My 78-Year-Old Legs Are More Reliable Than The New Chinese Buses On London’s 141 Bus Route
So we all know what we’re talking about, here’s a few pictures.
Note.
- The buses seem to have no serious faults from a passenger point of view.
- One middle-aged lady on the plump side, said she didn’t like the buses.
- The aisle between the front seats doesn’t seem to be built for large people.
- The seats are reasonably comfortable.
- One morning, I stood on a long journey and I felt the road-holding wasn’t as good as a New Routemaster.
- On several buses, the interior route display has not been working.
- As I don’t wear a watch, I find a non-working display annoying.
- I haven’t been upstairs yet.
- As picture numbers three and four show, the bus looks a bit pokey at the back downstairs.
But I am very suspicious about the buses’s reliability or ability to handle the route, which is fairly long.
Take this morning, when I was coming home from London Bridge station.
- There was only a 43 bus at the shared stop with the 141 bus.
- As the routes are identical until Old Street station, I took the 43 bus to Moorgate station.
- At Moorgate station, I took a 76 bus, which gets me within walking distance of where I live.
- Someone said, that a 141 bus would mean a wait of ten minutes.
- In the end my 78-year-old legs delivered be home.
I didn’t see a 141 bus going my way on my journey.
I have seen behaviour like this several times, since some Chinese electric buses were introduced on to the route.
As a graduate Electrical and Control Engineer, it looks to me, that there is one of two problems with these buses.
- The batteries aren’t large enough for the route.
- Not enough time is allowed for charging the batteries at the end of the route.
This page on the Wrightbus website is entitled Wrightbus Electroliner ‘Most Efficient Double-Deck Battery-Electric Bus’, and it contains this paragraph, which probably explains their philosophy and ambition.
We have already gained a strong reputation for our hydrogen double deck but we want to lead the world in zero-emissions full stop. Wrightbus has the best brains in the business when it comes to technology and our StreetDeck Electroliner puts us squarely at the front of the pack. We haven’t weighed the bus down with a high battery volume just so we can say it’s got the most power or range; instead, we’ve made it the most efficient vehicle on the road by combining optimum power with a class-leading rapid charge, meaning our electric bus spends more time on the road than any other.
It also probably sets a very high bar, which the Chinese can only achieve by adding battery volume and making their buses pokey.
To be fair to the buses, the 141 route is probably nearly 20 miles long.
In Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus, I wrote about what it says in the title.
In that post, I said this about hydrogen buses running on the 141 route.
Wrightbus Hydrogen Buses For My Local Bus Route 141
Consider.
- The 141 bus route is my local bus, which gets me to Moorgate, Bank, London Bridge and Manor House.
- The length of the full route is twenty miles and it takes about an hour to go from London Bridge station to Palmers Green.
- The route is currently run by older Wrightbus hybrid diesel-electric buses.
- I suspect that modern hydrogen buses could last almost all day on one fill of hydrogen, with perhaps a top-up at lunchtime.
They would have no difficulty handling the route and would greatly increase the customers current rock-bottom satisfaction.
I am sure, they would improve the horrendous reliability of the route.
I also wonder, if Wrightbus have another solution.
In UK Among Tri-Axle Zero-Emission Wrightbus StreetDeck Prospects, I talk about Wrightbus’s new Tri-Axle Zero-Emission Wrightbus StreetDeck bus and how it would be ideal for the 141 bus route.
- The 141 bus route is the old 641 trolleybus route, so all clearances are generous.
- The tri-axle design can probably carry a better-optimised battery.
- There used to be two bus routes on the route and now there is only one, so more capacity is needed.
- The 141 bus route bridges the gap between the Northern section of the Piccadilly Line and the Elizabeth Line, Bank and London Bridge.
- The new air-conditioned Piccadilly Line trains, will increase the passengers on the line.
- There will be a lot more housing built in Enfield, at the Northern end of the Piccadilly Line and more bus capacity will be needed between Manor House and the City of London.
Some of TfL’s rerouting of buses in North London, was a crime against mathematics.
Did I Have A Funny Turn Caused By Dehydration This Morning?
I followed my usual Sunday morning routine today
- I took my drugs with a large mug of tea.
