Updating The Central Line
The Central Line will breathe two huge sighs of relief in the next eighteen months.
- The Elizabeth Line will open between Abbey Wood and Paddington stations in December 2018.
- The Elizabeth Line will open between Shenfield and Paddington stations in May 2019.
Travellers, from London, other parts of the UK and abroad will then have the following.
- Five East-West interconnected routes across Central London; Metropolitan, Central, Elizabeth, District and Jubilee Lines.
- Massive transport interchanges at Canary Wharf, Stratford, Whitechapel, Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Paddington will tie it all together.
- Liverpool Street. Whitechapel and Stratford will allocate passengers in the East of Central London.
- Paddington will allocate passengers in the West of Central London.
And this is before the Elizabeth Line opens between Paddington and all stations to Heathrow and Reading in December 2019.
The Central Line After the Elizabeth Line Opens
So will the Central Line become a little-used backwater?
- Holborn is a major interchange with the Piccadilly Line, which is that line’s only access to the Central or Elizabeth Lines.
- Oxford Circus is a major interchange with the Victoria Line, which is that line’s only access to the Central or Elizabeth Lines.
- Holborn, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and other stations are destinations in their own right.
- The overcrowding of the Central Line probably kept passengers away and after freeing up will they come back?
I suspect that in a few years time it will be as busy as it ever was!
Improving the Central Line
It is my view, and probably that of Transport for London, that improvements need to be made to the Central Line.
Three projects are underway.
The Central Line Train Upgrade
This article on Railway-news.com is untitled London Underground’s Central Line Trains Set For Upgrade.
Currently, the Central Line‘s 1992 Stock have DC motors, which will be replaced by more efficient AC motors and a sophisticated control system.
The cost of the upgrade will be £112.1 million or about £1.3 million per train.
Transport for London are only making a reliability claim for the upgrade. Hopefully, if the trains are more reliable, then more can be in service. so can a higher frequency be run?
I also think in addition, the trains could possibly accelerate faster from stops, thus reducing the dwell times at stations and ultimately the journey times.
- Epping to West Ruislip currently takes ninety minutes with 38 stops.
- Ealing Broadway to Newbury Park takes sixty minutes with 24 stops.
- Northolt to Loughton takes sixty-seven minutes with 28 stops.
Saving just ten seconds on each stop will reduce journey times by several minutes.
I suspect that Transport for London will rearrange the timetable to increase the service frequency from the current twenty-four trains per hour (tph).
It will be interesting to see what frequency of trains and journey times are achieved, when all the Central Line trains have been updated.
Bank Station Capacity Upgrade
This page on the Transport for London web site gives details of this important upgrade at Bank station, which is already underway. It starts with this paragraph.
Bank and Monument stations form the third busiest interchange on the London Underground network. Work we’re doing to substantially improve the capacity of Bank station should finish in 2022.
It lists these improvements.
- A new railway tunnel and platform for the Northern line that will reduce interchange times and create more space for passengers
- Step-free access to the Northern line and DLR platforms
- More direct routes within the station, with two new moving walkways
- Two new lifts and 12 new escalators
- A new station entrance in Cannon Street
There will also be a new entrance in Wallbrook Square under the Bloomberg Building, which is planned to open this year.
Comprehensive is a good word to describe the upgrade.
I avoid the Northern Line platforms at Bank because they are so narrow. After the upgrade, I will have no need.
Holborn Station Capacity Upgrade
This page on the Transport for London web site, gives details of this important upgrade at Holborn station. It starts with this paragraph.
We’re proposing changes at Holborn station that would make it substantially easier for customers to enter, exit and move around the station. Subject to funding and permissions, work on the station would start in the early 2020s.
I don’t think this upgrade can come too soon.
As with some parts of Bank station, I avoid Holborn station.
What Still Needs To Be Planned?
The major projects left must surely be upgrading the capacity and providing step-free access at the following Central London stations.
St. Paul’s And Chancery Lane
St. Paul’s and Chancery Lane stations both need step-free access, but the problems of installing lifts at the two stations would be surprisingly similar, as both stations have a similar layout.
- Both stations will need lift access to the ticket halls, which are below street level.
- At both stations, the two Central Line tracks are unusually arranged one on top of the other.
- Even more unusually, the Westbound tunnel is on top at St. Paul’s and the Eastbound tunnel at Chancery Lane.
- At both stations, escalators lead down to a spacious lobby, which has direct access to the top platform.
