Approaching Kings Cross – 5th July 2021
I took these pictures approaching Kings Cross.
Reports say most of the work of the remodelling is now complete. Although, it did look to me that in places more tracks could be laid.
The Length Of The Long Platforms At Kings Cross
This repeat of the last picture in the gallery shows the length of the nine long platforms.
Note.
- The train is in Platform 3.
- The train is an eight-car Class 700 train.
- Eight-car units are 162 metres long.
- Twelve-car units are 242.6 metres long.
Platform 3 is obviously long enough to take the following trains.
- Twelve-car Class 700 train – 242.6 metres
- Two Class 800 trains working as a pair – 260 metres
- A nine-car Class 800 train – 234 metres
- An InterCity 225 train – 245.2 metres
- A twelve-car Class 319 train or Class 321 train – 240 metres.
This Google Map shows the ends of the platforms at Kings Cross.
Note.
- The long platforms at the right are 2 and 3.
- Platform 2 and 3 are wide.
- Two LNER Azumas are in Platforms 5 and 6.
It looks to me that whilst all platforms can probably handle the standard British Rail length of 240 metres, those on the right may be able to handle longer trains. But what trains? These are my thoughts.
Longer LNER Azumas
This document on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme.
The document says that Class 80x trains have a sophisticated Train Control and Management System (TCMS).
The document says that this is one of the functions of the TCMS.
To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for
identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length,
and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.
I would assume that with the purchase of extra cars, that it might be possible to lengthen trains to up to twelve cars.
Lengths would be as follows.
- Ten-car Class 80x train – 260 metres.
- Eleven-car Class 80x train – 276 metres.
- Twelve-car Class 80x train – 312 metres.
To add extra capacity on the routes to Leeds and Edinburgh services, there must be a balance between these factors.
- The cost of extra cars.
- The cost of platform lengthening.
There must of course be space for any platform lengthening.
It would seem to me, that common sense should allow twelve-car trains to be handled at King’s Cross, as this must be one of the best ways of adding capacity to East Coast Main Line services.
Caledonian Sleeper
The Caledonian Sleeper doesn’t normally run into King’s Cross, but during the rebuilding Euston for High Speed Two, it may be necessary to provide an alternative platform.
Unfortunately, the sixteen-car Caledonian sleeper trains are 352 metres long. So it would appear that Kings Cross would not be a temporary alternative.
But given the amount of money being invested in sleeper trains in Europe by the likes of Midnight Trains and NightJet, I can see that the Caledonian Sleeper might have another problem – success and the need for more capacity.
So I wouldn’t rule out an East Coast Main Line sleeper train between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
It might call at Stevenage, Newcastle and Berwick to widen its passenger base, just as the current sleeper calls at Watford, Carlisle and Carstairs.
The train could be extended to Aberdeen, to simplify services in Scotland.
Obviously, traffic and finance would decide, but I wouldn’t rule out the Caledonian Sleeper running to and from King’s Cross for a few years yet.
A Night Light Freight Terminal
In Is This The Shape Of Freight To Come?, I wrote about the new generation of fast electric freight trains, based on redundant electric multiple units.
- If you look at Real Time Trains, you will find that few trains use King’s Cross station between two and five in the morning.
- Platforms can take a twelve-car version of these electric freight trains.
- The new platforms are wide and level.
- Local delivery could use electric vehicles and bikes.
I think King’s Cross has possibilities for handling goods like food, parcels and shop supplies.
The Short Platforms At Kings Cross
When I was a child, King’s Cross had four short suburban platforms, where N2 steam tank engines hauled suburban services in and out of the station.
The suburban platforms have now been reduced to two platforms, that fit in with the current uses of the station.
- The two platforms are numbered 9 and 10.
- They can handle an eight-car Class 700 train, which is 162 metres long.
- They can handle a five-car Class 800 train, which is 130 metres long.
- Some five-car services run by the new Hitachi trains use these platforms.
These pictures show the platforms.
Note.
- The platforms are wide.
- The picture of the Azuma in Platform 9 was taken before the centre track was removed recently.
- Today, one LNER Azuma departed from Platform 9 to go to Lincoln, but both platforms were busy with Great Northern services to Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn.
I do wonder if the platforms could be used for light freight, during the night.
Conclusion
King’s Cross is not just one of the UK’s finest railway stations, which is recognised by its Grade I Listed status, but it is now moving towards an efficient, high-capacity station that works around the clock!
Oakwood Tube Station’s Seat Is In Need Of Repair
I took these pictures at the Grade II* Listed Oakwood tube station.
How did it get into this state?