- I had a deep bath with emollient in the water.
- I put my head under the water and opened my eyes, to clear the massive amount of sleep, I get overnight in my eyes.
- I then went to Leon in Hanover Square for a good Full English gluten-free breakfast.
Unusually, Leon made a mistake and didn’t put any milk in my tea, so I didn’t drink it. So was I low on fluids?
A Transformer Is Being Moved Tonight
This press release from National Grid is entitled National Grid Prepares For Two Major Supergrid Transformer Deliveries In London.
The first one is to be moved into Redbridge substation tonight, so I went to have a look after breakfast.
- It was easy to get to the site, as it is close to Redbridge station on the Central Line.
- Out of the Underground, it was quite hot.
- By the time, I got to Redbridge station, I was feeling slightly unwell and felt my balance was poor.
- So I immediately turned around and came home using the Central and Lizzie Lines to Moorgate, where I took a bus home.
- I was certainly feeling better in the air-conditioned atmosphere of the Lizzie Line.
Since I’ve been home, I have been continuously drinking Adnams 0.5 % Alcohol Ghost Ship and I feel that I am now back to normal.
I asked Google AI “Can being dehydrated affect your balance?” and got this answer.
Yes, dehydration can definitely affect balance. It can lead to dizziness and a feeling of unsteadiness, which can make it harder to maintain balance. This is because dehydration can disrupt the fluid balance in the inner ear, which plays a vital role in balance.
I can remember an incident in my thirties, when I fell down the escalator at Oxford Circus station and went round to the Middlesex Hospital to be cleaned up.
Did Dehydration Play A Part In My Serious Stroke?
I had my stroke during breakfast in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. I’d had two or possibly three very small strokes early in the morning before and I know from measuring my weight, that I can lose up to a kilo overnight.
So I asked Google AI “Can dehydration cause strokes?” and got this answer.
Yes, dehydration can increase the risk of stroke. When the body lacks sufficient fluids, blood volume decreases, potentially leading to thicker blood and reduced blood flow to the brain. This can exacerbate existing blockages in blood vessels or make it more difficult for blood to reach the brain, potentially causing an ischemic stroke.
My late wife drunk a lot more fluids that I do and perhaps, I should have followed her example more, of always having water handy?
Unlocking Euston Station
I dread using Euston station.
The connections to the London Underground in the station, involve a long walk to or from your train and then outside the station to.
- The Northern and Victoria Lines just outside the station.
- The sub-surface lines at Euston Square station, which is a long walk.
There is no connection to the Lizzie Line.
I have probably written more project management software, than any other individual in the world.
Good project managers and probably a few bad ones too, talk about getting all your ducks in a row or doing everything in the right order.
If High Speed Two is going to terminate at Euston, then the first sub-project must be to connect Euston station properly to the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City or sub-surface lines of the Underground, which have new spacious air-conditioned trains and run on a line that is digitally signally, so the capacity can be easily increased.
The sub-surface lines also link, the National Rail stations of Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Farringdon, King’s Cross, St. Pancras, Euston, Paddington, Victoria, Charing Cross and Blackfriars, and could be connected to Fenchurch Street and Marylebone. It also has links to the Lizzie Line.
Improve the interchanges and this marvelous Victorian system could unlock London’s transport system like no other.
Five years ago, a similar arrangement to that at St. Pancras was proposed with subways under Euston Road that linked to extended platforms at Euston Square Underground station, by means of lifts and escalators.
Why has this new link between National Rail at Euston and sub-surface Underground not been built? I estimate that it would have taken a couple of years and have fitted in with all the work being done in front of Euston station.
The current Mayor never mentions the project, but then it is a North London project, so it doesn’t interest him and his supporters.
The Design Of The Updated Euston Underground Station
Ian showed this visualisation of the updated Euston Underground station.
At a first look, it appears to be a very similar concept to the entrance to the Underground in front of St. Pancras station.
Click on the image to show it large and you can pick out the following.
- West is to the left and East is right.
- Much of the construction appears to replace the original car park and taxi rank.
- The upper level looks like where passengers enter and leave the station.
- The subway to Euston Square station and the new Gordon Street entrance joins to the upper level towards the Eastern end.