- St. Paul’s has two escalators and a staircase, whereas Chancery Lane has three escalators.
- From the low-level lobby, two short escalators and a staircase lead down to the bottom platform.
It may be possible to provide lifts that go from the ticket hall to both platforms as before rebuilding in the 1930s, this arrangement was used.
Both stations might also be suitable for the application of inclined lifts.
For instance, would two escalators and an inclined lift handle the lower transfer at both stations?
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is a busy interchange, where the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria Lines cross each other.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Oxford Circus station.
Note.
- The Cemtral Line, shown in red, was built under Oxford Street to avoid disturbing the buildings.
- The Bakerloo Line, shown in brown, was built under Regent Street.
- The Victoria Line, shown in light blue was cleverly threaded through in the 1960s to give cross-platform interchange with the Bakerloo Line.
- The dotted purple lines are the Elizabeth Line.
- Between the two dotted lines, the Eastern End of the platforms at Bond Street station can be seen.
These pictures show the buildings at the four corners of Oxford Circus.
Wikipedia says this about these buildings.
Oxford Circus was designed as part of the development of Regent Street by the architect John Nash in 1810. The four quadrants of the circus were designed by Sir Henry Tanner and constructed between 1913 and 1928.
Note.
- The building on the North-East corner used to be Peter Robinson and is Grade II Listed.
- The other three corner buildings are also Listed.
- The shops in the two Southern corners are being refurbished.
I believe that the following is needed at Oxford Circus station.
- Measures to alleviate the overcrowding.
- Full step-free access to all platforms.
- Improved access to the Central Line platforms.
- Better interchange between the Bakerloo/Victoria platforms and the Central Line.
In some ways, the biggest problem in the next few years will be passengers changing between the Victoria and Elizabeth Lines. Passengers between say Walthamstow and Heathrow will probably want to change between Oxford Circus station and the new Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station.
- The planned pedestrianisation of Oxford Street will obviously help, especially if the roads around Hanover Square, like Harewood Place and Princes Street are similarly treated.
- Joining the Victoria Line at Oxford Circus is not a problem, as there are four entrances to the ticket hall under Oxford Circus, a large number of entrance gates and four escalators down to the trains.
- But on arrival at the station, you are forced to exit from the station about fifty metres East of the station, which means you’re going the wrong way for the Elizabeth Line.
It strikes me what is needed is a new entrance to the station on the South Western corner of Oxford Circus.
But would this alone satisfy the needs of this station?
More Station Entrances On Oxford Street
For Crossrail, Bond Street station is being given two new entrances in Davies Street and Hanover Square.
But it is also being given another entrance on the North side of Oxford Street, to give better access to the Central and Jubilee Lines.
The picture shows the new entrance tucked away in what will probably become a new development.
So could this technique be used on Oxford Street to improve station access?
Look at the map of the lines at Oxford Circus station earlier in the post and you will notice that the Central Line platforms extend to the East. I took these pictures around where the platforms could end.
Could there be space to squeeze in another entrance to the Eastern end of the Central Line platforms?
It probably won’t be possible whilst traffic is running up and down Oxford Street. But after the road is pedestrianised, it would surely be much easier to dig down to the Central Line , which is not very deep below the surface of Oxford Street.
Marble Arch
Marble Arch station is at the Western end of Oxford Street. Wikipedia says this about the station.
The station was modernised (2010) resulting in new finishes in all areas of the station, apart from the retention of various of the decorative enamel panels at platform level.
But has it got the capacity needed?
It is also not step-free and needs lifts.
New Trains In The Mid 2020s
Under Future and Cancelled Plans in the Wikipedia entry for the Central Line, this is said.
The Central line was the first Underground line to receive a complete refurbishment in the early 1990s, including the introduction of new rolling stock. A new generation of deep-level tube trains, as well as signaling upgrades, is planned for the mid-2020s, starting with the Piccadilly line, followed by the Bakerloo Line and the Central Line.
The new trains would fit well to replace the current trains and give an increase of capacity to the line.
Possible Developments
These are possible developments.
Shoreditch High Street Station
There is a possibility of connecting Shoreditch High Street station to the Central Line.
This is said under Plans in the Wikipedia entry for the station.
There have also been discussions of creating an interchange with the Central line between Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green which runs almost underneath the station. However, this would not be able to happen until after the Crossrail 1 project is complete, due to extreme crowding on the Central line during peak hours.
