Could The Northern Section Of The Bakerloo Line And The Watford DC Line Be Combined?
The Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines to the North of Queen’s Park station annoy me.
There are two very different classes of trains.
- The 1972 Stock of the Bakerloo Line
- The Class 710 trains of the Watford DC Line
Which are different sizes and ideally need different platform heights for step-free access between train and platform.
Often, you need to step up and down into the trains.
The pictures show a typical steps on Bakerloo Line and Class 710 trains.
They give a new meaning to Mind The Gap.
It would be so much easier, for passengers in wheelchairs or those pushing buggies or trailing heavy cases for there to be no step between train and platform.
I once remarked to a station guy, not in the first flush of youth, as he manhandled a ramp into place, that what he was doing must be the worst part of his job. He smiled and agreed.
Surely in this day and age, we can create a railway, where everything is as efficient as possible.
These are a few of my thoughts.
Could The Two Lines Be Run By A Unified Fleet Of Trains?
If the two lines were to be run using the same trains, this would give advantages.
- All trains could be maintained together.
- Platform-to-train access would be much easier to make step-free.
- Staff would only deal with one type of train.
- A certain amount of automatic train control could be used to increase frequencies.
Obviously, a National Rail-size train couldn’t use the Bakerloo Line tunnels, but a train built for the Underground could use the current Watford DC Line into Euston.
Siemens are designing a New Tube For London and this will be used on the Bakerloo Line.
I suspect, that they could design a train that would easily run into Euston.
Would An Underground Train Provide Enough Capacity Into Euston?
The current trains on both lines have the following capacity and length.
- The 1972 Stock on the Bakerloo Line are 113 metres long and have a capacity of 851 passengers
- The Class 710 trains on the Watford DC Line are 82 metres long and have a capacity of 678 passengers.
Now there’s a surprise! The smaller Underground trains hold more passengers.
This picture shows the spare platform length at Euston, after a Class 710 train has just arrived.
I don’t think capacity or platform length will be a problem!
What Would Be The Frequency Into Euston?
Consider.
- The current Watford DC Line service into Euston uses a double-track line terminating in Platform 9 at Euston station.
- The service frequency on this route, has recently been increased from three trains per hour (tph) to four tph.
- The Overground is soon to start to run six tph on routes with a similar track layout.
I believe that a six tph service could be run between Euston and Watford Junction stations.
What Would Be The Frequency In The Bakerloo Line Tunnel To Elephant & Castle And Lewisham?
Note that I’m assuming an extended Bakerloo Line runs to Lewisham, although, it could run to Hayes station.
Dear Old Vicky (aka the Victoria Line) handles a train every hundred seconds or thirty-six tph.
I can’t see any reason, why all parts of the Watford Junction to Lewisham route can’t be designed to handle this frequency.
If six tph went to Euston, then this would mean the service South of Queen’s Park station would be as follows.
- Up to thirty tph or a train every two minutes between Queen’s Park and Lewisham stations.
- It would connect the National Rail stations of Paddington, Marylebone, Charing Cross, Waterloo, Elephant & Castle, New Cross Gate and Lewisham.
- A high capacity pedestrian link to Crossrail at Paddington, will be ready to open with Crossrail.
- Connections to the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines of the Underground.
- Oxford Circus would have a high-capacity cross-platform interchange between the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines, both running in excess of thirty tph.
It would be a much needed capacity upgrade to the Underground.
Would Stations On The Combined Line Be Made Step-Free?
The combined route will have a total of 34 existing stations and four new stations.
I suspect the new stations will be step-free.
Of the existing stations, the following are fully or partially step-free.
- Watford Junction
- Bushey
- Carpenders Park
- Harrow & Wealdstone
- Wembley Central
- Willesden Junction
- Queen’s Park – Scheduled to be made step-free.
- Paddington – Will be step-free, when Crossrail opens.
The Bakerloo Line must be one of the worst lines for step-free access on the London Underground.
But then it has some of the oldest and least-capable trains and has been neglected for decades.
The station most in need of step-free access is probably Oxford Circus, where the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines have a cross-platform step-free interchange.
I lay out ideas for this station in Thoughts On Step-Free Access At Oxford Circus Station.
Upgrading The Lines
I think that Transport for London have a unique opportunity with the upgrading of the Bakerloo Line to Extension From upgrade the line as a series of separate projects, phased to be delivered in a continuous stream, rather than as one big launch, which was tried and failed with Crossrail.
Extension From Elephant & Castle To Lewisham Or Hayes
This project can be built independently, just like the Battersea Power Station Extension of The Northern Line. I detailed the latest thinking on this extension in TfL Moots Bakerloo Line To Hayes.
- It is the only project that needs substantial tunnelling.
- It probably needs a depot to be relocated.
- Lewisham station would need some rebuilding.
- It would need more trains to be delivered before it opens.
It could even be the last project to be delivered, which would allow time for the trains.
Around London Road Depot Of The Bakerloo Line
These pictures show the area around the London Road Depot of the Bakerloo Line.
This Google Map shows the depot.
I walked along the road alongside the blue-roofed building from South-West to North-East.
