Step-Free Access To The Underground
Coming back from Kings Cross station tonight, I took the indirect route using the Circle line to Moorgate station and then getting a 141 bus from just outside the station to just round the corner from my house.
The reason was that I had a heavy parcel of bedding, I’d bought in John Lewis and my normal change to the bus home at either Angel or Highbury and Islington stations would have meant crossing a major road.
Although I’m not in any way disabled, sometimes I do find that my left hand is a bit gammy and it is better to take an easier route, with escalators, lifts or right-handed staircases. For this reason, I know a lot of the best routes to get around London.
As I went through the gate at Kings Cross, the staff were chatting about step-free access and how difficult it will be to put in at some stations. I said that I think we’ll be finding some innovative engineering solutions used in some stations.
I know that inclined lifts are going to be used on Crossrail, but when I got home I found that at Greenford station, London Underground is going to get its first inclined lift. There’s more here on the Crossrail web site.
I think we’ll see a lot more of these, especially at stations, where there are three escalator positions, but the middle one has never been installed to save money.
The great advantage of inclined lifts is that in these stations, they can be installed without any digging or disruption to the station during the installation process.
I also think that buses have a large part to play in step free access.
As I said, I often plot my routes around London to avoid difficult stations or interchanges. For instance, I don’t change at Green Park station, as although it has lifts and is step free, you can walk miles between trains. Kings Cross too, is a bit of an Underground maze. Often though, the best route is to go to an easier station and then get a bus.
But not all stations have easy access from the trains to the buses and vice-versa like London Bridge, Euston and Victoria.
It may improve the lot of passengers and especially those who are disabled to improve the bus/Tube interface, as it will mean that some difficult stations can be bypassed.
I want lots more step free access to stations, but lets see if we can have innovative and more affordable solutions, that allow more stations to be given the full treatment.
It’s All Go At Custom House Station
I returned to Custom House station today, to see if anything had started.
There did seem to be a fair bit going on. but no parts of the new station seemed to have arrived.
And what was the shark doing? I suppose the river isn’t far away.
On the other hand, the pub opposite; The Barge, seemed to have all the architectural merit of the average Australian dunny. Some buildings have to be sacrificed in the name of progress.
Custom House Station On CrossRail
The construction of Custom House station on CrossRail is due to start soon. Read all about it here in the East London Advertiser. From this paragraph in the article, it seems someone has thought out their design.
The station is being manufactured in sections in Sheffield, then transported 200 miles to Custom House and re-assembled on the construction site in Victoria Dock Road, next to the ExCel complex, to save time and keep disruption to residents and the DLR to a minimum. The roof is being made from transparent plastic, similar to the Eden Project in Cornwall.
After the cable-car trip, I took a few photos, from the overbridges at the DLR stations.
It will be enlightening to watch as the station is constructed over the next few years.
Pictures Of Crossrail
This gallery on the BBC shows some good pictures of the Crossrail sites from the air.
Some of my pictures show the view from the ground.
Crossrail Is Not Just About Digging Tunnels
Crossrail in my view is a rather unique project. This report on the BBC shows an archaeological side.
Judging by the large number who turned up at the pop-up exhibition, it would appear to be money well spent.
The Emirates Air-Line Was Surprisingly Busy
There wasn’t much of a queue at the ticket desks on the Emirates Air-Line today, but you had to wait a minute or so to get on and the cabins seemed to be fairly full. Perhaps more people are doing what I do and using their Oyster cards.
I was also able to take this view of the Crossrail site at Limmo and the conveyors taking the spoil to the barges.
The Crossrail Site At Limmo
Considering the weather, the visibility wasn’t too bad.
The Most Read News Item On The Crossrail Web Site
This article is the most read article on the Crossrail site.
It’s about property prices rising because of the new railway line!
It was always thus and with any sniff that their house might be worth more, people will always check.
After all, government know that the best way to get re-elected is to make sure property prices rise.
This is also why most people object to new housing developments in their area. The law of supply and demand might cause the value of their house to fall, so it’s better to be safe and sure and stop more being built.
Phyllis Is Deep Under Hyde Park, Digging Hard
This article is a good update on how the Crossrail tunnels are progressing.
There doesn’t seem to have been much protesting, so either the company has been lucky or it is doing a good job.
Platform Edge Doors
I travelled on the Jubilee line this morning and the line has platform-edge doors in the central section around Canary Wharf station.
According to this web page, Crossrail will have them too in the centre section.
Now I know that in theory they are a good way to stop suicides and accidents with drunks, but do they just just move the problem elsewhere?
After all, the preferred way of suicide in the 1950s was to put your head in a gas oven. Suicides continued despite safer North Sea gas.
I suppose we won’t make station platforms totally safe, until all lines have platform-edge doors. But that would be rather expensive.
Steve Norris Pushes For Crossrail To Stansted
This story from the Cambridge Evening News shows how a lot of good thinking is going into sorting out London’s airport problem.
Extending Crossrail to Stansted would be a simple addition to London’s infrastructure and because of the link at Farringdon station, London’s three main airports would be well-connected.
The Anonymous Widower 