Given that in a few years time, the following will have happened.
- There will have been a lot of development in Shoreditch.
- The East London Line will have a frequency of twenty-four trains per hour.
The connection may be worth creating.
On the other hand, the Elizabeth Line may make the connection unnecessary, as travellers can use the two connections at Stratford and Whitechapel stations.
Mile End Station
If ever there was a station, where step-free access would surely be worthwhile it must be Mile End station.
Consider.
- It is a busy station.
- It has cross-platform access between District/Metropolitan and the Central Lines.
- It has a cab rank.
Knowing the station fairly well, I suspect fitting the probably three lifts required would not be the most challenging of tasks.
Eastern Improvements
Crossrail has a step-free cross-platform interchange with the Central Line at Stratford, which will have the following effects.
Changing at Stratford will give better access to and from Oxford Street, Paddington and Heathrow.
Crossrail trains will be larger, more comfortable, better equipped and probably less crowded.
Journey time savings will be six minutes to Bond Street and nineteen minutes to Ealing Broadway stations.
Taken with the improved Central Line trains, it all must result in increased patronage in the East.
But there are twenty stations East of Stratford, of which only four are step-free.
So I suspect that Transport for London will make strenuous efforts to improve the Eastern end of the Central Line.
- More step-free access.
- Better bus services.
- More small retail outlets at stations.
I believe that in ten years time, the Eastern station will be very different.
Western Improvements
West of Marble Arch, there are seventeen stations, of which by 2020 only two will be step-free.; Ealing Broadway and Greenford.
Improvements will probably a similar pattern to the East, although there are rumours of rebuilding some stations.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of scope for improvement in the Central Line.
Is There Going To Be More Change At Ealing Broadway Station?
Ealing Broadway station is being upgraded for Crossrail.
In the November 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is a Capital Connection supplement, which discusses London’s railways.
On Page 7 in a section about the sub-surface lines, this is said.
One possibility being discussed is that the Piccadilly should take over the District’s Ealing Broadway service. This would free up space on the South side of the inner-London circle for more City trains off the Wimbledon branch, one of the sub-surface network’s most-crowded routes.
On Page 15 in a section about the Mayor’s plans, this is said.
It is suggested Piccadilly Line services run to Ealing Broadway instead of the District Line, enabling increased frequencies on the latter’s Richmond and Wimbledon branches.
As the plan is mentioned twice, certainly the proposal is being thought about.
The Lines At Ealing Broadway Station
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Ealing Broadway station.
Note how the Piccadilly and District Lines share tracks from Ealing Common station, which then split with District Line trains going to Ealing Broadway station and Piccadilly Line trains going to Rayners Lane and Uxbridge stations.
If the change happened and Ealing Broadway station was only served by the Piccadilly and Central Lines of the Underground, then there might be opportunities to improve the efficiency of the Underground side of the station.
Crossrail Effects On Access To Heathrow
Crossrail will change the way a lot of passengers go to and from Heathrow Airport.
Crossrail To Heathrow
From May 2018, the service will be.
- 4 trains per hour (tph) between Paddington and Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 4
After December 2019, the service will be.
- 4 tph between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 4
- 2 tph between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 5
In addition these services will serve all station including Canary Wharf, Liverpool Street, Bond Street,Paddington and Ealing Broadway.
Effect On Heathrow Express
It will be difficult to predict what will happen to Heathrow Express, but I suspect several groups of passengers will desert it.
- Passengers wanting to go anywhere East of Paddington without changing trains.
- Passengers wanting any Crossrail station.
- Passengers, who don’t like the prices of Heathrow Express.
- Passengers using Oyster or contactless cards.
- Passengers who want to ride on London’s spectacular new Crossrail.
After Old Oak Common station is opened, the numbers will further decrease.
Will Heathrow Express survive?
Effect On Piccadilly Line
The current Piccadilly Line route to the Airport will not be closed, as for many it will still be a convenient route to the Airport
- Passengers who live on the Piccadilly Line and don’t want to change trains. Think Southgate, Knightsbridge, Hammersmith and Osterley!
- Passengers to the East of Acton Town station.
- Passengers, workers and others needing to go to Hatton Cross station.
If Crossrail connected with the Piccadilly Line at say Holborn, it would be all so different.