As you can see from the pictures, some of the area has been developed and some is well past its rebuild date.
In TfL Moots Bakerloo Line To Hayes, I asked, whether this site would be worth developing.
After my quick walk around, I suspect that the answer could be in the affirmative.
In
TfL Moots Bakerloo Line To Hayes
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the November 2019 Edition of Modern Railways.
There are various points in the article.
A More Direct Tunnel Between Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle Stations.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the current routes between these two stations.
It appears that Transport for London (TfL) are proposing the following.
- A more direct route, between the two stations.
- A rebuilt Elephant & Castle station, handling both Underground lines.
- Step-free access between Bakerloo and Northern Lines.
- The station would be integrated with the new shopping centre.
Part of the plan appears to be to keep the current Bakerloo Line station open during construction.
Could the plan mean that the London Road depot will be closed?
This Google Map shows the London Road Depot and Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle stations.
Note.
- Lsmbeth North station is in the North West corner.
- Elephant & Castle station is in the South East corner.
- The London Road Depot is North of a point about half-way between the stations.
This second Google Map shows a close-up of the London Road Depot.
It appears to be quite a large site about a hundred metres along a long side.
Consider.
- It must be a development valuable site.
- It could be used as the site from which to dig the tunnels.
- The current Bakerloo Line skirts the site to the North.
So could the London Road Depot be closed and developed as the first part of the scheme, leaving a nice and handy tunnel in the basement?
- There already is a connection from the depot to Lambeth Noth station.
- It might even be possible to excavate much of the new tunnel by digging down, rather than by using a tunnel boring machine.
- Note that recently, the new Southbound tunnel of the Northern Line at Bank station has been dug using traditional methods.
- Moor House at Moorgate contains a ventilation and access shaft for Crossrail and was built some years rest of Crossrail.
Could this mean that the London Road Depot gets developed early in the project and London gets a lot of much-needed housing in a prime location?
But where do they stable the trains?
A Changed Tunnel Alignment Between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham Stations
The article also says this.
It (TfL) has also updated plans for the alignment of tunnels between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham, with the new direct tunnel alignment removing the need for one of the proposed tunnel shafts. A shaft would be builtbetween New Cross Gate and Lewisham, while plans for a shaft beyond Lewisham at the Wearside Road council depot site have been developed into proposals for train stabling.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr show the railway lines around Lewisham station.
Note.
- Current plans are for the Bakerloo Line to terminate under the current Lewisham station.
- There will be overrun tunnels under the Hayes Line, which runs through Ladywell station.
- These tunnels could at a future date be joined to the Hayes Line.
The Wearside Road depot is tucked into the South side of the junction, as this Google Map shows.
It looks to me, that TfL could be selling the site at London Road for development and using the Wearside Road depot, to replace the lost stabling.
It surely has advantages.
- It is further South.
- It could be easily connected to the overrun tunnel;s under the Hayes Line.
- It could be connected to the Hayes Line.
Could it be possible to build the new rail depot and put the council’s trucks on a second floor?
The picture shows Westbourne Park bus garage over stabling for Crossrail trains.
Hayes Line Takeover
TfL are now saying that extension to Hayes and Beckenham Junction stations offers the greatest benefit
Consider the following.
Development Of The Wearside Road Depot
Suppose the Wearside Road Depot were to be developed early.
- It could be developed as a double-deck depot, with trains underneath and the Council depot on top.
- Lewsisham is developing lots of tower blocks, so these would be an alternative topping.
- The rail depot could be built initially as a shell connected to the Hayes Line, with space for connections to the overrun tunnels at Lewisham station.
- It could be used as a transfer point for tunnelling spoil, if some digging towards Lewisham, were to be done from the site. Trains could access the site from Beckenham Junction.
It appears to me, that closing the London Road Depot is important in terms of financing, minimising disruption to passengers and construction, but the only way it can be done, is by providing an alternative depot. And the best way to do that is to connect the line in the first phase to the Hayes Line and use Wearside Road as a replacement depot.
Service Frequency
The current service frequency on the line is according to Wikipedia as follows.
The standard off-peak service is two trains per hour (tph) each way between London Charing Cross and Hayes, non-stop between London Bridge and Ladywell, and two tph between London Cannon Street and Hayes, calling at all stations via Lewisham.
So that is four trains per hour (tph), but only two tph call at Lewisham.
Currently, the Bakerloo Line frequency at Elephant & Castle station is 20-21 tph. As it appears there is no terminal platforms on the extension except for Hayes and Beckenham Junction stations, I would assume that their three platforms will be able to handle the full service.
The single platform at Beckenham Junction can probably handle six tph, which would leave the rest to be handled in the two platforms at Hayes station.
As the Victoria Line handles thirty-six tph with modern signally, I see no reason, why the Bakerloo Line wouldn’t be able to handle 30 tph with ultra-modern signalling.
Development Of An Interchange At Catford
In An Opportunity At Catford, I talked about the possibilities of developing an improved interchange between Catford and Catford Bridge stations, which are no more than a hundred metres apart. |Although, it is rather up and down.