- There is grade access between the upper level and the High Speed Two concourse.
- There are lots of escalators to travel between levels. The square orange columns could be lift towers.
- The lower level is the Interchange/Ticket Hall level.
- The lower level is not much higher than the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line.
- The design seems to make clever use of levels to make changing easier.
- The access between the lower level and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line at the Western end of the station, appears to be comprehensive and step-free.
- The access between the lower level and the Victoria Line and the Bank branch of the Northern Line, appears to use the current route, which will probably be upgraded to be fully step-free.
This second image shows the design from above the platforms of the conventional section of Euston station.
Click on the image to show it large and you can pick out the following.
- The complicated passages, escalators and lifts of the existing four platforms serving the Bank branch of the Northern Line and the Victoria Line.
- The cross passage connecting these lines to the platforms of the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line.
- The two up and two down escalators leading to the existing ticket hall.
- The Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line curving in and away from the station. See the earlier map of the Underground lines.
- The eleven High Speed platforms on the West side of the station.
- The thirteen Classic platforms on the East side of the station.
- The new Northern entrance to the Underground between the two sets of platforms. How convenient!
- There appears to be a wide passage between the Northern and Southern entrances, with connections to the lines branching off.
- The subway to the new Gordon Street entrance is shown at the top of the image.
The design seems to have separated access to the two branches of the Northern line, by creating a new high-capacity route to the Charing Cross branch.
I also think, that the design allows the station to be built without disrupting passengers using the Underground and the current Euston station.
- A large hole for the station can be excavated, without touching existing access.
- It could then be fitted out section by section.
- Once the new access to the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line is complete, the current access to the Northern and Victoria Lines can be refurbished.
Arriving At Euston
Imagine you are a passenger arriving from the North, who knows the Underground line, you need to take, you would then enter the Underground station using the new Northern entrance.
- For the Bank branch of the Northern Line or the Victoria Line, you would go through the existing ticket hall and down the escalators, much as you do now! Except that you’d enter the ticket hall on the other side from the East side of the passageway connecting the two entrances. New lifts appear to be shown.
- For the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line, you would take the passages, lifts and escalators on the West side of the passageway connecting the two entrances.
- If you wanted the sub-surface lines, you would just keep going and take the new subway, which connects to the Eastern ends of the platforms at Euston Square station.
It will certainly do me fine, if I arrive at Euston, as I’ll walk through the subway and get in the front of any Eastbound train for Moorgate station, where being in the front is convenient for the exit and the nearby bus stop to my home.
This route will surely be one of the ways arriving passengers at Euston will get Crossrail to Abbey Wood, Canary Wharf and Shenfield stations. In Crossrail – Northern – Northern City Interchange At Moorgate Station, I show some visualisations of Moorgate station and the connectivity.
Did Plans For Crossrail Ever Include A Station At Holborn?
I have only one North-South bus route, where I live.
The 141 bus connects Palmers Green and London Bridge station.
- The 141 bus was the replacement for the 641 trolley bus, which was the main link between Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Harringay, and the City of London, when I was a child.
- The vehicles are up to ten years old Wrightbus diesel hybrids.
- The route suffers badly from overcrowding as it connects, Bank and Moorgate stations in the City of London, with the outer reaches of the Piccadilly Line.
The overcrowding on the 141 bus route has got worse in the last couple of years because of the following.
- The rebuilding of London Bridge station brought more passengers to the 141 bus route.
- The opening of the new London Bridge bus station at London Bridge station has improved access to the buses at London Bridge station.
- The improvement of the connection of the buses to the Docklands Light Railway, Central Line and Northern Line at Bank station.
- The opening of the Battersea branch of the Northern Line, which brings more passengers to Bank station.
- The opening of the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank Underground station.
- The opening of the Elizabeth Line through Moorgate station.
- Recently, a new walking route between Moorgate and Liverpool Street was opened, which will bring more passengers to the buses on Moorgate.
- The rebuilding of Old Street station brought more passengers to the 141 bus route.
So what was the response of the Mayor and Transport for London, to all this increase of passenger numbers?
The 21 bus, which shadowed the 141 route, and doubled the number of buses through where I live, was moved to serve Holloway.