Effect On District Line
When Crossrail opens, the District Line will become a loop from Crossrail, between Ealing Broadway and Whitechapel running along the North Bank of the Thames via Earls Court, Victoria, Charing Cross and Monument.
The step-free interchange at Ealing Broadway could become busy with passengers travelling to and from the Airport.
Effect On Piccadilly Line Overcrowding
Heathrow trains on the Piccadilly Line can get very overcrowded with so many passengers with heavy cases.
It must sometimes be very difficult to get on a Piccadilly Line train between Heathrow and South Kensington stations.
Crossrail should take the pressure from these trains, by allowing passengers to use the District Line with a change at Ealing Broadway.
Effect On My Personal Route
My personal route to the airport is to take a 141 bus to Manor House station and then get the Piccadilly Line. It takes 94 minutes.
After Crossrail fully opens, if I took the East London Line from Dalston Junction to Whitechapel and then used Crossrail, I’d take 57 minutes.
Conclusion
Crossrail will affect the way many get to Heathrow Airport.
But there are large areas of London, who still will need to change trains twice to get to the airport.
Piccadilly Line To Ealing Broadway Effects
Adding Ealing Broadway station as a fourth Western terminus to the Piccadilly Line will have effects, but not as important as the opening of Crossrail.
Some Improved Journey Times To Heathrow
Some Piccadilly Line stations will see improved journey times to Heathrow.
Hammersmith to Heathrow currently takes 37 minutes by the Piccadilly Line.
Taking a Piccadilly Line train to Ealing Broadway and then using Crossrail could save a dozen minutes.
The District Line Connection To Crossrail At Ealing Broadway Is Lost
Passengers along the District Line from Monument to Hammersmith will lose their direct access to Crossrail at Ealing Broadway.
Cross-platform access to the Piccadilly Line at Hammersmith and Turnham Green will probably be provided or improved, but it will be a second change.
Note that until the Piccafilly Line gets upgraded and new trains arrive around 2023, the District Line with new trains and the soon to be installed new signalling may well be a better passenger experience.
More Trains To Richmond
This will certainly be possible, if some Ealing Broadway trains are diverted to Richmond.
But Crossrail has another delight in its cupboard for Richmond.
Old Oak Common station is scheduled to open in 2026 and will offer an interchange between Crossrail and the North London Line.
Richmond will certainly be getting a better train service to Central and East London.
More Trains To Wimbledon
This will certainly be possible, if some Ealing Broadway trains are diverted to Wimbledon.
The Ealing Common Problem
At Ealing Common station, the Piccadilly and District Line share the same tracks and platforms.
Some commentators have suggested that the new trains on the Piccadilly Line will be designed to work with platform-edge doors for improved safety and dwell times.
So if platform-edge doors were to be fitted to all stations on the Piccadilly Line as has been suggested, there would be no way the doors would fit the new S7 Stock of the District Line.
Swapping Ealing Broadway from the District to Piccadilly Lines would solve this problem and give more flexibility, but it might give London Underground other problems with regard to access for District Line trains to Ealing Common depot.
These pictures show Ealing Common station.
Note the difference of levels between the Piccadilly and District Line trains.
There would be no way to provide level access for both types of train using a Harrington Hump.
So is making a station that serves both deep-level and sub-surface lines, step-free, a problem that is still to be cracked?
This Google Map shows Ealing Common station.
It doesn’t look that it is a station, where two extra platforms could be squeezed in, so both lines could have their own platforms.
Could Ealing Common station be one of the main reasons to serve Ealing Broadway station with the Piccadilly Line?
Acton Town Station
On a brief pass-through of Acton Town station, it would appear that the Ealing Common problem exists.
So making Acton Town station, a Piccadilly Line-only station, would ease making the station step-free, as it would only be served by one type of train.
Chiswick Park Station
Chiswick Park station only has platforms on the District Line and would need to be remodelled, if Ealing Broadway became the terminus of the Piccadilly Line.
One suggestion I found was to add two new District Line platforms to the Richmond branch.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note the Richmond branch passing South of the station.
Chiswick Park station is Grade II Listed and I’m sure that a good architect can find a more than acceptable solution.
Conclusion
It appears to me, there are two opposite forces on either side of a possible proposal to serve Ealing Broadway station with the Piccadilly Line, rather than the District Line.
- The District Line will form a loop South of Crossrail between Ealing Broadway and Whitechapel stations.
- Making a station step-free that handles both deep-level and sub-surface lines, is not an easy undertaking.