The map from carto.metre.free.fr shows the layout of lines at the two stations.
Note that Catford Bridge station is on the Hayes Line and Catford station is on the Catford Loop Line.
It strikes me that there is scope for some advanced thinking, if an interchange is to be created between the two stations.
Could it be arranged that as part of the conversion of the Hayes Line to the Bakerloo Line, that the tracks be reorganised with the Bakerloo Lines on the outside of a single four-platform station, that would enable cross-platform interchange between the two lines?
Unfortunately, No! But it could have been safeguarded some years ago, but now there’s new housing in the way!
However, I do think there are other ways of making this interchange step-free and reasonably quick.
The Hayes And City Problem
Wikipedia says this about the takeover of the Hayes Line by the Bakerloo Line.
The driving force for this change is that Network Rail would like the train paths freed up for services mainly from the South Eastern Main Line. Transport for London prefer this route due to its being largely self-contained after Lewisham.
Currently, Off Peak services from Hayes station are as follows.
- Two trains per hour (tph) to Cannon Street
- Two tph to Charring Cross
These two services mean that there are also.
- Two tph to Lewisham
- Four tph to London Bridge
- Two tph to Waterloo East.;
There are also extra services in the Peak.
Will there be a problem for commuters to get between the Hayes Line and the City of London and Canary Wharf?
There will also be no First Class on the trains.
In practice Canary Wharf could be the easier, as it will just mean using the Docklands Light Railway from Lewisham.
This could also be quickest way to the City!
I think we we shall be hearing from some restless natives!
The Use Of
More Frequent Trains And A New Station For The London Overground
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on IanVisits.
This is said.
In a statement, the government agreed to requests for £80.8 million from the GLA to support transport upgrades so that 14,000 homes can be built along the East London Line.
Upgrades include.
- New Bermondsey station, which was originally to be called Surrey Canal Road, will be built.
- A second entrance will be built at Surrey Quays station.
- Frequency between Dalston Junction and Clapham Junction stations will be increased from four trains per hour (tph) to six tph.
- Frequency between Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace stations will be increased from four tph to six tph.
The frequency upgrades will mean twenty tph between Dalston Junction and Surrey Quays stations, or a train every three minutes as opposed to the current three minutes and forty-five seconds.
A few thoughts follow.
Surrey Quays Station Upgrade
Ian’s article says this about the new entrance at Surrey Quays station.
The very cramped Surrey Quays station gets a second entrance, which will run under the main road and be based on the north side, where the shopping centre car park is today. That avoids crossing two busy roads, which can take some time if you’re waiting for the lights to change.
This Google Map shows the station and the car park of the Shopping Centre.
These are my pictures, taken at and around the station.
Traffic is bad and the subway suggested by Ian’s wording will be very welcome.
Collateral Benefits At New Cross Gate
New Cross Gate station will be one of several stations along the East London Line to see benefits in service frequency and quality.
The train frequency on East London Line services will rise from eight tph to ten tph.
But this is not all that should or could happen.
- The service between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon stations could rise from four tph to six tph.
- This would mean that New Cross Gate would have a twelve tph service to and from Whitechapel, which in a year or so, will have Crossrail connections to Canary Wharf, Bond Street, Paddington and Heathrow.
- Southeastern should be getting new higher-capacity, higher-performance and possibly longer trains to replace their elderly trains into London Bridge.
- Charing Cross station is redeveloped into a higher-capacity, cross-river station, to allow more trains.
- Digital signalling, as used on Thameslink will be extended to cover all trains through New Cross and New Cross Gate.
- The Docklands Light Railway to Lewisham will get new and higher-capacity trains.
- Southeastern Metro services could go to the London Overground.
Could this all mean that the East London Line, Southeastern and Crossrail will more than hold the fort until it is decided to build the Bakerloo Line Extension?
The Bakerloo Line Extension
This map from TfL shows the route of the Bakerloo Line Extension.
If and when the Bakerloo Line Extension is built, New Cross Gate will surely become a major transport hub.
If you look at the current and proposed stations on the Southern section of an extended Bakerloo Line, you can say the following.
- Paddington will get a step-free pedestrian link between Crossrail and the Bakerloo Line.
- Charing Cross will benefit from more Southeastern Metro services into the main line station.
- Waterloo will benefit from more Southeastern Metro services through the attached Waterloo East station.
- Elephant & Castle station will benefit from more Thameslink services through the attached main line station.
- New Cross Gate will benefit from more Southeastern Metro and East London Line services through the station.
- Lewisham will benefit from more Southeastern Metro services through the station.
But there are no interim benefits for the blue-mauve area, that will be served by the proposed Old Kent Road 1 and Old Kent Road 2 stations.
In addition, is there a need to add capacity between the New Cross area and Lewisham? Southeastern improvements will help, but the Bakerloo Line Extension will do a lot more!
Except for these two stations, is there a reason to build an extension to the Bakerloo Line, as train services between Charing Cross, Waterloo East and New Cross and Lewisham will be significantly increased in frequency, reach and quality?
A Bakerloo Line Extension Redesign
Whatever happens to the Bakerloo Line, the following should be done.
