From October 24th 2022, It Looks Like Bond Street And Oxford Circus Stations In London Will Share An Out Of Station Interchange!
Consider.
- Bond Street station is served by the Jubilee and Central Lines.
- Oxford Circus station is served by the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central Lines.
- On this page on Oyster Fares Central, the distance between Bond Street And Oxford Circus stations, is given as 280 metres or yards.
- On the 24th of October 2022, Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line will open with two new entrances in Davies Street and Hanover Square.
- Westminster City Council have refurbished Hanover Square to improve walking routes to and from the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street Station.
- In Hanover Square – 9th May 2022, I show some of the wide pavements around the area.
- There is no direct interchange between the Victoria and Elizabeth Lines.
- There is no direct interchange between the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Lines.
I think it is likely, that some travellers will walk between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station, to do journeys like these.
- Victoria Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations
- Piccadilly Line stations, that are North of Finsbury Park station and Elizabeth Line stations, with a cross-platform change between Piccadilly and Victoria Line trains at Finsbury Park station.
- Some travellers may prefer this interchange between Bakerloo Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations, than use the Bakerloo Line Link at Paddington.
- Some travellers arriving in Euston, King’s Cross and St. Pancras may use the Victoria Line to transfer to the Elizabeth Line.
I can see a substantial number of travellers walking between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station.
I suspect Transport for London can too, as they have made Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations an out of station interchange, with a time limit of twenty minutes.
- It would be time enough to pick up a coffee on the way.
- As Tony Hancock once said, there would be time for a cough and a drag.
- There are several useful shops on the route.
It is not your normal interchange and I suspect shops will adjust their wares to the traffic.
I have a few thoughts.
Toilets
I think toilets are needed on the pedestrian route.
Interchange With The Central Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Central Line at Ealing Broadway, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch, Holborn, St. Paul’s and Bank will have a large choice of new routes.
I suspect many passengers will change at Bond Street and Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
This visualisation shows the knitting that connects the lines at Bond Street station.
I think for a fast interchange, using the minimum amount of walking, you would need to travel in the Western end of an Elizabeth Line train if you want to change to the Central Line.
But some passengers might prefer to travel in the Eastern end of an Elizabeth Line train and use the out of station interchange to Oxford Circus station for the Central Line.
Interchange With The Jubilee Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Jubilee Line at just Bond Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Green Park, Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge and Greenwich will take the Jubilee Line.
Passengers will have to change at Bond Street or Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
Improving The Wood Green And Moorgate Public Transport Corridor
This morning I went for coffee with an old school friend from Minchenden Grammar School at Southgate station.
Southgate is not a bad place to meet someone.
- There are a couple of good coffee shops.
- There are plenty of buses.
- It has a couple of the better chain restaurants including a Pizza Express.
- The area also has a lot of memories for me.
It also has one of London’s most iconic Underground stations.
It may look familiar, as it regularly crops up in film and television dramas.
- One station guy told me, that the ticket barriers have been designed to be easy to remove, so filming of an historic drama is possible.
- It was used in The End Of The Affair to portray a Central London station.
- As the escalators have the same bronze fittings as Moscow, they could be used in a story set in Russia.
As the Piccadilly Line doesn’t go anywhere near my house, to get to Southgate, I take a 141 bus to and from a convenient Piccadilly Line station.
- Going North, I changed at Manor House station.
- Coming South, I changed at Turnpike Lane station.
- I could have also have changed at Wood Green station.
The journey home had four major problems.
- The bus stop at Turnpike Lane station, is a few hundred yards from the station.
- I waited fifteen minutes for a 141 bus.
- When it did arrive, it was so packed, it didn’t have space for a miniature dachshund to squeeze in between the feet of the standing passengers.
- The traffic was very heavy, so the journey was slow.
How can this bus route cope in the Peak, if it can’t cope on a Sunday morning?
Various issues and actions and will make these capacity issues worse.
The Victoria Line Has No Direct Connection With The Elizabeth Line
In my view, this was a mistake, although not that serious, as the young or energetic can probably walk between Oxford Circus and the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line.
Will this connection develop with coffee and snack shops to ease passenger interchanges?
When and if Oxford Circus station is ever made step-free, I can imagine a tunnel, perhaps with a moving walkway being built between Oxford Circus station and he Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station.
There is also the cross-platform interchange at Highbury & Islington station with the Northern City Line that links with Moorgate and the City of London.
The Piccadilly Line Has No Direct Connection With The Elizabeth Line
To get between the Northern stations on the Piccadilly Line and the Elizabeth Line is either a double-change at Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington stations or a ride on the 141 bus.
I wrote about these issues in Extending The Elizabeth Line – Improving The Northern City Line.
