Extending The Elizabeth Line – Adding Ladbroke Grove Station To The Elizabeth Line
There is a Wikipedia entry for Ladbroke Grove railway station, which starts with this paragraph.
Ladbroke Grove is a proposed railway station in London, England on the Crossrail Route between Old Oak Common and Paddington. This is not part of the internal route and would be added at a later stage. Locals want the station to be called Portobello Central to serve the nearby Portobello Market. It was originally called Kensal.
The Wikipedia entry also gives these details of two proposals for a Ladbroke Grove station on the Elizabeth Line.
Kensington and Chelsea Council has been pushing for a station at North Kensington / Kensal, just to the east of the Old Oak Common railway station site, off Ladbroke Grove and Canal Way, as a turn-back facility will have to be built in the area anyway. Siting it at Kensal Rise, rather than next to Paddington itself, would provide a new station to regenerate the area. Amongst the general public there is a huge amount of support for the project and then-mayor of London Boris Johnson stated that a station would be added if it did not increase Crossrail’s overall cost; in response, Kensington and Chelsea Council agreed to underwrite the projected £33 million cost of a Crossrail station, which was received very well by the residents of the borough. Transport for London (TfL) is conducting a feasibility study on the station and the project is backed by National Grid, retailers Sainsbury’s and Cath Kidston, and Jenny Jones (Green Party member of the London Assembly).
The plans were resurrected by Boris Johnson in 2016.
In March 2017, it was announced that TfL was considering a Crossrail station in Kensal Green, on the site of a former gasworks, and it would be between Old Oak Common and Paddington.
This map from cartometro.com shows the railway lines to the West of Paddington.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in purple.
- Ladbroke Grove rube station is not close to the Elizabeth Line.
- Kensal Green tube station is not close to the Elizabeth Line.
But we do know this about the future Old Oak Common station.
- It will be served by Elizabeth Line services between Central London and Heathrow Airport.
- It will be served by High Speed Two services between London Euston and the North of England and Scotland.
- It will be served by Great Western services between London Paddington and the West of England and Wales.
- It will be served by North London Line services betweeen Stratford and Richmond.
- It will be served by Heathrow Express services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
From the map, it looks unlikely that the Hammersmith & City Line will be able to serve Old Oak Common station.
However, it might be possible that Euston and Old Oak Common could be served by Watford DC Line services, which called at either Old Oak Common or Kensal Greeen.
A link between Euston and Old Oak Common, would give all stations on the line access to High Speed Two and Heathrow with a change at Old Oak Common.
Some Euston suburban services could stop at Old Oak Common for access to High Speed Two and Heathrow.
The Watford DC Line which is very self-contained could become a comprehensive feeder line for High Speed Two and Heathrow.
Kensal Green Station
I took a trip to Kensal Green station and took these pictures.
Note.
The station handles two heights of trains on single-height platforms.
Some of the stairs are not the best.
There is no step-free access.
There are six lines through the station and there may be scope for more platforms.
If ever there was a station that needed a makeover it is Kensal Green.
Conclusion
I doubt that the Hammersmith & City Line could be connected to the Elizabeth Line to the West of Paddingt9n.
But I do feel that the Watford DC Line could be developed into a comprehensive link between Euston and Old Oak Common satiations.
Ashley Down Station Opens On Saturday
Ashley Down station will be Bristol’s latest new station, when it opens this Saturday.
I shall be going, after probably taking the Elizabeth Line to Reading station.
Why The Elizabeth Line Must Be Extended To Ebbsfleet International
There are various plans to link the Elizabeth Line to Ebbsfleet International.
In Elizabeth Line To Ebbsfleet Extension Could Cost £3.2 Billion, I showed this map from the Abbeywood2Ebbsfleet consultation.
There doesn’t appear to be too much new infrastructure, except for a proper connection between Northfleet and Ebbsfleet stations. References on the Internet, say that the similar-sized Luton DART connection at Luton Airport, cost around £225 million.
The Elizabeth Line connects to the following.
- Bond Street
- Canary Wharf
- City of London
- Farringdon for Thameslink
- Heathrow Airport
- Old Oak Common for High Speed Two
- Liverpool Street station
- Oxford Street
- Paddington station
- Slough for Windsor
- Tottenham Court Road for the British Museum, Oxford Street, Soho, Theatreland and the Underground.
- West End of London
- Whitechapel for the Overground and Underground
For many people like me, the Elizabeth Line at Ebbsfleet will provide one of the quickest ways to get to and from European trains.
High Speed Two Services
This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
- Was Lancaster chosen as it’s close to the new Eden Project Morecambe?