- New walk-through trains running at a higher-frequency on the current route.
- Major access improvements and better connection to main line services at Elephant & Castle, Waterloo East, Charing Cross and Willesden Junction stations.
- A radical reorganisation North of Queen’s Park station, in conjunction with the Watford DC Line and the proposed West London Orbital Railway.
This would improve the current line, but it would do nothing for those living where the extension will go!
So why not do what is happening to the Northern Line at Battersea and create a short extension to the Bakerloo Line that serves the areas that need it and one that can be extended in the future?
- You could argue, that the extension to Lewisham is short and it could be extended to Hayes and other places.
- I also think, that the route goes via New Cross Gate, as that is one of the few sites in the area, from where a large tunnel could be built.
Ideally, what could be needed is a high-capacity public transport link from Elephant & Castle and Greenwich and/or Lewisham via the Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate and New Cross.
The Germans, the Dutch and others wouldn’t mess about and would run trams along the road, but that would go down with the locals like a lead West London Tram.
So it looks like some form of extension of the Bakerloo Line is the only way to go.
Consider.
- Two-platform terminal stations at Brixton and Walthamstow Central handle up to thirty-six tph on the Victoria Line.
- New Cross Gate and New Cross stations are about five hundred metres apart.
- Double-ended stations like Knightsbridge on the Piccadilly Line and Kings Cross on the Victoria Line work very well.
I would look at building a double-ended Bakerloo Line station deep underneath New Cross Road.
- It would be connected by escalators and lifts to the existing stations at New Cross Gate in the West and New Cross in the East.
- Provision would be made to extend the line further to either Greenwich or Lewisham.
- New Cross and Lewisham already have a high-frequency connection of six tph.
- The whole extension could be built from the single tunnelling location on the Sainsbury’s site at New Cross Gate.
- There would be no necessity for any works at Lewisham station.
It would probably need more services to be run between New Cross and Lewisham.
Current Services Between New Cross And Lewisham
Southeastern currently runs these services between New Cross and Lewisham.
- London Cannon Street and Slade Green via Sidcup
- London Cannon Street and Orpington via Grove Park
- London Cannon Street and Hayes
All services are two tph.
Extending The East London Line Service South From New Cross
New Cross is served by the only short service on the London Overground; the four tph between Dalston Junction and New Cross stations.
So could this East London Line service be extended South to serve Lewisham to increase services between New Cross and Lewisham?
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at New Cross station.
Note how the double-track East London Line, shown in orange, arrives from Surrey Quays station arrives in the North-Western corner of the map, becomes a single-track and then goes under the main lines before going into the bay platform D.
This Google Map shows the same area.
The London Overground track is clearly visible.
Could extra track be added, to enable the following?
- Southbound trains could join the main line and stop in Platform C
- Northbound trains could leave the main line after stopping in Platform A and go towards Surrey Quays station.
If this is possible, then it would give a four tph service between Dalston Junction and Lewisham, with an important stop at Whitechapel to connect to Crossrail.
Lewisham doesn’t have the space for a terminal platform, but there would appear two possible terminals South of Lewisham.
- Hayes – Journey time to and from Dalston Junction would take around 53 minutes.
- Orpington – Journey time to and from Dalston Junction would take around 50 minutes.
Both stations would make ideal terminals.
- They have bay platforms for terminating the trains.
- Round trips would be a convenient two hours.
- Eight trains would be needed for the service.
- New Cross will have the same four tph to and from Dalston Junction as it does now!
- Lewisham and Dalston Junction would have a four tph service that would take 27 minutes.
The service could even be split with two tph to each terminal.
Will the Extended Services Need To Replace Other Services?
Currently Hayes has these current Off Peak services.
- Two tph to Cannon Street via London Bridge
- Two tph to Charing Cross via London Bridge
I would expect that if digital signalling is applied through the area, that the extra services could be added to Hayes and Orpington as decided.
An Improved Hayes Line
Transport for London and various commentators always assume that the Bakerloo Line will eventually take over the Hayes Line.
This will or could mean the following.
- Passengers used to a full-size train looking out on the countryside and back gardens through big windows, will have to get used to a more restricted view.
- Platforms on the Hayes Line will need to be rebuilt, so that two different size of train will be step-free between train and platform.
- The service could be slower.
- The ability to walk through an increasingly pedestrianised Central London to and from Cannon Street, Charing Cross and London Bridge will be lost.
- Loss of First Class seats. which will happen anyway!
I think that passengers could want to stick with the current service.
The only reason to allow the Bakerloo Line Extension to take over the Hayes Line, is that it would allow another four tph to run between Lewisham and London Bridge. But digital signalling could give the same benefit!
But what if the Overground muscled in?
The Hayes Line could take up to four tph between Dalston Junction and Hayes, via Lewisham and New Cross, which would give these benefits.
- Increased capacity on the Hayes Line.
- An excellent connection to Crossrail, which would give a better connection to the West End, Liverpool Street and Heathrow.
- Better connection to the Eastern side of the City of London and Canary Wharf.
- It could free up four tph between New Cross and London Bridge.
- Same-platform interchange between Southeastern and East London Line services at Lewisham and New Cross.