Running the Piccadilly Line to Ealing Broadway means that a change is required at Turnham Green, Hammersith or Barons Court stations to use the loop described in point 1.
But this change would enable the step-free access to be created in all stations in the area.
I think that the change of terminus will go ahead, with the following additions.
- Improved access to Ealing Common depot.
- Improved cross-platform access at Turnham Green, Hammersith or Barons Court stations.
- Two extra platform on the District Line at Chiswick Park station.
What started out as a simple change could end up as a substantial project.
But overall, because it sorts out step-free access in the area, I think it is a good proposal.
Crowded Roads In West London
Today, I tried to get to West Drayton station to have a lunchtime drink with an old mate from Cambridge, who had called me up yesterday, as he might have needed a second person to help him with one of his robotic machines.
But it all went pear-shaped at Paddington, where trains to West Drayton were very much delayed and I was advised to take the Underground to Greenford station and then use a bus.
But at Greenford, there wasn’t a bus map or anybody to ask, so in the end I took a bus to Ealing Hospital, where I thought I knew I could get a bus to West Drayton. But there wasn’t! So I thought about giving up and instead, I got a bus to Ealing Broadway station, to get back to Paddington. But I arrived at Ealing Broadway station, just before a train to West Drayton arrived. I caught that, had a drink with my friend and then caught a train back to Paddington. He didn’t need me to help, as all he needed was a pair of eyes to tell him what was happening at the sharp end of his machine and the client had turned up with his glasses.
So I achieved my objective and also had a wander round the Boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon on buses and trains.
I trundle round North and East London most of the time and sometimes I even cross the River and go to the Deep South.
But I do find West London the most crowded, with buses slowed by all the traffic on the roads and infrequent very busy trains.
The West of London needs improvement in public transport.
I sometimes think, the traffic has got worse over the forty-six years, I had a driving licence.
Rail And Underground Lines
There are several lines going West from Central London, which include.
- The Chiltern Line from Marylebone to West Ruislip
- The Central Line to West Ruislip
- The Metroplitan Line to Uxbridge
- The Piccadilly Line to Uxbridge
- The Great Western Main Line tfrom Paddington to Reading and Heathrow
- The Piccadilly Line to Heathrow
Going further round, there are several lines from Waterloo going to the South West.
Only one line; the West London Line goes North South, although there used to be others.
The network is probably more sparse than some other directions from London.
Reliance on Cars And Buses
I think this rather thin coverage, puts a heavy radiance on cars and buses, which might explain the crowded roads.
Crossrail
Crossrail will bring improvement with the following Off Peak services in trains per hour (tph), along the slow lines of the Great Western Main Line.
- 4 tph to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 2 tph to Reading
- 2 tph to Maidenhead
Note.
- The central core tunnel probably has a limit of 24 tph.
- The service has a good balance between the various destinations.
- There will also be Great Western Railway services.
- Looking at the Crossrail schedule, there is scope to adjust the schedule on each branch.
I think that as Crossrail develops and the line and its passengers learn more about each other, the service pattern of Crossrail will change.
If I have a worry about Crossrail, it is that few of the stations towards Central London have many parking spaces, so will walking, cycling and the buses be adequate for Crossrail to tap its full potential?
The West London Tram
The West London Tram was proposed by Ken Livingstone in 2002.
These paragraphs from Wikipedia describes the tram and its route.
The West London Tram was a proposed on-street light rail line that was to run along the Uxbridge Road (A4020) corridor in West London, England. The scheme is promoted by Transport for London (TfL) but opposed by the councils of all three London Boroughs through which it would run. It was postponed indefinitely on 2 August 2007
The tram route was planned to run between Uxbridge and Shepherd’s Bush, serving Hillingdon, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing and Acton en route and would have completely replaced a number of equivalent London Bus routes.
If it had been built it would have had good connectivity to Crossrail and the Central Line. But the view of those against the project prevailed.
In my trip today, you could see why probably every car driver in the area, would be against a scheme like the tram. Only at places on the route, where there was a wide island of grass dividing the carriageways, would the tram not have increased congestion.
It looks like the thirty million pounds spent was wasted.
Crossrail And/Or West London Tram?
This Google Map shows the area around the three stations of Hanwell, West Ealing And Ealing Broadway.
Great Western Main Line And The A4020 Through Ealing
Note.
- The Great Western Main Line across the middle.