The Elizabeth Line Will Attract Travellers To Moorgate
I notice that my own travelling patterns have changed from using the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines to using the Elizabeth Line since it opened and I suspect, when the Elizabeth Line is fully joined up, that more passengers will travel to Moorgate to access the Elizabeth Line.
Transport for London and the Mayor Are Rerouting The 21 Bus
The 21 bus duplicates the 141 bus between Newington Green and Moorgate station.
But it is being rerouted next year, which will increase the loading on the 141 bus.
The 141 Bus Used To Be The 641 Trolleybus
When I was a child, London’s trolleybus network was extensive and to get between Wood Green and Moorgate, you would have used the 641 trolleybus.
Trolleybus Ascending Jolly Butchers Hill in Wood Green
Many like me, look back on trolleybuses with affection.
Does this historical connection encourage passengers to use the 141 bus, which is the 641 trolleybus’s successor on the route?
My parents certainly had lots of trolleybus stories.
So What Could Be Done?
There are a variety of actions that could be taken to strengthen public transport between Moorgate and Wood Green stations.
Improve The 141 Bus Route
In Does London Need High Capacity Bus Routes To Extend Crossrail?, I put forward ideas for using buses to link to the Elizabeth Line.
This was my suggestion.
I suspect any route seen as an extension of Crossrail needs to have the following characteristics.
- High frequency of perhaps a bus every ten minutes.
- Interior finish on a par with the Class 345 trains.
- Wi-fi and phone charging.
I would also hope the buses were carbon-free. Given that some of these routes could be quite long, I would suspect hydrogen with its longer range could be better.
I feel that a high-quality 141 bus running every ten minutes between London Bridge station and Palmers Green, would be just what the passengers would order.
- Palmers Green bus garage is at the Northern end of the route, so could be used for refuelling or recharging.
- London Bridge station is at the Southern end of the route and was designed with an efficient bus station.
- The 141 route connects London Bridge, Bank, Moorgate and Old Street stations in the City of London.
With the right buses, this could be a route with real quality and usefulness.
Increase The Frequency On The Northern City Line
The Northern City Line may have new Class 717 trains, but it still has a pathetic frequency of eight trains per hour (tph)
- I am sure it could be increased to at least 12 tph between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace stations.
- Something like six tph would go to Welwyn Garden City, four tph to Hertford East station and two to Stevenage.
- Large areas of the Northern suburbs would get a much better connection to the Elizabeth Line.
Once the digital signalling is installed and commissioned, no new infrastructure will be needed.
I am sure, that this would be the easiest way to improve public transport in North London.
Add Step-Free Access To As Many Stations As Possible
Moorgate, Finsbury Park, Oakwood and Cockfosters are step-free with lifts.
As many stations as budgetary constraints allow, should be made step-free.
Elizabeth Line: Bond Street Station Gets Opening Date
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The opening date for the Elizabeth line at Bond Street station has been revealed.
The central London station will begin taking passengers from 24 October, subject to final approvals, Transport for London (TfL) said.
The 24th of October is a Monday.
From Moorgate To Imperial Wharf – 30th June 2022
I wanted to see the new entrance at Imperial Wharf station today, so after a full English breakfast on Moorgate, I took the Lizzie Line, Central and West London Lines across London.
I took this route.
- Lizzie Line – Moorgate to Tottenham Court Road
- Central Line – Tottenham Court Road To Shepherds Bush
- West London Line – Shepherds Bush To Imperial Wharf
I took these pictures along the route.
Note.
- The change at Tottenham Court Road station involves going up to the ticket hall and down again.
- The change at Shepherds Bush involves crossing the road between the Central Line and Overground station.
- The last few pictures show the new entrance at Imperial Wharf, which is for Northbound trains only.
When Bond Street station opens on the Lizzie Line, it should be easier to change there for the Central Line.
The Plans For A Connection Between The Lizzie And West London Lines?
This map from cartometro.com shows, where the Lizzie and West London Lines cross in the area of Old Oak Common.
Note.
- The Overground is shown in orange and splits into the North and West London Lines South of Willesden Junction station.
- The Lizzie Line is shown in purple and black, as it goes across the map, as at this point it shares tracks with the Great Western Main Line.
This map shows how High Speed Two will change the lines.
Note.
- Hythe Road station on the West London Line, which will have a walking route to High Speed Two and the Lizzie Line.
- Old Oak Common Lane station on the North London Line, which will have a walking route to High Speed Two and the Lizzie Line.
- The Dudding Hill Line, which is shown as an orange double-line and could be part of the West London Orbital passing North-South to the West of Old Oak Common Lane station.
- The Acton-Northolt Line, which is shown in blue and could give Chiltern Railways extra platforms at Old Oak Common with a walking route to High Speed Two and the Lizzie Line.
Wikipedia says that the status of the two Overground stations according to Transport for London is as follows.