There would need to be these changes to the infrastructure.
- A new track layout at New Cross.
- Installation of digital signalling.
The latter will happen anyway.
Times To And From Crossrail
Times to and from Whitechapel, with its Crossrail connection are.
- Lewisham – 17 minutes
- Hayes – 44 minutes
- Orpington – 41 minutes
The current service between Orpington and Farrington, which also will connect to Crossrail, takes 52 minutes.
Penge Interchange
Although, this has not been funded, I think that this new interchange could be very much in Transport for London’s plans.
I discuss the possible Penge Interchange station in Penge Interchange.
It’s certainly something to watch out for, as it could improve connectivity by a large amount.
The View From The Dalston Omnibus
For decades, Dalston had a terrible reputation and then came the Overground, which changed everything.
There are now these combined devices from the two Dalston stations.
- Eight tph to Stratford
- Four tph to Richmond via Willesden Junction
- Four tph to Clapham Junction via Willesden Junction
- Four tph to Clapham Junction via Surrey Quays
- Four tph to Crystal Palace via Surrey Quays
- Four tph to New Cross via Surrey Quays
- Four tph to West Croydon via Surrey Quays
There is also a useful eight tph connecting service between Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington.
In the next couple of years, these developments should happen.
- Services on the East London Line will be increased with an extra two tph to Clapham Junction and Crystal Palace.
- Services on the North London Line will be increased to cope with overcrowding. As the Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington connecting service will be going to ten tph, it would seem logical that the North London Line service should match this frequency.
- Crossrail will open and Dalston will have a twenty tph connection to its services at Whitechapel.
Dalston needs better connections to either main line terminal stations or their interchanges a few miles out.
Currently, Dalston has very useful connections to the following main interchanges.
- Stratford for the Great Eastern Main Line.
- Clapham Junction for the South Western Railway and Southern services.
- Richmond for Windsor and Reading services.
- Whitechapel will provide a link to Crossrail.
- In addition the planned update at Norwood Junction will give better connection to services to Gatwick, Brighton and other services to the South of Croydon.
Better interchanges are needed with services to the North and the South East of London.
Extending the Dalston Junction and New Cross service to Hayes or Orpington via Lewisham could greater improve the train service from Dalston, by providing interchange to services fanning out into and beyond South East London.
Conclusion
I am drawn to these two conclusions.
- The Bakerloo Line should be extended via two new Old Kent Road stations to a double-ended terminal station in New Cross with interchange to both New Cross Gate and New Cross stations.
- The New Cross branch of the London Overground should be extended through Lewisham to Orpington and/or Hayes.
My preferred destination for the London Overground service could be Hayes, as this would surely help to free up paths through Lewisham and London Bridge.
The Bakerloo Line Connection At Paddington Station
I use the Bakerloo Line to get to and from Paddington station for various reasons, and find myself in the narrow two-way passage between the Underground station entrance in the middle of the Paddington station and the top of the escalators to the Bakerloo Line.
These pictures show the route towards the Bakerloo Line.
It strikes me that a certain amount of reorganisation is needed.
- In the narrow two-way passage signs tell people to keep left.
- On the escalators, the escalators are run on a keep right basis.
So everybody has to cross over in the area at the top of the escalators.
I’m sure, it could be better organised.
It should be noted that another pedestrian tunnel is being built to connect the Bakerloo Line to Crossrail.
I wrote about the Paddington Bakerloo Line Link in Paddington Is Operational Again!
Is There A Need For A Waterloo To Gatwick Service?
Whilst writing Are Network Rail And Heathrow Southern Railway Moving Towards A Joint Project On Western And Southern Access To Heathrow Airport?, I got to thinking about connectivity to London’s two main airports; Heathrow and Gatwick.
If both the Western Approach To Heathrow (WRAtH) and Heathrow Southern Railway (HSR) schemes are completed, Heathrow will have direct connections to the following major stations and areas.
- Canary Wharf using Crossrail
- City of London using Crossrail
- Clapham Junction using HSR
- HS1 using a future Crossrail to Ebbsfleet
- HS2 using Crossrail
- Liverpool Street using Crossrail
- Reading using WRAtH
- Waterloo using HSR
- West End using Crossrail
Many more places will need a single change at Clapham Junction, Farringdon, Reading, Stratford, Waterloo or Woking.
Awkward stations to get to and from Heathrow include Kings Cross, London Bridge, St. Pancras and Victoria.
Admittedly, Kings Cross, London Bridge and St. Pancras can be reached using Crossrail and Thameslink or the Underground, but Victoria is not easy as Crossrail doesn’t have an interchange with the Victoria Line.
Gatwick will have direct connections to the following major stations and areas.
- City of London using Thameslink
- HS1 using Thameslink
- Reading using GWR
- Victoria using Southern or Gatwick Express
- West End using Thameslink
Many more places will need a single change at Clapham Junction, Farringdon, Reading, or Victoria.
Awkward stations to and from Gatwick include Canary Wharf, Euston, Liverpool Street, Paddington and Waterloo.
Consider these points about Waterloo station.