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
Destinations served by the current foreshortened High Speed Two or High Speed Two Lite will be.
- Birmingham Curzon Street
- Birmingham Interchange
- Carlisle
- Carstairs
- Crewe
- Edinburgh Haymarket
- Edinburgh Waverley
- Glasgow Central
- Lancaster
- Liverpool Lime Street
- Lockerbie
- Macclesfield
- Manchester Airport
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Motherwell
- Oxenholme
- Penrith
- Preston
- Runcorn
- Stafford
- Srockport
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Warrington Bank Quay
- Wigan North Western
- Wilmslow
That is twenty-five stations.
I would add these extra stations.
- Bangor
- Blackpool
- Chester
- Holyhead
- Llandudno Junction
- Wrexham
Note.
- These extra six stations would make High Speed Two, a line for more of the people.
- Because the Eastern leg is cancelled, the paths that would have served that leg can be used to provide services for the West of the country.
The East of the country could be served by updating the East Coast Main Line.
The Development Of Eurostar
Consider.
- Eurostar and Thalys have now merged and I can see them providing extra direct services between London and Europe.
- Bordeaux, Cologne, Frankfurt and Geneva have been mentioned as possible destinations.
- Most of the new destinations, will be served by extending current services from Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris appropriately.
But to cope with the extra numbers of passengers, there will have to be extra passenger capacity at St. Pancras and/or Ebbsfleet International.
High Speed Two And Continental Services
Currently, if you want to go from the North of England or Scotland to the Continent, you do one of the following.
- Take a train to King’s Cross and walk across to St. Pancras International.
- Take a train to St. Pancras and walk to the International section of the station.
- Take a train to Euston and walk or take a bus, taxi or Underground to St. Pancras International.
Note.
- Passengers from North Wales take the Euston route.
- Some passengers will take an Elizabeth Line train to Farringdon and then take Thameslink to St. Pancras International.
- Passengers arriving at Paddington on Heathrow Express will probably take a taxi to St. Pancras International.
- Passengers arriving at Paddington on a budget will probably take the Underground to St. Pancras International.
For Londoners and those travellers, who know London well, the routes to St. Pancras International, are not to bad but they could be better.
If the current foreshortened High Speed Two or High Speed Two Lite finishes at Old Oak Common station, passengers will have to use the following routes for their onward journey.
- Elizabeth Line
- Great Western Railway – local services.
- Heathrow Express
- North London Line of the London Overground, or whatever the Mayor at the time calls it.
If the full High Speed Two or High Speed Two Lite finishes at Euston station, passengers will have to use the following routes for their onward journey.
- Avanti West Coast
- Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines
- London North Western – local services
- Northern Line
- Victoria Line
- Watford DC Line of the London Overground, or whatever the Mayor at the time calls it.
These routes will be in addition to those at Old Oak Common station.
There will be two routes between High Speed Two and St. Pancras International station.
- Passengers arriving at Old Oak Common will take an Elizabeth Line train to Farringdon and then take Thameslink to St. Pancras International.
- Passengers arriving at Euston will walk or take a bus, taxi or Underground to St. Pancras International.
I am not sure that either route will have enough capacity, if High Speed Two attracts a large number of passengers.
Extend High Speed Two To Euston
I believe that this is essential, as it improves the connectivity greatly, at the bottom end of High Speed Two, as several Underground Lines will be connected to High Speed Two.
Extend The Elizabeth Line from Old Oak Common To Ebbsfleet International
I believe this too is essential, as it gives the North of England and Scotland, the connection to the Continent that they need.
There could be cross-platform connections at both Old Oak Common and Ebbsfleet International between the Elizabeth Line and the high speed lines.
Conclusion
Politicians should stop the dithering and act to give the UK, the rail connection it needs up and down the country and to the Continent.
Council’s Concerns Over Suggested Tunnel Charges
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Concerns have been raised by a county council over suggested charges at the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels in London.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Kent County Council (KCC) said the proposed charges could impact on the county’s traffic, including at the Dartford Crossing.
The council said although it supported TfL’s ambition to improve journey reliability and reduce air pollution, it believed the proposed changes could “significantly affect” drivers from Kent.
I can’t see that the charges on the two tunnels won’t affect drivers habits.
Thirty years ago, before satellite-navigation had been invented, when my family and myself lived in East Suffolk, if I was returning from Brighton or Gatwick, I would make a choice about, whether to use the Dartford Crossing or the Blackwall Tunnel. Sometimes traffic was so bad, that I had to take the longer Western route using the M11 and the A14.