It was a big crime against mathematics and the wishes of our long-serving Labour MP; Meg Hillier.
So to handle many more passengers between London Bridge station and Newington Green through the City of London, the number of buses was halved.
I believe that the overcrowding will get worse because of the improvements, that Transport for London have planned.
- The Piccadilly Line will be getting new air-conditioned trains within a couple of years and these will inevitably attract more passengers to the line.
- On the other hand the air-conditioning may persuade passengers to use the Piccadilly Line more than they do now. Instead of changing to the 141 bus at Manor House station, passengers could change at Finsbury Park, King’s Cross St. Pancras or Holborn stations for other routes to the City of London.
- The third line to receive the new air-conditioned trains will probably be the Central Line, which would create another East-West air-conditioned line and bring more passengers to Bank station.
- The Central Line could give some relief for the buses through Bank, if an extra station was built on the Central Line to interchange with Shoreditch High Street station on the East London Line of the London Overground.
- The fourth line to receive the new air-conditioned trains will probably be the Waterloo and City Line, which would create another air-conditioned line and bring more passengers to Bank station.
- It is likely, that more services will be added to the Elizabeth Line, which will bring more passengers to Moorgate station.
- It is likely, that more services will be added to the Northern City Line, which will bring more passengers to Moorgate station.
- The Mayor is also planning to pedestrianise Oxford Street, which may fill up the Central Line with extra passengers.
It looks to me, that there will be a need for a large increase of bus capacity through the City of London on a North-South axis.
On the other hand, the City of London have stated that they will pedestrianise many of their streets.
So what can be done to avoid gridlock in the City of London?
Develop The Northern City Line At Moorgate
I use this route regularly to and from Moorgate station.
- It already has new Class 717 air-conditioned trains.
- The route is already digitally signalled in conjunction with the East Coast Digital Programme.
- It has two platforms at Moorgate station.
- Highbury & Islington station has interchanges with the Victoria Line and the North and East London Lines of the London Overground.
- Finsbury Park station has interchanges with the Victoria Line and National Rail services.
- Bowes Park station has an out of station interchange with Bounds Green station on the Piccadilly Line.
- Step-free access needs improving.
- The Victorians had plans to extend the line to Lothbury near Bank station.
If the Northern City Line could handle more passengers, would passengers get to all parts of the City of London by changing at Finsbury Park and walking from Moorgate or Old Street stations?
I regularly go between my house and Moorgate, by taking a bus to Essex Road station and using the Northern City Line.
I believe that with improvements on the Northern City Line, the line could be turned into a very valuable part of London’s rail infrastructure.
Connect The Central Line And The East London Line At Shoreditch High Street Station
I wrote about this proposal in Will Shoreditch High Street Be Connected To The Central Line?
The Elizabeth Line needed to be completed before this could be started.
Build The Western Extension Of The Docklands Light Railway
I wrote about this proposal in The Bank Station Upgrade And The Western Extension Of The DLR.
Rebuild Holborn Station
The interchange between Piccadilly and Central Line at Holborn station is difficult to say the least.
Holborn station is being extended with a new entrance. As with Euston, I suspect it has been designed with a feasible place for DLR platforms to be added.
This document on the TfL web site, gives more details of what is proposed at Holborn station.
I extracted this visualisation of the proposed station.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines in the through and around the station.
.Note, the Elizabeth Line, which is shown by dotted lines passes to the North of the station.
Conclusion
Not all these improvements need to be done, but each would improve transport in the City of London.
Between Walthamstow Central And Canning Town Stations On A 69 Bus
I have a feeling, that the 69 bus route, which currently runs between Walthamstow Central and Canning Town stations, could be usefully extended to become.
- A new route through the Silvertown tunnel.
- A formal connection between the Eastern ends of the Victoria and Jubilee Lines
- Part of Superloop
I took these pictures from the front of the top deck.
Note.
- I was sitting at the front of the bus on the right side of the top deck.
- Walthamstow Central station is served by the Victoria Line and the London Overground.
- The 69 bus runs every few minutes.
- Walthamstow Central station has a well-connected modern bus station.
- Leyton Midland Road station is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- The Leyton Engineer appears to be a beautifully restored pub.