Waterloo Has The Connectivity
Waterloo is on four Underground lines.
- Bakerloo Line for North West London, Paddington, West End,, South East London and North East London in collaboration with Dear Old Vicky!
- Charing Cross Branch of the Northern Line for North London, Euston and the West End.
- Jubilee Line for North West London, West End, Canary Wharf and Stratford.
- Waterloo & City Line for Bank and the City of London.
Waterloo also has its own network of frequent and comprehensive services to South West London and further afield.
Waterloo Could Be Getting Crossrail 2
In Sadiq Khan’s dreams!
The Bakerloo Line Extension and the West London Orbital Railway are much more urgent to be built, but they don’t serve Surrey, where posh commuters live!
Waterloo Is Almost A Tourist Destination
I say almost, as it is just a short walk from Westminster, several important museums and galleries, and the Thames.
Waterloo Station Is A Place To Meet Friends And Business Associates
I regularly meet friends as they pass through Waterloo station, as it has several restaurants, where you can sit, eat, drink and chat.
Waterloo Station Is Going To Be Developed
Plans are being developed to build above Waterloo station.
Could this include more hotels, in addition to offices and housing?
Why Has There Been Talk Of A Service Between Waterloo and Heathrow For Years, But Nothing About A Link To Gatwick?
Heathrow AirTrack was proposed by BAA some years ago and now Heathrow Southern Railway are putting in a privately-funded proposal.
But search for a proposal for a direct service between Waterloo and Gatwick and you find nothing sensible.
- Could it be that the route is too difficult or there is not enough capacity at Gatwick and/or Waterloo?
- Is it that a route to Heathrow would be much more profitable, as it is so much bigger?
- Is it tradition? Waterloo serves the South West and London Bridge and Victoria serves the South.
But time is moving on, a larger Waterloo and Gatwick stations are coming and Network Rail are getting some of their best brains around digital signalling.
A Waterloo And Gatwick Airport Service
As Gatwick expands, I believe that a direct service between Waterloo and Gatwick Airport will become more necessary.
The Route Of The Service
I’m not sure of this, but I believe that there is a route between Waterloo and Streatham Common or East Croydon stations, which could be used for a Waterloo to Gatwick service.
- It may need to use the flyover at Waterloo, that used to be used by Eurostar.
- I wrote about using the flyover in Waterloo Upgrade August 2017 – Waterloo To Sevenoaks.
- Could it use a route like Brixton, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill, West Norwood, Gipsy Hill, Crystal Palace, Norwood Junction and East Croydon?
- Once on the Brighton Main Line it would be plain sailing.
- Of the stations on the route I mentioned, only Norwood Junction has a direct service to Gatwick.
- A rebuilt Brixton station with its Victoria Line connection could be a valuable interchange.
- Crystal Palace will have a six trains per hour (tph) service on the Overground to Highbury & Islington.
- The route is fully electrified using third-rail.
I’m sure a practical and useful route can be found.
The Frequency Of The Service
Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Express services have a frequency of four tph.
So I wouldn’t think it unreasonable for a service between Waterloo and Gatwick Airport stations to have the same frquency.
Express Or Typical Suburban Service
Airport trains around London fall into two styles.
- Express – Gatwick Express, Heatrow Express and Stansted Express.
- Typical Standard Suburban Train – Crossrail and Thameslink.
As I am happy to use Thameslink to Gatwick, I have no particular preference. Except that if getting an early flight out of Gatwick, I take a night bus to Victoria and then use Gatwick Express, as it runs all night.
Passenger demand would decide, the level of service.
Trains For The Service
An appropriate train would be chosen to match the service style.
- Express – Class 387 train as per Gatwick or Heathrow Express
- Suburban Train – SWR’s Class 701 train
Both would do a very capable job.
Platforms At Waterloo
If I assume that Heathrow Southern Railway’s four tph service between Waterloo and Heathrow uses a single platform at Waterloo, I would expect it will be one of the higher-numbered platforms.
So could a Gatwick service with the same frequency use the next door platform?
This would surely be very convenient.
Conclusion
I think it is quite likely that a service between Waterloo and Gatwick Airport could be run.
But whether it is worthwhile is another matter.
Are The Bakerloo Line Platforms At Paddington Ready For Step-Free Access And Crossrail?
I took these pictures on the Bakerloo Line platforms at Paddington station.
Note.
- The blue hoardings have gone.
- The decorations appear finished.
- There are a set of locked fire-doors in the centre of the platforms. Where do they lead?
- The signs by the doors, have big white spaces, which cry out for graffiti or direction signs.
It all fits with Crossrail opening within a year as I wrote about in Crossrail Service To Reading On Track For December Opening.
Many of the extra passengers will head for the Underground, so complete their journeys. So opening Crossrail to Reading with a step-free connection to the Bakerloo Line makes sense.
Grab Handles On The Bakerloo Line
These pictures show the grab handles for safe entry and exit on the Bakerloo Line.
I do wonder, if the lack of handles, means a few more accidents, especially as there is a serious step-up at some stations.
What Will Be The Operating Speed Of The New Tube for London?