Could it be that Enfield is not a Borough, where voters need any urging to vote Labour?
So it has been allowed to deteriorate by London’s South London Mayor?
It certainly needs a bit of TLC!
Crossrail’s First Inclined Lift Is Now Available To View!
The entrance to Crossrail in front of Broadgate has now had most of its hoarding removed.
You can now walk around it and view the escalators and inclined lift, that will take passengers to and from the booking hall.
It’s probably the most up-market fosterito, that I’ve seen so far. Even more so, than the pair at Tottenham Court Road station, that I wrote about in Tottenham Court Road Station Gains A Giant Fosterito.
- It has three escalators and an inclined lift.
- It oozes quality with lots of steel, glass and quality lighting.
- It shows the arms of the City of London in recognition to their contribution to Crossrail.
- It sits in the middle of a large traffic-free square.
WilkinsonEyre were the architects.
Fosteritos
Norman Foster faced a similar problem in Spain of how to protect staircases and escalators emerging from the Bilbao Metro.
These pictures show his elegant solution.
The Spaniards obviously liked them, as they called them fosteritos.
Headbolt Lane Station Fly-Through
I had to show this Merseytravel YouTube video, as I feel the new Headbolt Lane station uses some interesting ideas.
This Google Map shows Headbolt Lane and the railway.
Note.
- The footbridge over the railway. I took the pictures from and around this bridge in Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – Headbolt Lane Station.
- The footbridge can’t be seen in the YouTube video.
Liverpool is to the West and Wigan is to the East.
These are my thoughts.
Is The Station North Or South Of The Railway?
As it is called Headbolt Lane, the station must have good access from that road, otherwise travellers will get rather confused.
So until proven otherwise, I will assume that the station must be to the North of the railway.
Which Way Is Liverpool In the Video?
If the station is North of the railway, then in the first part of the video, the visualisation approaches the station from the North and Liverpool is to the right and Wigan is to the left.
If that is right, then the yellow bus always points towards Liverpool.
How Many Platforms?
Wikipedia says that Headbolt Lane station will have three platforms.
From the video there will be two platforms for trains to and from Liverpool, although the current layout at Kirkby station makes do with just one platform.
There would also appear to be a single platform for trains to and from Wigan, Bolton and Manchester.
But there is a second Eastern track shown in the video, which possibly indicates provision has been made for a second platform for services in that direction.
Wot No Bridge?
It would appear that there is no bridge over or subway under the railway.
But it does appear that the platform layout shown allows passengers to walk between the ends of the tracks on the level to the platform or platforms on the side of the station away from the station building.
Will There Be A Second Entrance To The Station On The Other Side Of The Tracks?
The layout would allow this and it could be useful for those passengers living or working on that side of the railway.
Is The Platform Layout Unique?
I have travelled widely looked at railway stations all over the world.
But I can’t remember seeing a layout like this.
The layout does have advantages.
- An expensive bridge with lifts will not be needed.
- There is nothing mechanical or electrical to go wrong.
- Extra platforms can be added if required.
- It can also be used as a simple step-free way to cross the railway.
I suspect that the layout could be used in other places.
Train Frequencies To Liverpool
The current service between Kirkby station and Liverpool is four trains per hour (tph), which is handled on a single platform.
One platform at Headbolt Lane would surely be sufficient, but a second platform must surely allow extra services and provide more resilience in case of train failure.
Train Frequencies To Wigan, Bolton And Manchester
The current service between Kirkby station and Manchester is one tph, which is handled on a single platform.
One platform at Headbolt Lane would surely be sufficient and could easily handle two tph.
Are two platforms provided for Liverpool services, so that extra services could be run in the Peak or to provide more resilience, should a train fail in the station.
A Service To Skelmersdale
Consider.
- Skelmersdale is about five miles North of the line between Headbolt Lane and Wigan.
- One of Merseyrail’s current Class 507 trains covers the 5.5 miles between Kirkby and Sandhills station in twelve minutes.
- The proposed layout of Headbolt Lane station does not allow direct services between Liverpool and Skelmersdale.
These distances and timing would mean the following.
- A single shuttle train between Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale could run a two tph service.
- A pair of shuttle trains between Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale could run a four tph service.
Passengers would need to change trains at Headbolt Lane station.
This may seem less passenger-friendly than a direct service, but it could be the most affordable option.
And it could always be improved with modifications at Headbolt Lane station.
Is There A Role For Battery-Electric Trains?
Consider.
- For Health and Safety reasons, it is very unlikely that any new third-rail track will be laid in the UK.
- The distance between the current Kirkby station and the new Headbolt Lane station is about 1.5 miles.