- The six-lane A12 East Cross Route is crossed on a bridge just before Leyton station.
- Leyton station is on the Central Line.
- Maryland station is on the Elizabeth Line.
- The Great Eastern Main Line and the Elizabeth Line are crossed on a bridge at Maryland station.
- The prominent church is St. John’s, Stratford.
- Plaistow station is on the Metropolitan Line.
- Canning Town station is on the Jubilee Line and is a hub for the Docklands Light Railway.
- Canning Town station is suffering a degree of refurbishment at the moment and is a bit of a nightmare on foot at the moment.
The 69 bus route connects eight railway stations and at least eight railway lines.
The roads are generally wide and there are more trees than in other parts of London.
Are There Any Plans For The Bay Sub-Surface Platforms At Moorgate Station?
I use Moorgate station regularly, as there’s a Leon Restaurant just outside the station, that looked after me properly during the Covid-19 Pandemic, so when I’m in the area and need feeding I pop in.
These pictures show the four bay platforms on the Sub-Surface lines.
Note.
- The pair of platforms to the left or South are numbered 5 and 6 and used to handle Thameslink trains, that ran to Moorgate station.
- Platforms 5 and 6 used to be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- The pair of platforms to the right or North are numbered 3 and 4 and are used to terminate some Metropolitan Line services at Moorgate station.
- Platforms 3 and 4 are electrified with London Underground four-rail electrification.
- The number for Platform 4 can clearly be seen.
This map from cartometro shows the track layout in Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate stations.
Note.
- The multi-coloured tracks and platforms of the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines running through Platforms 1 & 2 at Farringdon, Barbican and Moorgate stations.
- The multi-coloured tracks and platforms of the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines terminating in Platforms 3 & 4 at Moorgate station.
- The purple tracks and platforms of the Elizabeth Line running underneath the Metropolitan, Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines and their stations.
- The maroon and white tracks and platforms of Thameslink running through Platforms 3 & 4 in Barbican station and terminating in Platforms 5 & 6 at Moorgate station.
- The black tracks of Thameslink running through Farringdon and City Thameslink stations.
- It would appear there used to be two junctions to allow trains from Moorgate to go North through Farringdon station or South through City Thameslink station.
- The Thameslink tracks have two useful crossovers.
- The black tracks of the City branch of the Northern Line running through Old Street, Moorgate and Bank stations.
- The black tracks of the Northern City Line running through Old Street station and terminating in Moorgate station.
- The red tracks of the Central Line running through Chancery Lane, St. Paul’s and Bank station.
Because of the layout of the various tracks new connections and improvements may be possible.
Extending The Northern City Line To Bank Station
In Walking Along Moorgate – 30th September 2020, I describe some of the possibilities opened up by the design of Moor House, which has been built to allow more tunneling underneath.
I believe two extensions South from Moorgate station would be possible.
- It was intended by the builders of the Northern City Line, to take the route to just North of Bank station at Lothbury.
- Has The Possibility Been Created For A Pedestrian Tunnel Between Bank And Moorgate Stations?
Note.
- As the extension to Bank station has dug tunnels all over the place, I would expect that the engineers on that project would have a good idea on the best way to connect Moorgate and Bank stations.
- I usually use the Northern Line between Moorgate and Bank stations, but sometimes the Northern Line is rather crowded.
- The Northern City Line is being resignalled and may have an increased number of trains, so more passenger capacity may be needed.
- If a new station were to be built at Lothbury, it might be possible to improve step-free access to the Northern City Line.
- A new station on the Northern City Line and a pedestrian tunnel could connect to the newly-installed travelator at Bank station.
There are certainly serious possibilities to improve connections between Moorgate and Bank stations.
Could Metropolitan Line Trains Be Turned At Moorgate Station?
Currently, there are eight trains per hour (tph) between Aldgate and Uxbridge in the Off Peak.
With the new signalling on the Sub-Surface Lines would it allow more trains to operate, if some Metropolitan Line services were terminated in Platforms 3 & 4 at Moorgate station.
Would It Be Worthwhile To Run Thameslink Trains Again Into Moorgate Station?
It would only need to terminate trains from the North, as trains from the South can terminate at Black friars Station.