Transport for London have said that the New Tube for London will definitely be deployed on the Piccadilly, Central and Bakerloo Lines.
These three lines have sections at one or both ends, where the lines run through the countryside and the stations are farther apart.
Only the 1992 Stock of the Central Line have their operating speed given in Wikipedia.. It is 62 mph, which is the same as the S Stock for the sub-surface lines.
The 2009 Stock of the Victoria Line, despite being similar to the S Stock have an operating speed of only 50 mph.
Because of the nature of the ends of the Piccadilly, Central and Bakerloo Lines, will 62 mph be the optimum operating speed for these trains.
I’ll look at the factors on these lines separately.
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly Line will be self-contained, after the sorting of the shared sections West Rayners Lane and between Ealing Broadway and Acton Town, that I discussed in Thoughts On The Power System For The New Tube for London.
I suspect the operating speed of the New Tubes for London on the Piccadilly Line, will be decided on what is best for that line.
Central Line
The Central Line is also self-contained and the best operating speed for the line will be chosen.
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo Line could be a problem, as currently Class 378 trains run on the same trcks. These have an operating speed of 75 mph.
These Class 378 trains will be replaced by Class 710 trains, which could have a faster performance.
Surely for optimum running, the trains should need similar performance.
The Benefit Of Automatic Train Control
On all the lines on which New Tubes for London will operate, there will be Automatic Train Control.
The operating speed will be set by the control system, whereas the maximum operating speed will be set by the trains design.
So I think we could see a maximum operating speed of 75 mph or even higher for the New Tube for London, so that it could run on faster lines and not slow the other faster trains.
More Speed Means More Powerful Trains And Improved Acceleration And braking
To go faster, you probably need more powerful trains, but the motors required would give better acceleration and braking, that would speed up services, by executing station stops in a shorter time.
Conclusion
I would expect from y Control Engineering training, that the New Tube for London could have a maximum operating speed in-line with the Class 710 train. So around 75-90 mph.
Could we even see an Underground train, that is capable of 100 mph?
It would only rarely, if ever, run at that speed on current plans, but it might enable Underground and National Rail services to share tracks in surprising places.
Will The Extended Bakerloo Line Be Twenty-Seven Trains Per Hour All The Way?
There are two major projects that will be implemented on the Bakerloo Line in the next decade or two.
- The replacement of the current 1972 Stock trains with the New Tubes for London.
- The extension of the line to Lewisham station.
I certainly feel, that the two projects will bring the Bakerloo Line into the twenty-first century
The Planned Train Frequency
Under Current And Future Infrastructure, the Wikipedia entry for the Bakerloo Line says this.
Transport for London proposes to upgrade the line eventually, but not until other deep-level lines have been dealt with. This will include new signalling and new trains, enabling a maximum frequency of 27 trains per hour. TfL currently expects these to be in place by 2033.
Twenty-seven trains per hour (tph) seems very much in line with other deep-level Underground Lines.
- Central Line – 35 tph
- Jubilee Line – 30 tph
- Northern Line – 24 tph for each branch
- Piccadilly Line – 33 tph after upgrade.
- Victoria Line – 36 tph
Perhaps, it is a bit lower, but the engineers usually manage to squeeze more out of a line.
The Bakerloo Line Extension To Lewisham
The planning is underway to extend the Bakerloo Line to Lewisham station.
The Bakerloo Line Extension looks like it will be a four-station extension, with interchanges at Elephant & Castle, New Cross and Lewisham.
This map from Transport for London, shows the extension.
I think it will be highly likely, that the extension will be built using a similar design and techniques to that of the Northern Line Extension to Battersea.
- It will be double-track.
- There are unlikely to be any junctions.
- The Lewisham station will have two platforms with overrun tunnels.
- There appears to be no depot planned.
I have come to some conclusions about the design.
Planned Frequency
If the track layout of the extension and particularly at Lewisham follows the layouts of the Victoria Line termini, I can see no reason, why the proposed frequency of twenty-seven tph can’t be achieved.
I also suspect that provision will be made, so that the frequency can be increased.
A higher frequency would also be expected if the Bakerloo line, were to be further extended to two separate branches, as the map indicates.
Number Of Trains
I suspect that for the extension to work in an optimum manner new trains will be needed.
Project Timescale And Cost
The Northern Line Extension to Battersea appears to be taking about six years from sign-off to completion.
This extension is twice as long and has double the number of stations, but is probably not as grand.
I would put my money on a seven year project and a couple of billion.
As it is unlikely, that the required new trains will not be available until 2033, the project probably has a sign-off date of around 2025.
The project could be pulled forward.
- The trains could be built after those for the Piccadilly Line.
- An early decision could be made.
Saying go in 2022 would enable a finish in 2029.
The Northern Section Between Queens Park And Watford Junction
North of Queens Park station, the line is double-track all the way to Watford Junction station.
Queens Park Station
At Queens Park station itself, it’s a lot more complicated.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout at Queens Park station.
Note.
- The Watford DC Line of the Overground is shown in orange and runs through Kilburn High Road and Queens Park stations.
- The Bakerloo Line is shown in brown and runs through Kilburn Park and Queens Park stations.
