Penge Interchange
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines through Penge West and Penge East stations.
The two stations are a valid out-of-station interchange, but neither is step-free.
Penge East station could be difficult to make step-free, as the footbridge is listed.
I think that it is one of those structures that Network Rail wouldn’t miss, if it was decided to install it at the National Railway Museum.
This Google Map shows the two stations and their distances from, where the two lines cross.
Note.
- Penge West station is in the South-West corner of the map on the East London Line.
- Penge East station is in the East of the map on the Chatham Main Line.
- The new Penge Interchange station could be located, where the East London Line and the Chatham Main Line cross.
- The two tracks of the Crystal Palace branch of the Overground can be seen either side of the East London Line.
Could this be one of the reasons, why it has been suggested by Transport for London, that a new station be built, where the lines through the two Penge stations? cross?
- The station would be built on railway land.
- The station could be a step-free four-poster station like Smethwick Galton Street station, which I wrote about in Birmingham’s Four-Poster Station.
- It would have four tph between Victoria and Bromley South stations.
- It would have four tph between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon stations.
- It would have two tph between London Bridge and Caterham stations
- It might also be possible to have platforms on the Crystal Palace branch, thus adding six tph between Highbury & Islington and Crystal Palace. stations.
- The station could have Thameslink platforms.
I feel it would offer the following benefits.
- Better connection between South East and North London, by changing at Penge and Whitechapel.
- Better connection between South East London and Crossrail, with all its connections, by changing at Penge and Whitechapel.
Penge Interchange might allow the two older Penge stations to be closed.
These are some further thoughts.
Southeastern Stations Served From Penge East
These stations are served from Penge East station.
- Beckenham Junction
- Bickley
- Brixton
- Bromley South
- Herne Hill
- Kent House
- Petts Wood
- Shortlands
- Sydenham Hill
- West Dulwich
Each station would get four trains per hour (tph) with two on Sundays.
What Does Artificial Intelligence, Think Of Penge Interchange?
I asked Google AI and received this answer.
Penge Interchange refers to a long-proposed but unbuilt Transport for London (TfL) project to create a major new railway station in Penge, London, combining Penge East (Chatham Main Line) and Penge West (Overground) stations, allowing seamless, step-free transfers between the East London Line (Overground) and Southeastern services, potentially linking to Thameslink, to improve capacity and connectivity in South London. Currently, there’s an “out-of-station interchange” (OSI) between Penge East and Penge West, requiring a walk.
Connecting to Thameslink could be worthwhile.
Note too, that Google AI refers to the East London Line by its traditional not its woke name.
What Does Artificial Intelligence, Think Of Brockley Interchange?
I asked Google AI a similar question for Brockley and received this answer.
“Brockley Interchange” can refer to two main things: the busy M1 Junction 4 near London (a motorway junction with the A41) or proposed future transport links for Brockley railway station in South East London, aiming to connect more rail lines, possibly reusing the old Brockley Lane site for better links to the Nunhead-Lewisham line. The current Brockley Station serves London Overground and Southern Rail but lacks step-free platform-to-platform access, with a proposed interchange potentially fixing this.
Note.
- The reference to the M1 Junction 4 is of course not relevant here.
- Brockley station also doesn’t have an entrance on the Up side.
This Google Map shows Brockley station and the Nunhead-Lewisham Line over the top.
Note.
- The East London Line runs North-South.
- The Nunhead-Lewisham Line runs East-West.
- Brockley Lane station was just to the East of the East London Line.
- There is quite a few hectares of spare land along the Nunhead-Lewisham Line.
- A development called Brockley Yard has been given planning permission to the West of Brockley station.
It looks like the station could be redeveloped to join the two lines, with a certain amount of housing above the station.
Conclusion
It strikes me, that there are possibilities for station and network improvements, that would benefit passengers at both Penge and Brockley, that would release sites for housing.
The developments could also be self-funded, by property sales and more passengers on the rail network.
Thameslink Services Through Brockley
This post is a follow up to Thameslink’s 24tph Introduction Held Over To 2019, which I wrote yesterday, after doing a little bit of digging anf buying the printed copy of Rail Magazine.