Perhaps a two tph service from a convenient station would suffice.
A Pedestrian Connection Between City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s Tube Station
I covered this in A Pedestrian Connection Between City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s Tube Station.
When Silvertown Opens, Blackwall Tolls Start Too
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
In under a month, tolls will be introduced for drivers at the new Silvertown Tunnel and the existing Blackwall Tunnel in east London.
These four paragraphs add detail to the story.
For car drivers it will cost £8 a day in peak. These are huge changes to London’s transport network and awareness seems to be low.
The new highly controversial Silvertown Tunnel opens on 7 April.
Critics have dubbed the crossing a huge polluting white elephant that will do nothing to cut congestion and pollution with little or no business case.
Supporters say it will reduce congestion on the old, existing Blackwall Tunnel and improve resilience on the crossing that closes between 600-700 times a year. It will also provide more cross river bus routes as well as a bus that can carry bikes.
As a very experienced mathematical modeller, my gut feeling is that four new tolled lanes under the River Thames is not the solution.
These are my thoughts.
Transport for London Are Not Good Mathematical Modellers
As a non-driver, I rely heavily on the 141 bus for transport.
- It stops close to my house.
- It takes me to and from Moorgate, where I also pick up the Elizabeth Line.
- It takes me to and from Bank, where I also pick up the Central Line.
- It takes me to and from River Thames, from where I pick up the Thames Clippers.
- It takes me to and from London Bridge station, where I also pick up theThameslink.
- It takes me to and from Manor House station, where I pick up the Piccadilly Line.
- It takes me to and from Harringay Green Lanes station, where I pick up the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
I must admit some of the reasons I like the bus route, are that it connects me to my childhood memories of WoodGreen, Southgate, Oakwood and Cockfosters.
When, I moved here, there were two North-South buses that ran within fifty metres of my house.
- The 21 bus ran between Newington Green and Lewisham.
- The 141 bus ran between Palmers Green and London Bridge station.
Then, two years ago the Elizabeth Line and the rebuilt Bank station both opened, followed a year later by an upgraded Old Street station.
These three improvements, added a lot more passengers to the North-South corridor, between London Bridge station and Newington Green roundabout.
I suspect a quality modelling of bus passengers North-South, through the city of London, would have shown, that more buses were needed on the combined 21/141 route.
So what did Sir SadIQ and Transport for London do? They rerouted the 21 bus away from the busiest section through De Beauvoir Town.
In their modelling, I suspect.
- They overestimated how many travellers used the Northern Line.
- They ignored the fact, that the Piccadilly Line doesn’t serve the City of London.
- They ignored the fact, that the Piccadilly Line doesn’t connect to the Elizabeth Line.
- They ignored the fact, that the 141 bus, is the only direct way between Palmers Green, Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Manor House to the City of London.
- They felt De Beauvoir Town was a posh area and doesn’t need more buses, as residents can use their cars.
Halving the number of buses was a seriously bad decision.
I now have a damaged left knee due to constant standing on overcrowded buses.
It’s also got a lot worse lately due to constant bus diversions and cancellations, due to Islington’s LTNs and constant road works.
I’ve heard similar tales of bad bus planning from all over London.
So why should I trust Transport for London’s traffic modelling on the Silvertown and Blackwall Tunnels?
The Silvertown And Blackwall Tunnel Share Approach Routes
This map from the BBC article shows the layout of the two tunnels and their approach roads.
Note.
- The Blackwall Tunnel is two, two lane tunnels, one in each direction.
- The Silvertown Tunnel is one four lane tunnel, with two lanes in each direction.
- The O2 lies between the two tunnels.
The map shows the shared approach road for both tunnels.
What happens if there is an accident on the approach to the tunnels?
Tolling Problems
I feel that the tolling regime is overly complicated.
Hopefully, any problems this causes will lessen, as drivers know what to do.
The Sat-Nav Route Between The Tunnels And The M1
I’ve just looked one recommended route up, not that I have a Sat-Nav and I’ve never used one and the route is straightforward.
- Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach to Hackney Wick.
- Wick Lane to Hackney Central.