- There are reversing sidings to the West of Queens Park station for the Bakerloo Line.
The following services go through or terminate at Queens Park station.
- Three tph between Euston and Watford Junction on the London Overground.
- Six tph between Harrow & Wealdstone and Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo Line.
- Three tph between Stonebridge Park and Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo Line.
- Eleven tph between Queens Park and Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo Line.
It is also likely that the Overground service will go to four tph.
So this means that services will be as follows.
- Four tph on the Watford DC Line run through Kilburn High Road station.
- Twenty tph on the Bakerloo Line run through Kilburn Park station.
- Nine tph on the Bakerloo Line run through Queens Park station.
- Four tph on the Watford DC Line run through Queens Park station.
- Eleven tph on the Bakerloo Line terminate at Queens Park station.
Thirteen tph will continue to various destinations towards Watford Junction.
What Is The Capacity North Of Queens Park Station?
So how many trains could the double-track line between Queens Park and Wartford Junction stations handle?
Consider.
- All services on the line are london Overground or London Underground.
- There are no junctions, where services divide and join.
- There is a turnback facility at Harrow & Wealdstone station, that can handle six tph.
- The Overground trains are being replaced with Class 710 trains, which must be able to be made compatible with digital signalling.
- Watford Junction station has four platforms connected to the Watford DC Line.
- Good design should be able to make the stations step-free for both Class 710 trains and New Tube for London.
- The Watford DC Line service, always seems to terminate in platform 9 at Euston.
- London Underground have run thirty-six tph on the Victoria Line for about a year now.
I suspect that if the trains are digitally signalled, with a degree of Automatic Train Control, that there could be as many as thirty-six tph between Queens Park and Watford Junction stations.
I also think it is significant that the New Tube for London, specifies that the Bakerloo Line will run at twenty-seven tph. Why not more, if the theoretical capacity North of Queens Park is thirty-six tph?
But a single platform at Euston can probably handle six tph, so add 27 and 6 and you get thirty-three tph, which is the proposed core frequency of the Piccadilly Line.
Will The Bakerloo Line Run All The Way To Watford Junction?
Suppose too, that all Bakerloo services ran all the way to Watford Junction, as has been proposed in the past.
- This would simplify operation and especially at Queens Park, Stonebridge Park and Harrow & Wealdstone stations.
- Digital signalling would easily handle the frequency.
- The platform arrangement at Queens Park would be unchanged, with Euston services on the outside and Bakerloo services in the middle.
Watford Junction would have superb thirty-three tph service to two destinations in London.
Will The New Tube for London Run The Euston Service?
I will speculate, that the Watford DC Line service could be run by New Tubes for London..
- One type of train would be easier to handle for staff and passengers.
- All platform heights could be the same.
- All services would be step-free between train and platform.
- Digital signalling could easily handle thirty-three tph along the shared route.
In Thoughts On The Power System For The New Tube for London, I proposed that the New Tube for London could run on a conventional third-rail system.
This would further mean the following for the Bakerloo Line.
- New Tubes for London could use the existing track to access Euston, without serious modification.
- If the Bakerloo Line is extended to Hayes, Beckenham Junction or Bromley North stations, the existing tracks could continue to handle existing third-rail trains to provide other services.
- Only one type of train would be needed to run all services on the Bakerloo Line to its various destinations.
Use of New Tubes for London on all routes may be possible to create a service on the Northern section of the Bakerloo Line with the following characteristics.
- Twenty-seven tph between Watford Junction and Elephant & Castle stations.
- Six tph between Watford Junction and Euston stations.
- All stations would be step-free between platform and train.
- All trains would be identical New Tubes for London.
- All trains would run under Automatic Train Control, as does the Victoria Line.
All passengers on the existing Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines would see a better service.
The Bakerloo Line Extension to Lewisham
Note, that I have said nothing about the Bakerloo Extension to Lewisham.
In my view, that extension does what it says on the tin and creates a new twenty-seven tph service between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham stations, which brings new services to an area of South-East London, where they are much needed.
Effectively, the Bakerloo Line would become two twenty-seven tph lines, that happen to connect back-to-back at Elephant & Castle station to enable cross-London journeys.
Could Bakerloo Line Services Still Be Turned Back At Harrow & Wealdstone?
The following could be argued.
- Watford Junction doesn’t need twenty-seven tph on the Bakerloo Line and six tph to Euston.
- Watford needs a cross-Watford service like the in-limbo Croxley Rail Link.
So could a few trains be turned back using the existing facility at Harrow & Wealdston station to create paths to allow an appropriate service between say Watford Junction and Amersham stations?
More Frequent Services
If we look at the Victoria Line, where the frequency has increased over the last few years by the addition of various improvements, I would not be surprised to see the frequency of twenty-seven tph increased.
After all London Underground’s engineers have been squeezing Dear Old Vicky for half a century, so they must know more tricks, than Paul Daniels knew at the peak of his success.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the New Tube for London could run at twenty-seven tph all the way between Watford Junction to Lewisham stations.
Whether that frequency is needed all the way is another matter.
The Anonymous Widower 