- The distance between Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale stations is less than eight miles.
- I suspect Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale stations would both have good power supplies.
- Merseyrail’s new Class 777 trains have a battery capability.
Would this allow the following?
- Liverpool and Headbolt Lane services to use battery power between Kirkby and Headbolt Lane station. All charging would be done between Liverpool and Kirkby.
- The shuttle train between Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale would work on battery power, with batteries charged at both ends of the route.
There is also the possibility, that the Headbolt Lane and Manchester Victoria service could be run using battery-electric Class 331 trains.
- Headbolt Lane and Manchester Victoria will be a 28.5 mile service with a couple of miles of electrification at the Manchester end.
- I estimate that the battery-electric Class 331 trains will have sufficient range to handle this route with charging at Headbolt Lane station.
- Currently, trains from Manchester Victoria take over ten minutes to turnround at Kirkby station.
- Provision for a charger could be built into Headbolt Lane station.
It would be a simple way to electrify the Kirkby and Manchester Victoria service.
In addition, battery-electric Class 331 trains are likely to have longer battery range than the Class 777 trains.
So might it be better if the Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale shuttle was worked by battery-electric Class 331 trains.
If the two East-facing platforms at Headbolt Lane station were to be fitted with charging facilities, this would give an increased level of reliability.
Could Northern’s Manchester Victoria Service Terminate At Skelmersdale?
If both services were to be run by Northern’s battery-electric Class 331 trains, this could be a possibility.
- A reverse would be needed at Headbolt Lane station.
- I estimate that 2tph on the route would fit together well.
- Trains would be charged at Skelmersdale station.
- Chargers might not be needed at Headbolt Lane station.
In addition, a two tph service would fit in well with four or six tph to Liverpool.
Conclusion
It’s almost as if Headbolt Lane station could consist of three elements.
- The station facilities, bus interchange and car parking.
- A two-platform station for Merseyrail services to Liverpool
- A two-platform station with charging facilities for Northern services to Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester Victoria, Skelmersdale and Wigan.
All services from Headbolt Lane station will be run by battery-electric reains.
Costs have been saved by the following.
- Not having a bridge over the tracks.
- Maintaining the separation between Northern and Merseyrail services.
- Not electrifying between Kirkby and Headbolt Lane stations.
- Not electrifying the Skelmersdale Branch.
The whole station appears to have been designed on a single level.
A Fair Recovery For Hackney Central
This image from Hackney Council shows a visualisation of the new entrance to Hackney Central station, that will be created on Graham Road.
I took these pictures of the site in October 2019.
I wrote about the new entrance in Will Hackney Central Station Get A Second Entrance?.
It’s certainly a site in need of improvement.
Here’s a few more of Hackney’s images from this page on Hackney Council’s web site.
If they build it like the visualisations, it could be something special.
Beeching Reversal – Reopening Harston Station
This is one of the Round 3 bids of Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
Harston is a Cambridgeshire village, which is shown in this Google Map.
Note.
- The A10 winding its way North and South through the village.
- Cambridge is five miles to the North.
- The triangular road junction in the middle of the village with Station Road leading off to the South East.
- The Cambridge Line crosses the South-East corner of the map, at a right angle to Station Road.
This Google Map shows the former station site at an enlarged scale..
Note.
- There is plenty of space.
- There is a level crossing.
- The railway is double-track.
There’s even a Harston History page for the station, so if the architect’s decide to go retro, they can visit it for design inspiration.
My initial thoughts are that compared to some of the proposals for Beeching Reversal this one is practical and not over ambitious.
These are some of my thoughts.
Car Parking
Currently, there are the following stations between Cambridge and Hitchin.
Note.
Only Royston station has more than minimal parking provision.
The addition of Harston and Cambridge South stations will probably mean, that a lot of thought will be given to parking at all the stations between Cambridge and Hitchin.
Cambridge South like Cambridge North will probably have extensive parking to also serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Cambridge Bio-Medical Campus.
Whittlesford Parkway station on the line between Cambridge and Liverpool Street has very adequate parking provision.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harston station having a couple of hundred parking spaces.
East West Railway
In Looking At The East West Railway Between Bedford And Cambridge, I looked at the route of the East West Railway as it approaches Cambridge.
I very much doubt that this new railway will go through Harston station.
But Harston station will beef up the capacity on the Cambridge Line to bring more workers to one of the science and engineering capitals of the world.
Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro
There are also plans for the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro.
This map shows the proposed layout of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro.
Note that the green section will be in tunnel.