I didn’t really bother about the toll on the Dartford Tunnel, as it was then, but often the free Blackwall route was quicker.
In those days, I was relying on radio reports, but now with satellite-navigation, drivers will be taking more intelligent decisions, that take account of tolls.
The BBC article also says this.
The council says Kent drivers make up 10% of the Blackwall Tunnel’s users.
So it looks like the drivers of Kent will be paying tolls to London.
These are my thoughts.
How Can The Tolls Be Avoided?
There will still be two free crossings, to the East of Tower Bridge; the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Woolwich Ferry, but how long will they remain free, if they drain money from the tolled tunnels?
What About The Trains?
Trains from somewhere like Ebbsfleet international station can be used.
Ebbsfleet international station has a lot of parking, but at some stations parking is distinctly limited.
I doubt though, that Transport for London have done a professional survey of the amount of parking that is needed.
They tend to believe if people live out of London, that parking for trips to London is not a Transport for London problem.
Are there any plans to increase the train frequencies, if more people use them?
Note that Off Peak Day Return tickets can be purchased with a Railcard, from Dartford to London for under a tenner, and from Ebbsfleet international to London for under fifteen pounds.
If Built, Will The Lower Thames Crossing Help?
The first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Lower Thames Crossing, describes it like this.
The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. If built it would pass through the districts of Thurrock and Gravesham, supplementing the Dartford route. The approximately 14.3-mile (23.0 km) route is being assessed by the Planning Inspectorate.
As it is likely to cost nine billion pounds and take six years to build, I can’t see the current Government building it.
But it would certainly make it easier for traffic to go between the Channel Tunnel and North of London.
Conclusion
I can see the UK muddling through, when we should be bold and create the transport infrastructure for the Twenty-First Century.
For instance, I would extend the Elizabeth Line in the North-East to Southend and in the South-East to Ebbsfleet and Gravesend. With the existing cross-platform interchange at Whitechapel, I believe, it could pick up much of the cross-river passenger traffic close to London.
I also feel that there will need to be improved connections between the fast-expanding London Gateway freight port and the Channel Tunnel.
Heathrow Rail Link Withdrawn, But MP Vows To Carry On
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Rail Magazine.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Hopes for a rail link between the Great Western Main Line and Heathrow Airport appear to have finally ended.
The scheme had been on hold since 2021, when Network Rail staff working on it were transferred to other tasks.
At the time, NR called it a “controlled pause”, but a pre-application process has now been withdrawn, according to the Planning Inspectorate website.
Currently, the two main routes to Heathrow from the Great Western Main Line are.
- Continue to Paddington and get either the Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth Line to the airport.
- Use the RailAir bus from Reading to the airport.
Both routes probably encourage passengers and staff to drive to the airport.
I have my thoughts.
Tan Dhesi
The article says this about this MP’s support for the rail link.
However, Slough MP Tan Dhesi, a former shadow transport minister, believes the link still has wide support as it would bring 20% of the UK population within one interchange of its busiest airport.
Dhesi led an All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Western Rail Link to Heathrow before the General Election. He now plans to re-launch the group, as some previous members have since lost their seats.
He has a point, but is this because a large number of his constituents work at Heathrow.
Would an improved local bus service, at least partially serve the need?
RailAir Between Reading And Heathrow
This appears to have two drawbacks.
- It only runs every thirty minutes.
- It doesn’t serve Terminal Four.
But at least it runs modern coaches, not buses.
I would increase the frequency to perhaps every twenty or even fifteen minutes, serve Terminal Four and perhaps in the future, switch to Wrightbus’s new hydrogen coaches, which I wrote about in Wrightbus Hydrogen Coach Planned For 2026.
I feel that switching to hydrogen power, may attract more passengers to the route.
Obviously, I feel the other RailAir routes from Guildford, Watford and Woking to Heathrow would also be updated.
Improving The Rail Route Between Reading And Heathrow Via Hayes And Harlington Station
Hayes and Harlington station has the following frequencies to Heathrow and Reading, in trains per hour (tph)
- Heathrow Terminals Two & Three – 6 tph
- Heathrow Terminal Four – 4 tph
- Heathrow Terminal Five – 2 tph
- Maidenhead – 2 tph
- Reading – 2 tph
More trains between Reading and Hayes and Harlington might encourage more passengers to use the trains.
Could Hayes And Harlington Station Become A Transport Hub For Heathrow?
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?
Heathrow Southern Railway
I prefer the Heathrow Southern Railway, which is a comprehensive, privately funded scheme.