- Graham Road and Dalston Lane to Dalston Junction
- Balls Pond Road to Southgate Road/Mildmay Park
- St. Paul’s Road to Highbury & Islington station.
- Holloway Road to Archway.
- Archway Road, Aylmer Road and Falloden Way to Henly’s Corner.
- North Circular Road and Great North Way to the M1.
I live just South of the Southgate Road/Mildmay Park junction and often these days it is jammed solid.
But there is another route from Hackney Wick.
- A12 to Redbridge Roundabout on the North Circular Road.
- North Circular Road to the M1.
I dread to see what happens, when the Dartford Crossing is closed and heavy trucks from the Channel Tunnel to the M1, decide to take the Silvertown Tunnel as an alternative route.
Details At Hayes And Harlington Station
Yesterday, on my way to Reading, I changed trains at Hayes and Harlington station and took a few pictures.
An Ideally-Placed Waiting Room
These pictures show a waiting room on the Westbound platform of the Elizabeth Line.
The Elizabeth Line has these Western destinations.
- Heathrow Terminal 4
- Heathrow Terminal 5
- Maidenhead
- Paddington
- Reading.
Note.
- If you are travelling to any of the Heathrow destinations and you are riding on a Maidenhead or Reading train, then Hayes and Harlington station is the last station you can change for the Airport.
- If you are travelling to any of the destinations on the Reading branch and you are riding on a Heathrow train, then Hayes and Harlington station is the last station you can change for the Airport.
- If you are travelling from any of the Heathrow destinations to any of the destinations on the Reading branch, then Hayes and Harlington station is the first station you can change for the Reading branch.
- If you are travelling from any of the Reading branch destinations to any of the Heathrow destinations, then Hayes and Harlington station is the first station you can change for the Heathrow destinations.
- To aid the change of platform in the third and fourth changes, there is a step-free footbridge at Hayes and Harlington station.
The waiting room at Hayes and Harlington station, which is complete with heating could be a welcome refuge whilst changing trains at Hayes and Harlington station.
The golden rule seems to be, that if you’re on the wrong train on the Elizabeth Line, then change for your desired destination at Hayes and Harlington station.
Track Warnings
These pictures show the bilingual track warnings at Hayes and Harlington station.
I hope Network Rail are analysing, if the warnings work.
The Main Step-Free Route Across The Tracks
These pictures show the main step-free route at Hayes and Harlington station.
Note.
- The route with lifts, is rather tucked in at the Western end of the station.
- There are toilets under the bridge on the Eastbound platform.
- The steps are rather steep, so if you have any issues, I would use the lifts.
The golden rule is if you are going between the Reading and Heathrow branches with a change of direction from Eastbound to Westbound at Hayes and Harlington station, then make sure, you start your journey in the back of the train.
The Secondary Route Across The Tracks
These pictures show the secondary route at Hayes and Harlington station.
Note.
- I believe this bridge is better placed for some travellers, who need to reverse direction at Hayes and Harlington station.
- It is also convenient for the waiting room.
In Heathrow Rail Link Withdrawn, But MP Vows To Carry On, I asked this question.
Could Hayes And Harlington Station Become A Transport Hub For Heathrow?
I said this.
This Google Map shows Hayes and Harlington station.
Note.
- It has platforms on all four tracks of the Great Western Main Line.
- There is a London-facing bay platform to terminate Elizabeth Line trains, if needed.
- The land to the North of the station has been developed.
- There is land to the South of the station that could be developed.
Could the space above the tracks, with some of the land to the South of the station be developed into a transport hub for Heathrow?
I took these pictures to answer my question.
I don’t think there would be enough space to put a combined bus and coach station at Hayes and Harlington station.
From Reading To Gatwick Airport Along The North Downs Line
After writing Connecting Reading And The West To Gatwick Airport And Eurostar, I decided to go and look at the reality of the North Downs Line between Reading and Gatwick Airport stations.
I took my usual route to Reading, which is to go to Moorgate and get the Elizabeth Line direct to Reading using my Freedom Pass, after having breakfast in the Leon on Moorgate.
- I then had to leave the station at Reading, so that I could buy my ticket to Gatwick Airport.
- It would be so much easier, if there ere a couple of ticket machines on the bridge or platform at Reading station, so that passengers, who were changing trains could buy tickets quickly and easily.
