A Scrapyard Special Ready For The Blowtorch
I took these pictures of possibly the worst train, I’ve ridden in for some years.
I took this Class 313 train between Hertford North and Old |Street stations.
Not all trains of this age have to be so dirty and unkempt.
In Liverpool’s Underground Trains, I showed these pictures.
These Merseyrail Class 507/508 trains are only three years younger, than those in London.
Both fleets are being replaced before the end of 2020.
So it’s not that if trains are going to the scrapyard they have to be let go!
I do wonder whether that this illustrates the point, that if trains are run as a concession from the Local Authority, like those of Merseyrail and London Overground, there is much better control of service quality.
In Gibb Report – Moorgate Services Could Be Transferred To The London Overground, I laid out Chris Gibb’s view of what should happen.
This was my conclusion.
Chris Gibb has made an interesting proposal.
There are good reasons to transfer the Great Northern Metro to London Overground.
- London Overground have the expertise to introduce the new trains.
- Transport for London have the expertise to redevelop the stations on the route at the Southern end.
- GTR will be able to concentrate on Thameslink
- Moorgate, Old Street, Essex Road and Highbury and Islington stations become Transport for London-only stations.
- London would gain a new Metro line between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace via Highbury and Islington and Finsbury Park, that extends into Hertfordshire and has a frequency of at least twelve tph.
- Crossrail gets another North-South feeder line.
- Highbury and Islington and Finsbury Park will become high quality interchanges.
- The Hertford Loop Line can be developed independently of Thameslink and the East Coast Main Line to be a high-capacity North-South Metro from North London to Stevenage.
- The Victoria Line gets a cross-platform connection to the Great Northern Metro for Crossrail at Highbury and Islington.
- The only problem, is that it might remove some of the reasons for extending Crossrail 2 to New Southgate.
Overall it strikes me that GTR have been working totally without any vision or any idea about how their new trains will transform the Great Northern Metro.
I hope Sadiq Khan is watching what is happening from his bunker in South London.
A Class 313 Train In Not Bad Condition
On Friday, I took a train between Moorgate and Essex Road stations.
It was not in bad condition.
These trains are three-car trains and run in pairs as six-cars.
These trains used to run on the Watford DC Line, so I wonder if when they get to be released by the new Class 717 trains, some could be put back on that line to release some more Class 378 trains for the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
Anybody like a game of Musical Trains?