I doubt that the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro will run to Harston, as it most likely will run on rubber-tyred wheels and probably wouldn’t mix well with heavy rail.
Train Service
Currently, the current trains run through the station in the Off Peak.
- Thameslink – 2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton
- Thameslink – 2 tph – Cambridge and King’s Cross
- Great Northern – 1 tph – King’s Cross and Ely
- Great Northern – 1 tph – King’s Cross and King’s Lynn
Note.
- tph is an abbreviation for trains per hour.
- All trains are fast services, except for the Cambridge and King’s Cross service, which stops at all stations.
- When Cambridge South station opens, I suspect nearly all services will stop at that station.
- The Great Northern services also stop at Cambridge North station.
- In Call For ETCS On King’s Lynn Route, I talked of the possibility of running 125 mph trains on Great Northern services between King’s Cross, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely and King’s Lynn.
I suspect that it will be likely only the Thameslink stopping train will call at Harston station, just as it is the only service that calls at Foxton, Shepreth and Meldreth stations.
- But is two tph enough for a Park-and-Ride station?
- Whittlesford Parkway station already has three tph to and from Cambridge.
- I suspect there will be a second Stansted and Cambridge service which mean Whittlesford Parkway station gets four tph to Cambridge,
I suspect Hartston station needs four tph to give a Turn-Up-And-Go service.
Barrington Quarry And Landfill
This Google map shows the location of the Barrington Quarry and Landfill, with respect to Harston.
Note.
- Barrington Quarry and Landfill is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Harston is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The A10 road runs South-West from Harston to Foxton station, where there is a level crossing, where the Cambridge Line crosses the road.
- Foxton station has a freight-only line linking it to the quarry.
This second Google Map shows Foxton station in detail.
Note the rail line to Barrington curving away to the North West.
This document from CEMEX is entitled Barrington Quarry – Restoration Project.
It appears that the quarry will be restored and some of the land will be used for new homes.
As all the track is already in place, would it be possible to run a 2tph service between Barrington and Cambridge North station?
- It could call at Harston, Cambridge North and Cambridge stations.
- Harston station would get a four tph service.
- Cambridge gets more much-needed housing connected to the city.
It could also be run using battery-electric trains that would be charged using the electrification between Foxton and Cambridge North stations.
Conclusion
Taking everything together, it appears to me, that Harston station could improve the rail network to the South West of Cambridge.
Design For Bank Tube Station Entrance For Approval
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Design details for Bank tube station’s new Cannon Street entrance have been submitted to the City of London for planning approval.
Note.
- It certainly looks to be an entrance with a very high capacity.
- It looks like there will be a fully-accessible toilet inside the barriers, which many will welcome.
I would hope that approval will be quickly nodded through!
Digging The Central Entrance To Old Street Station – 27th February 2021
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout of Old Street Roundabout.
Note the new entrance to the station in the middle of the roundabout.
The contractors are now digging a big hole for the central entrance, with a digger in an unusual turquoise colour.
Note.
- The central and the two other entrances will be steps.
- There will also be a lift, close to the Shoreditch Grind, in the North-West area.
- There will also be a service lift for the shops in the station.
- Particular attention has been given to the use of natural light.
- The central entrance features a green roof.
Some won’t like the design, but I think, its simplicity like some of London’s 1930s Underground stations will endear it to the majority of passengers.
Cowper Street Entrance To Old Street Station – 21st February 2021
These pictures show the start of the works to create the new Cowper Street entrance to Old Street station.
Note the large frame, which had been delivered the previous day.
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout.
The Cowper Street entrance will be in the South-East corner of the roundabout. The map says it will have stepped-access only.
This TfL image is a visualisation of the entrance.
I wonder if it should be step-free with a lift, as walking across to the lift in the centre, could be some way in bad weather.
Walking Between Oxford Circus And Tottenham Court Road Stations – 19th February 2021
Today, I walked down Oxford Street from Oxford Circus station to Tottenham Court Road station.
Note the pictures in the middle of the walk of the new Western entrance to Tottenham Court Road station, which will be on Crossrail.
This article on Construction Enquirer is entitled Galliard To Start £55m London Soho Resi Job.
- 92 flats, a large store and smaller retail spaces.
- Look at the pictures in the Construction Enquirer article and it looks to be a building that is not out of scale.
- Ideal for Crossrail and the Northern and Central Line.
- A hundred metres from the flagship stores of Marks & Spencer and Primark on Oxford Street.
- All the colour and food of Soho at the back door.
- Buses outside the front door to Euston, Kings Cross, Paddington and St. Pancras.
Who was it said, that the three most important points about a property are location, location and location?
