Another Non-Jobsworth
I had dinner with my son at Carluccio’s in Upper Street and we walked back to Highbury and Islington station to get our trains home.
I was intendimg to take the North London Line to Dalston Junction for a bus home and as I walked down the stairs to the platform, I noticed that the train doors were closed. But the driver waved me to open the doors and get on!
He was on time at Dalston Junction despite waiting for me.
So How Good Is The Overground?
The London Underground is known all over the world and compares well with systems in many cities. It has its problems, but it doesn’t have some of those of say Rome or New York.
Now the Underground has an upstart little brother in the shape of the Overground, which has been in operation for the last couple of years.
Like their middle brother, the Docklands Light Railway, the Overground has been built on the cheap, by reusing old railway lines, tunnels and other infrastructure and then adding new trains and rebuilt stations.
But just as with the DLR, it has been a formula that has worked. The Overground has just one major tunnel, which for an urban railway must be a world record. But what a tunnel, with more history than many museums, as the Thames Tunnel is thought to be the first tunnel built under a navigable river and was built by Marc Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The Overground currently consists of five lines, with a sixth due to open in late 2012. I use the North London Line and the East London Line often as much as seven or eight times a week, as Dalston Junction and Dalston Kingsland stations are within walking distance from where I live.
I like the lines, as the new trains are comfortable with plenty of space for parcels and bikes and they generally run to time. Only once have I had trouble and that was on the North London Line, where I suspect that a delay of twenty minutes or so was caused by a freight train, that shares that line was running late.
The lines also compare well with the previous lines, one of which I described here. But then those lines as I remember them were last upgraded in the 1950s or even earlier.
The Overground also reaches a lot further and in time it will reach all round London and to the lines to Southampton and Portsmouth and eventually HS2 to Birmingham and the North. In a few weeks the North London Line will have a new link at Stratford for HS1 and the London City Airport.
In some ways the Overground and especially the North London Line is unique in that it is a siteseeing railway, which links tourist sites like Kew Garden, Hampstead Heath, Brick Lane, Camden Market and Crystal Palace with a ride that in places gives superb views of the city.
Overground Train on the Embankment South of Hoxton Station
This picture taken of a train on the embankment just south of Hoxton station, shows how the Overground is part of the city in a way that the Underground never can or will ever be.
Several people riding the line have told me has got them their first or a better job and reports have appeared showing that the Overground has improved job prospects and property prices, and even reduced crime. I’ve also heard the latter from a Police Sargeant.
But this is one of the reasons you improve the transport infrastructure, as properly done it makes peoples lives better.
But it is not all good.
The trains can get overcrowded at times and the platforms in places may not be capable of being lengthened, although adding more carriages to the trains might be fairly easy.
Connections to the Underground need to be better and the lack of a Central line connection at Shoreditch HIgh Street is the most glaring. Hopefully Crossrail at Whitechapel will resolve this problem, but will this new line put more pressure on the East London Line?
I do also think that the freight use of the North London Line might get to be a serious problem, especially if trains get larger and more frequent as more containers move off the roads to rail.
The Barriers Go Down at Dalston Junction
I came back through Dalston Junction station today and the barriers are down at the Southern exit.
The Barriers Are Down at Dalston Junction
As you can see they’ve got all the signs up for the extension of the 488 bus route, which starts tomorrow on Saturday the 4th.
The bus spider map for Dalston has the new route fully shown, but they haven’t updated the maps in the station yet.
Dalston Junction Gets a Step Nearer To Being Fully Open
I went past Dalston Junction station this morning and the Southern entrance can now be used by pedestrians. Not only does this give me a safer route to the trains, without fighting my way through all the obstructions on the Kingsland Road, but it’s a couple of minutes quicker.
The Almost Fully Open Southern Entrance at Dalston Junction Station
There is still a wire fence, but according to the staff, I sopke to, it will remain open.
It also means that if you want to change at Dalston Junction to or from a 76 or 149 bus say, then it is all very quick and easy, as there is a light-controlled crossing across the Kingsland Road.
All the station needs now is the opening of the bus stand in the station itself, the extension of the 488 route and another light-controlled crossing over Dalston Lane.
Incidentally, it has been announced that there will be more trains on the North and West London Lines. So a trip to Earl’s Court will be just one across platform change from Dalston Junction.
Annoyances In Sainsburys
This morning, I had to show friends, where to park their car, whilst they did a day’s business in London and then get them organised with a Travelcard at Dalston Junction.
So this meant, as I wasn’t near my usual paper shop, I had to go to Sainsbury’s to get one, as I have a pre-paid voucher and not all shops accept them.
I also needed some toilet rolls, but unlike Waitrose who do them with handles so they are easy to carry, Sainsburys don’t do this. The only one with a handle was a nine of Andrex.
And then to pay for my two items, I had to wait, as no tills were open and vouchers aren’t accepted in the self-service machines. Eventually, I used the tobacco kiosk, but had to use a card, which didn’t work too well, because of my gammy fingers. It’s funny but I never have trouble with cards except in Sainsburys.
So I doubt I’ll be visiting that Sainsburys early in the morning again.
The Sign Goes Up At Dalston Junction
They’ve now put up the sign at the Southern entrance to Dalston Junction station.
Dalston Junction Sign
But the barriers are still in place, with no sign of an opening.
More Works At Dalston Junction
The pavement at Dalston Junction station was partially blocked again yesterday and the bus-stop had been moved back a hundred metres.
More Roadworks at Dalston Junction Station
But at least it appears there are only putting in new kerbs. Hopefully, to make a permanent bus stop outside the station.
Improvements at Dalston Junction
The Southern entrance to Dalston Junction station is still not open, but at least there has been some progress at the Northern one.
The New Temporary Bus Stop at Dalston Junction
Today, I took a train back from Highbury and Islington and there was a queue of four buses at the new temporary stop outside the station.
This gives a good route for anybody, who wants to go say from Canada Water or Shadwell to the Essex Road or the Angel at Islington. Just change at Dalston Junction to the 38 or 56 bus.
Stirrings At the Dalston Junction Station Southern Entrance
I went past the entrance yesterday and took this picture.
A New Fence at Dalston Junction
Could they be getting ready to open the entrance, as they have put up another barrier fence to create a walkway alongside the wall of the station?
A helpfl member of the station staff, thought that they might be waiting for the CCTV to be installed.
Incidentally, I did complain to London Overground about the non-opening and have not had a reply yet!
Let’s hope so.
More on the Clutter Around Dalston Junction
I now avoid Dalston Junction as much as I can because of the bad pedestrian routes, as I want to go on my terms and not those of a driver who feels pedestrians are targets to be hit. However today, I wanted to explore an address to the east of the station, so I had no excuse but to try and walk up the Kingsland Road and turn into Dalston Lane.
Pavement Clutter at Dalston Junction
The picture illustrates why I said try and walk. note the several advertising hoardings and the cafe encroaching towards the road.
As it was sunny and I’m feeling better, I was able to get through and then had to cross Dalston Lane and walk down an equally restricted narrow pavement on the north side of that road. There was nowhere to cross until a set of pedestrian lights, well past the station. One point I noticed, was that if you had wanted to take say a 30 bus to Hackney Wick, you’d have to walk some way to the stop and where it was wasn’t at all obvious. In the end I walked south and then used Forest Road to get back to the Kingsland Road. At least I was able to ascertain, that the bus station at Dalston Junction appeared to be complete.
opening the Southern entrance to the station would make things so much better and safer.
The Anonymous Widower 