Crossrail’s Tunnelling Site on the Limmo Peninsular
If you take the Docklands Light Railway from Poplar to Canning Town, the train takes a wide loop just after East India station. The enclosed area is the Limmo Peninsular and it sits in a loop of the River Lea as it travels towards the River Thames. In the distance there is an enclosure with several large cranes surrounded by blue fencing.
The Crossrail Site on the Limmo Peninsular
I would assume that this is tunnelling site for Crossrail. The picture was taken from the platform at Canning Town station.
A couple of days after I took the picture, I went back again and took a picture of the site from a train on the Docklands Light Railway going to Beckton.
The Crossrail Site at Limmo from the DLR
I also took another showing an impressive set of Portacabins.
Portakabins Galore!
You can just see the Crossrail logo on the buildings.
Docklands Light Railway Efficiency
I just saw one of the most efficient pieces of cleaning, I’ve seen in a long time.
I had boarded a DLR train from Canary Wharf station towards Stratford, when I noticed the floor in one section was absolutely filthy. It looked like someone had spilt a full carton of coffee.
At the first station out of Canary Wharf, West India Quay, I was surprised to see a lady, in a high visibility vest enter the carriage, with what was best described as a good old-fashioned mop and pail in plastic. By Poplar, she had it finished and left the train and a beautifully clean floor.
Everybody was rightly impressed. The cleaner was even pleased that she finally discovered the errant coffee carton, that had hidden itself deep under a seat.
Pudding Mill Lane Portal – 29th January 2012
These pictures taken on Friday, show that it’s progressing compared to the last time I visited.
The pictures were actually taken through the door window of a DLR train. as it left Pudding Mill Lane station in the direction of Bow Church station.
Crossrail and Pudding Mill Lane
Crossrail is also getting in on the act, just to the south-west of the Olympic site. It will emerge by the Pudding Mill Lane station on the DLR. These are some pictures I took yesterday.
Unfortunately, the angles from the station doesn’t allow any decent pictures of the construction of the Crossrail portal to be taken.
From Stratford to Stratford International on the DLR
I took this video on the Docklands Light Railway today.
I wasn’t sitting in the cab, as this is a driverless train. But I would have been if it wasn’t! The DLR must be the only train, where passengers get a windscreen wiper.
As the train slows into Stratford International, you can see the Olympic Village on your left.
The Crush at Westfield Stratford City
It was a waste of time taking the train to the new shopping centre.
I walked out of the Overground station up the stairs and after walking past the masses of smokers, lined up outside the centre, I entered the centre, avoiding one of the doors, which was constantly being opened by a four or five-year-old constantly pressing the disabled door-opening button. He was having great fun smashing the door into people standing outside.
I did at least know where I was going and attempted to walk through to Waitrose at the other end. I don’t think, I’ve been in a crush like that for some years and that was probably at Wembley for the play-off final against Barnsley in 2000. But the football crowd was better behaved and I should say better controlled and it didn’t contain lots of children, buggies and especially aggressive youths, who were determined to get through at any cost.
Eventually, I did get to Waitrose, but decided that I didn’t really want to go through that crush again with my shopping, so I decided to just have a look round John Lewis.
I was astounded to see, two children on scooters in the shop. Some people must be mad.
I then gave up and decided that the best bet would be to get to Stratford International and take the DLR from there. It was a very wet walk around the outside of the centre. as there was no shelter.
At the station, I met a policeman and told him how dangerous it had been in there. He whole-heartedly agreed.
I must admit I did get a train to the main station at Stratford from where I took the Central Line back to Liverpool Street. After a walk, I did get a bus, but then this was delayed due to an accident on the New North Road.
This must be regarded as the least successful shopping trip, I’ve ever done.
The DLR Reaches Stratford International
Today the DLR was opened to Stratford International station. So I went for a ride and took a few pictures.
It is an impressive line.
One thing that it does is to create a step-free route from stations on the North London line to the London City Airport, with a single change at Stratford.
I also joked with one of the staff about tourists coming to Abbey Road station to see the crossing. Nothing surprises her!
Abbey Road Station
In the next few days or so, cable thieves permitting, the new extension of the DLR will open to Stratford International.
This will mean there will be a new station called Abbey Road.
I wonder how long after it opens, the first tourists turn up looking for the famous recording studios, where the Beatles made most of their records.
Perhaps the station should have been called Abbey Mills or Bazalgette, in honour of the Northern Outfall Sewer and the Abbey Mills Pumping Station nearby.
The Edinburgh Tram Fiasco Continues
Over the last few years, there have been several local transport prjects in the UK. Most like the London Overground have been completed on time and on budget, with one in London the DLR Extension to Stratford International being a year late.
Two major projects though have gone seriously over budget; the Cambridge Busway and the Edinburgh Tram.
The former is now up and running and most of the reports are positive. Extra buses are supposedly being ordered to cope with demand. But it will be easier to sort out the problems of the cost overruns for a success than a failure.
But the Edinburgh Tram fiasco continues according to this report on the BBC. So for a large cost overrun, Edinburgh will get what half they originally ordered. When what they are now getting is completed, passengers arriving at the airport will be unable to take the tram to the City Centre to see the similarly half-finished National Monument. But at least the tram will serve the headquarters of the Royal Bank of UK Taxpayers at Gogar!
At least it has given a lot of work for consultants and material for comedians at the Festival.
The Anonymous Widower 