it would probably be worthwhile to give more stations a simple route to Heathrow with perhaps a change at Feltham station.
This Google Map shows Feltham station.
Would there be space to squeeze in an East-facing bay platform on the North side of the station?
- It could be the terminus of the West Hampstead service of the West London Orbital Railway
- It could be useful if there were operational problems to turn trains.
- There is the advantage that Feltham is a step-free station and Hounslow isn’t.
I went to Feltham station and took these pictures.
By the side of the track on the other side of the road bridge to the station, is the Feltham Signalling Centre and a Network Rail yard.
I think it could be possible to fit a platform into the space, behind Platform 1.
- A five-car platform looks possible.
- It would be an island platform with the current Platform 1.
- I doubt overhead electrification could be used.
- Slab track might be needed to squeeze the train under the bridge.
Ideally, it should be able to take a ten-car train, which might be possible, by extending the platform to the other side of the bridge.
Currently, there are six tph each-way through the station. The following new services will be added if both the Heathrow Southern and West London Orbital Railways are built.
- 4 tph – Heathrow Southern Railway’s proposed service between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Waterloo via Staines, Feltham, Twickenham, Richmond and Clapham Junction.
- 4 tph – West London Orbital’s proposed service from Feltham to West Hampstead
Would modern trains and signalling, coupled with good driving, be able to handle this level of trains?
Looking at the tracks and the space on either side, it might be possible to thread a third track between Feltham Station and Feltham Junction.
This Google Map shows Feltham Junction
There would appear to be more space on the South side of the tracks, so perhaps an extra track could go on this side.
But I suspect Network Rail could find a solution from their library of cunning plans.
There could be advantages.
- West London Orbital Railway could terminate in a step-free station.
- Travellers between South Acton and Hounslow get a step-free route to Heathrow.
- The bay platform at Feltham, could help when the service is disrupted.
- An extra track to the East of Feltham, might help capacity between Clapham Junction and Staines.
I’m certain that be a simple connection between the two systems can be built.
Conclusion
There are possibilities to connect the West London Orbital Railway to the Heathrow Southern Railway, which could be beneficial for all parties.
The Anonymous Widower 