In the end, I caught the 11:24 train to Gatwick with only a few minutes to spare.
From Reading To Gatwick Airport Along The North Downs Line
Along the North Downs Line, the train was a well-refreshed Great Western Railway Class 165 train.
These are some of the pictures, that I took on the route.
Note.
- The route goes through a lot of typical Surrey heathland.
- I noticed several pubs along the way.
- I suspect that there are some good walks from the stations.
- Reading and Guildford are university cities.
- Sandhurst is home to the Royal Military Academy.
- Farnborough Airport used to be home to the Royal Aircraft Establishment.
- Most of the seats on the train were taken.
I would expect that for a mainly rural route it is fairly busy.
Hitachi’s Intercity Battery Trains
Hitachi have developed an Intercity battery train and it is described on this page on their web site, where this is said about converting the trains to battery-electric operation.
A quick and easy application of battery technology is to install it on existing or future Hitachi intercity trains. Hitachi Rail’s modular design means this can be done without the need to re-engineer or rebuild the train and return them to service as quickly as possible for passengers.
Replacing one diesel engine with just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%. Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance.
That performance is certainly enough for Reading and Ashford via Gatwick, as only 37.7 miles in total, is not electrified.
Does The North Downs Line Mirror The East-West Rail?
Consider.
- The East West Rail will encircle London to the North, between Oxford and Cambridge.
- The North Downs Line encircles London to the South, between Reading and Ashford.
They could be considered two complimentary rail lines.
A Milton Keynes And Ashford International Service
Looking at the track layout on OpenRailwayMap, it would appear that one of Hitachi’s proposed Intercity Battery Trains fitted with dual voltage could pick its way elegantly along the East West Rail and the North Downs Line between Milton Keynes and Ashford International via Oxford, Reading and Gatwick Airport.
An Occasional Sheffield And Ashford International Service
If you could run a service between Milton Keynes and Ashford International, why not extend it to Bedford or even Sheffield in the North?
I believe if you put these Hitachi’s proposed Intercity Battery Trains on a cross-country route, that they will quickly suffer from London Overground Syndrome. This is my definition of the syndrome.
This benign disease, which is probably a modern version of the Victorian railway mania, was first identified in East London in 2011, when it was found that the newly-refurbished East London Line and North London Line were inadequate due to high passenger satisfaction and much increased usage. It has now spread across other parts of the capital, despite various eradication programs.
Put simply, it can probably be summed up as Quality Attracts Passengers.
Serving Heathrow
There have been various plans to get rail access into Heathrow from the West, but none have so far got off the starting blocks.
It is my view, that in the interim period, after my trip last weekend in the superb Wrightbus hydrogen double deck bus from Sutton to Gatwick, that I wrote about in Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus, that we should ask Wrightbus, who are designing a hydrogen-powered coach, to design the ultimate coach to connect rail hubs to major airports.
I would then run these coaches every ten minutes between Reading station and Heathrow Airport.
Serving Attractions
I believe that pairing Hitachi’s proposed Intercity Battery Trains with Wrightbus’s hydrogen coach could be a winner for passengers and operators.
As an example, Lumo are hoping to run an open access service between Paddington and Carmarthen, if Heidi the Spoilsport permits. Would it not be sensible, if one of Wrightbus’s hydrogen coaches did the last mile duties to the ferry for Ireland at Fishguard harbour.
Is British Airways Getting A Boost From The Lizzie Line?
This article in The Times is entitled Everyone Bashes It But BA Is Surging Ahead …What’s Its Secret?
Various managerial reasons are given, but the Lizzie Line is not mentioned.
live in Dalston and for Heathrow, I take a twenty minute bus-ride and then use the Lizzie Line from Moorgate.
Before Lizzie, I used to take a variety of much slower routes.
If you get on a Lizzie Line train to or from Heathrow in Central London, it’s often very crowded, showing how popular it is with knowledgeable passengers.
London’s new line has made it easier, quicker and more affordable to get to Heathrow by train for many people in England.
So are passengers flying from Heathrow more?
And who’s the dominant carrier at Heathrow? BA!
The Anonymous Widower 