- The A 4020 runs South of and parallel to the railway.
- Ealing Hospital is marked by the red arrow in the bottom left of the map.
I asked in the Header to this section if it should be And/Or between the projects.
Undoubtedly, it should be Or! Taxpayers can’t afford both!
In comparing the two, I believe the following points are valid.
- Trams stop about three or four more times than trains.
- The train is faster.
- The tram doesn’t serve Old Oak Common station or Heathrow.
- Trams annoy drivers in the same way that bendy buses do.
- Crossrail has a rich connection pattern compared to the tram.
- Pedestrians probably prefer trams, whilst drivers prefer trains.
The politicians decided and chose the trains.
Making More Of The Railways
If the streets are crowded can we use the existing railways to inject greater capacity into the existing railways in West London?
The key to this, as it sits in the middle of so many lines is the creation of a new station at Old Oak Common.
I will now summarise the possible rail projects that can be developed in West London
Chiltern Railways To Old Oak Common
Chiltern Railways have a capacity problem at Marylebone and one way to alleviate it would be for Chiltern to create a second terminal at Old Oak Common station, which could be accessed using an improved New North Main Line.
There is a real possibility of this project going forward and it could have many worthwhile features.
It would add another East-West route across West London, but with the comprehensive connectivity of Old Oak Common.
Chiltern Metro Creation
Wikipedia says this about a Chiltern Metro.
New Chiltern Metro Service that would operate 4+tph for Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park, South Ruislip and West Ruislip. This would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip, passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow, and a passing loop at Wembley Stadium (part of the old down fast line is in use as a central reversing siding, for stock movements and additionally for 8-car football shuttles to convey passengers to the stadium for events).[73] This ‘Chiltern Metro’ service was not programmed into the last round of franchising agreements.
When I wrote Could A Chiltern Metro Be Created? and came to the conclusion, that it might be possible, I got several positive responses.
Greenford Branch Improvements
The Greenford Branch Line connects the Great Western Main Line and the New North Line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Northern end of the branch, where it joins the New North Line.
Northern End Of The Greenford Branch
Whilst this map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Southern end of the branch, where it joins the Great Western Main Line.
Southern End Of The Greenford Branch
What service the line will get after Crossrail opens has still to be decided,
- 4 tph between West Ealing and Greenford stations is certainly possible.
- There are those, including Ealing Council, who don’t like Greenford losing its direct connection to Paddington.
- A rebuilt Greenford station could incorporate Chiltern services.
As the connections at both ends of the branch allow trains to go in either an East or West direction, could this be useful in creating services between the two main lines?
Brentford Branch Reopening
I wrote about this in Could The Golden Mile In Houslow Get A Station?
The Brentford Branch could be a useful branch, worked by a shuttle train!
Hounslow Loop Line Improvements
The Hounslow Loop Line, which has a strong presence on both sides of the river and takes passengers to and from Waterloo, is being improved to increase capacity.
Could we see the Overground opening new services along the North London Line to perhaps Brentford, Hounslow and Feltham stations?
The route is used by freight trains, and Transport have suggested using the route to create an orbital Overground route.
Conclusions
The railways will take the strain in West London, after the abandonment of the West London Tram.
Work Starts At Ealing Broadway Station
Ealing Broadway station is the latest Crossrail station to call in the builders.
At present, they appear to be closing everything off and clearing out the old buildings.
The page on Crossrail gives more details. This is a visualisation.
Ealing Broadway Station
I used to use Ealing Broadway station a lot in the past and it certainly looks much better.
Could The Gospel Oak To Barking Line Be Extended To Ealing Broadway?
In their article on the future of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Railfuture has a section entitled Benefits for passengers and train operations. It says this.
Electric trains have better acceleration and an Overground fleet of 4-car electric trains would be able to carry many more passengers, relieving overcrowding. All-electric extensions of the service at each end of the route, which TfL wants to run, become possible, such as to Barking Riverside in the east and/or to Willesden Junction/Clapham Junction (even Ealing?) to the west. Some other works would be needed, such as new platforms and subways at Gospel Oak on the through lines.
I agree with the point about extensions at either end of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBlin), but where in the West should the line go?
Railfuture suggests three choices and there are other plans in the pipeline that could decide where the GOBlin could go!
All options except four have a possible problem, in that trains would have to merge at Gospel Oak and share the North London Line to Willesden Junction.