Subject to funding being secured and further public consultation, we would seek permission to build and operate the proposals via a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO). Funding remains a significant constraint in delivering these proposals. We are currently seeking to establish a package of funding that could enable the stations to be delivered by 2026 alongside the new HS2 and Elizabeth line station.
I suspect that with our current South London Mayor, we will see little progress on these connectivity schemes at Old Oak Common station, as with the possible exception of Hythe Road station, there’s little in it for South London.
Conclusion
Hythe Road station would certainly have made my journey easier yesterday.
Hopefully, though, if I do the journey again in the next year or so, Bond Street station will be open on the Lizzie Line and I’ll change to the Central Line there.
Hanover Square – 9th May 2022
I went to have a look at the new entrance to Bond Street station in Hanover Square.
I have a strong affection for Hanover Square. The first picture shows a new block now, but it was where my bank manager friend had his office for a time.
I spent a lot of time with him and meetings in that office overlooking the square had a lot to do with the success of Metier Management Systems.
They don’t make bank managers like that anymore.
The Final Crossrail Station Oversite Has Been Handed To The Developer
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
This is the first paragraph.
The last of the Elizabeth line stations to have a building built above the station has been handed over to the developer, Grosvenor for an office development. The site, at 65 Davies Street will sit above the back of Bond Street station where a classic Edwardian style brick building occupied by the University of Arts had been based.
I went today and took these pictures.
It doesn’t look it, but the building should be ready by the end of 2023.
I used to visit this area regularly from the age of about fourteen. My uncle; Dick had a newsagents shop at the back of Bond Street station at 2 Weighhouse Street and I used to come up to see him and his wife; Rene.
Whitechapel Station Reopens On August 23rd
I have been told that Whitechapel station will reopen on Monday, the 23rd of August.
Apparently the station has put it out on Twitter.
When I visited this week and wrote Whitechapel Station – 10th August 2021, I did think that reopening wouldn’t be too far away.
As the station is closed this weekend, I shall be going on Monday to observe the progress.
If Whitechapel station gets handed over to Transport for London in the next few weeks, that will leave just Bond Street and Canary Wharf stations still to be completed.
For a few years now Crossrail have talked about opening without Bond Street station, so will TfL just lock the platform edge doors shut and go for as early opening of Crossrail as possible?
Canary Wharf station could also be treated in the same way.
It would certainly be an option to open Crossrail earlier than expected.
Are These Two Good News Articles From Crossrail?
This press release from Crossrail is entitled Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth Line Station Enters Final Commissioning Phase.
These are the first three paragraphs.
The Tottenham Court Road Elizabeth line station has reached an important milestone with construction works sufficiently finished for final commissioning activities to start, Crossrail has confirmed.
The station has reached the T-12 landmark, this means the station is now considered to be 12 weeks away from being ready for handover to Transport for London (TfL), who will operate the Elizabeth line.
Work at the station will now primarily focus on the extensive testing and commissioning of systems ahead of the Elizabeth line opening. The railway is still on track to open in the first half of 2022.
This video from Crossrail explains what needs to be done before Trial Running can start.
This article on New Civil Engineer is entitled Crossrail | All But One Central London Station Is ‘Ready For Use’.
These are the first two paragraphs.
All but one of Crossrail’s central London stations has been signed off as “ready for use”, Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild revealed in his latest update to the London Assembly.
Paddington is the only station yet to have its assets assured and certified as ready to enter trial running.
It looks like Crossrail is finally getting there.
Bond Street Station
In both articles there is no mention of Bond Street station, which in many reports has been described as running behind the other stations.
So when the New Civil Engineer article said that only one station wasn’t ready for use, I assumed it was Bond Street, rather than Paddington, as noted in the article.
So has progress at Bond Street station improved? If it has that that would appear to be more good news.
In Your First Crossrail Service May Arrive In Time For Christmas, I was speculating, when I said.
Bond Street station certainly seems to have caught up with the others and there is no longer any suggestion it could open a year later.
Perhaps, I was right.
Conclusion
The news certainly isn’t bad!
Crossrail’s Late-Running Bond Street Project Ready For Key Testing This Month
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Building.
This is the opening paragraph.
Bond Street station should be ready for the crucial next stage of testing by the end of the month.
At last the end of the tunnel seems to be in sight.
Crossrail Parts Company With Costain Skanska At Bond Street
The title of this post, is the same as that on this article on Construction Enquirer.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Costain/Skanska joint venture’s troubled Crossrail contract at Bond Street Station has been ended early.
It appears to be a mutual decision and in my opinion such a decision is very rare, especially as Costain/Skanska’s other project at Paddington station seems to be progressing as expected.
Could it be that the architects designed a project that was unbuildable? Or one where the architects didn’t think about the project management needed to build it?
The Anonymous Widower 