When the full 24 trains per hour (tph) timetable is fully implemented the routing of Thameslink services through South London could be as in the provisional timetable in Wikipedia.
- 1/2 – Bedford to Brighton – via London Bridge, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport
- 3/4 – Bedford to Gatwick Airport – via London Bridge and East Croydon
- 5/6 – Peterborough to Horsham – via London Bridge and East Croydon
- 7/8 – Cambridge to Brighton – via London Bridge, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport
- 9/10 – Cambridge to Maidstone East – via London Bridge, New Cross and Swanley
- 11/12 – Bedford to East Grinstead – via London Bridge and East Croydon
- 13/14 – Bedford to Littlehampton – via London Bridge, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport
- 15/16 – Luton to Rainham – via London Bridge, New Cross and Greenwich
- 17/20 – St. Albans to Sutton – Bia London Blackfriars and the Sutton Loop
- 21/22 – Luton or Kentish Town to Orpington – via London Blackfriars and Catford
- 23/24 – Welwyn Garden City to Sevenoaks – via London Blackfriars, Catford and Otford.
Looking at the routes of these trains shows.
- Twelve tph will run between London Bridge and East Croydon along the Brighton Main Line through stations between Brockley Norwood Junction.
- Ten tph serve Gatwick Airport.
- Ten tph serve Luton Airport.
This morning I stood on Brockley stations and counted trains on the two fast lines of the Brighton Main Line.
In half an hour, I counted less than eight trains in each direction of which one was Network Rail’s leaf cleaning train and another was the Thameslink service between London Bridge and Brighton.
This article in Rail Magazine is entitled Thameslink’s 24tph Introduction Held Over To 2019.
This is a paragraph.
However, GTR will start running some trains on routes earlier than planned. Speaking exclusively to RAIL on November 15, Chris Gibb, chairman of the Thameslink Programme Industry Readiness Board, said that as soon as drivers were trained, GTR services would be diverted via London Bridge from January instead of May, and via the Canal Tunnels from April.
From my observations this morning and my scrutiny of the proposed timetable, it would appear that the twelve tph between London Bridge and East Croydon can be accommodated on the fast lines of the Brighton Main Line, given the following conditions.
- The track and signalling between London Blackfriars and New Cross Gate via London Bridge is completed.
- The London Bridge to Brighton service is discontinued, as Thameslink will replace it.
Thameslink running through London Bridge from January, will surely mean the following.
- Faster and more reliable services between London and Gatwick Airport and the South Coast, using more direct route and the Brighton Main Line, North of East Croydon.
- Less congestion on the Blackfriars route for Thameslink, as it winds through South London.
At present only four tph run on Thameslink, that could use the new direct route.
So if these transfer in January to their own platforms in London Bridge, there will be improvements.
In the Rail Magazine article, Chris Gibb also stated that the Canal Tunnels will be in use by April.
So will we see services gradually added to the Thameslink service, as the route proves it is capable of handling the trains?
This is no Big Bang change, but a simple step-by-step process.
More Details In The Print Copy Of Rail Magazine
The full Rail Magazine article has now been published in print and I have a copy.
Chris Gibb describes the May 2018 timetable change as a Big Bang.
- Capacity increase of 35,000-40,000 into the core at Peak periods.
- New service between Cambridge and Brighton.
- New service between Horsham and Peterborough.
- New service between Luton and the Medway Towns.
- New service between Littlehampton and Bedford.
- New service between East Grinstead and Bedford.
There will be 18 tph through the core.
The article say this frequency will rise to 20 tph in December 2018 and 22 tph in May 2019.
A Possible Thirty Tph Through The Core
The Rail Magazine article also says this.
He (Chris Gibb) explained that 30 tph could run through the core, but that infrastructure either side of it, would not support this.
This increase must open up the possibility of new destinations to the North and South.
Everybody would have their favourites.
Mine could be.
- Ashford International for Eurostar.
- Old Oak Common via the Dudding Hill Line.
- Kettering and Corby
- Milton Keynes
It will be interesting to see what is proposed, let alone implemented.
The Anonymous Widower 