1. Willesden Junction
This is the easy choice, as there is already a bay platform at Willesden Junction station and space for another.
2. Clapham Junction
Extension to Clapham Junction station would mean the trains going down the West London Line.
I think there are two major questions over extending to Clapham Junction.
Clapham Junction is a crowded station, which probably couldn’t cope with more than the four London Overground services each hour without building a new platform.
But it has to be asked, if the longer trains and better interchange at Willesden Junction would make it easier for passengers along the West London Line to get to the North of the City and thus obviate the need to increase services on the West London Line.
Another important question that has to be asked about the West London Line, is would it benefit from more stations, especially one to serve the new housing developments at Earls Court.
3. Ealing Broadway
The theory goes that because of Crossrail, the Central Line will see a decrease in passenger numbers from Ealing Broadway and that one of the Central Line platforms could be taken over by the GOBlin. This diagram from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of lines in the area from Ealing Broadway to the West London Line.
Ealing Broadway Station To West London Line
It is certainly possible to drive a train along the route and I suspect freight and Network Rail maintenance trains do it all the time.
But is it worth doing?
There is a discussion on District Dave’s web site, which kicks the extension to Ealing Broadway around, that probably comes to the conclusion it might cause all sort of operational problems for the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail.
4. Transport for London’s 2050 Plan
Transport for London’s 2050 Plan envisages some trains from the GOBlin linking via the Carlton Road junction to reach the Midland Main Line and Thameslink. I talked about this in Electrification of the GOBlin.
Doing this has two main advantages; GOBlin trains would not have to travel on the North London Line and there are plenty of places, that could be destinations.
As Gospel Oak’s sole terminal platform would now not be so important, as trains went around the station on existing lines to the South, Gospel Oak station could probably be redesigned and converted into a comprehensive high-capacity step-free interchange between the two Overground lines. This map from our French friends shows the layout of lines in the area.
Gospel Oak Lines
Note that in the top right of this map stations at Junction Road and Tufnell Park are shown, which could be joined together in the future.
5. Old Oak Common
The development of an interchange at Old Oak Common will be a big game changer, as it will line so many lines in the area.
So it is a possibility for a destination of GOBlin trains, but if there was a good interchange at Gospel Oak would it just be putting another service into the mix at Old Oak Common for the convenience of a few passengers.
So what would I do?
It is obvious, that electrification of the GOBlin, Crossrail and the developments at Old Oak Common would prompt a sort out of the various lines and services in the West of London.
I would possibly do some station improvements to improve connectivity for a start.
- Willesden Junction is not an easy interchange and could be rebuilt to be much better.
- Gospel Oak is not a proper interchange and if the GOBlin starts to use the Carlton Road junction, then it will need to be rebuilt.
- There have been plans to connect the North London Line to the Central Line at North Acton.
- Central Line platforms could be built at Park Royal station.
There are also questions to be answered.
- Where does the Dudding Hill Line fit in all this?
- Will Crossrail make the western end of the Ealing Broadway branch of the Central Line less important.
- Could the Piccadily Line and the Central Line be simplified?
There are so many possibilities.
Conclusion
I doubt that the GOBlin will ever go to Ealing Broadway, although going along the Dudding Hill Line is a serious possibility.
Before Crossrail – Ealing Broadway
More Romford Than Stratford – Rating 5/10
Ealing Broadway station will be one of the more important stations on Crossrail, ranking with Stratford. Just as Stratford will be a major interchange with suburban rail, the Overground, the Underground, the DLR and buses in the East, Ealing Broadway will in a slightly lesser fashion perform a similar role in the West.
This is a Google Map of the station.
Ealing Broadway Station – Downloaded 7th July 2015
At the moment, the station is rather a jumble of connections, with none of the elegance of Stratford or Reading. It’s got a lot of the run-down feel of Romford or Ilford.
Ealing deserves better and this station has been through a major rethink in recent months. But will there be the right connectivity between Crossrail and the Underground?
Suppose you want to get between Wimbledon or Richmond and Heathrow. Transport for London, recommend getting a bus for the first and going to Paddington for the second.
So London gets a new fifteen billion pound railway and it doesn’t easily connect to where it is needed.
I would assume that if Ealing gets full step-free interchanging between all lines, some of this will be easier, but connecting to Richmond probably needs a new Crossrail station at Old Oak Common connecting to the North London Line. Wimbledon would hopefully be a change at Farringdon onto Thameslink.