Liverpool Street Station Gets Polka Dot Sculpture
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A huge artwork made up of silver polka dots has been unveiled outside Britain’s busiest railway station.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Infinite Accumulation is Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s first permanent public artwork in the UK and her largest permanent public sculpture.
Funded by British Land and the City of London Corporation, it is the final artwork commissioned and installed by the Crossrail Art Programme for the Elizabeth line.
I took these pictures today.
Note.
- The area is getting to be a bit of a sculpture park, with other sculptures and plaques.
- All are protected by the City of London’s distinctive bollards. See The City Of London’s Soldiers for more pictures.
- The new sculpture, is probably worth nicking, with all that stainless steel.
- Liverpool Street station is a Grade Two Listed Building.
- I shall be adding extra pictures here. I shall be taking some at sunset.
I do like the new sculpture and the way it fits with the surrounding buildings.
Heat-Related Hospital Admissions And Deaths In London
I never saw my father ride on a deep Underground line, like the Northern or the Piccadilly, as he always said the air was terrible.
That was despite we lived within walking distance of Oakwood station and his print works was just a hundred metres from Wood Green Underground station.
But then he was a man, who always had a car, when I knew him, so I suppose he felt he better use it.
On one occasion, he took me to the Printing Industries Fair at Earl’s Court, which is just seventeen stops on the Piccadilly Line from Wood Green Underground station, as it still is today.
His route was as follows.
He left his MG Magnette outside the print works on Station Road.
As this picture I took in 2012 shows, parking wasn’t too difficult.
We then walked up the hill to Wood Green station, which is now called Alexandra Palace, from where we took a steam-hauled local train into King’s Cross.
From King’s Cross, we took a Metropolitan Line train to Hammersmith station.
At Hammersmith, we changed stations and then took a train to Baron’s Court station for Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre.
Today, the route between Alexandra Palace and Earl’s Court stations is very different.
- You can change trains at Moorgate, Farringdon or King’s Cross.
- The oldest trains, that you’ll travel on would have been built in 2008.
- All trains will be fully air-conditioned.
I feel, that I could probably get my father to use this route. Although, I doubt it would happen, as he would have turned 120, at the start of this year.
The Growth Of Air Conditioning
Many cars since the 1980s have been airconditioned and now trains are following that route.
In London these are some dates, when trains were air-conditioned.
- Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan from 2008.
- Elisabeth Line from 2017.
- Gospel Oak and Barking from 2019.
- Greater Anglia from 2019/20.
- Lee Valley Lines from 2019.
- London Midland from 2023.
- London Overground from 2009.
- Southern from 2003.
- Southeastern from 2003.
- Thameslink from 2014.
Each year, more and more trains will be air-conditioned.
Conclusion
Has this growth of air-conditioning reduced the number of cases of heatstroke and other heat related admissions to hospitals?
Minding The Gap: ‘It’s A Scandal, It’s A Death Trap’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The announcement “mind the gap” is almost as much a part of travelling in London as the Tube sign or a red bus. But when is the gap between the train and the platform too far and too dangerous?
These are the first two paragraphs.
Eric Leach thinks he has the answer to that, and it is 30cm, or 12 inches. He knows this because while lying on the platform in agony having fallen over while getting off a train, he had time to look at the vertical drop between the train and the platform.
In February, at Ealing Broadway station in west London, he stepped off an Elizabeth line train onto the platform. Such was the force from the drop, that he broke a bone in his foot. He collapsed on the platform.
I went to Ealing Broadway station and took these pictures.
The gap is quite large, but not larger than many of the suburban trains in London.
These pictures are from Greater Anglia and Merseyrail.
Note the gap-fillers below the door.
Conclusion
The Elizabeth Line can do better.
Travelling Between London Stations
When I came home from Moorgate this morning, I took my usual 141 bus.
I sat next to a lady about forty, who from her bags looked like she’d just arrived by plane at Gatwick Airport.
After a couple of attempts at conversation, it became obvious, that we didn’t have a common language.
She then produced her phone and indicated that she needed Liverpool Street station.
The 141 bus doesn’t serve Liverpool Street station, but it does serve the Western entrance to Liverpool Street station on the Elizabeth Line.
It looks to me, that she had been told by a human being, an app or the Internet, that the easiest way from London Bridge bus station to Liverpool Street station was to take the 141 bus from in front of the station and walk across to Liverpool Street station from Moorgate.
But.
- The Western entrance to Liverpool Street station has no information to indicate, that it gives access to Liverpool Street station.
- The bus information system indicates Moorgate station.
- The bus information system does not announce, that for Liverpool Street station, you should alight at Moorgate station.
Perhaps, the bus information system should indicates Moorgate/Liverpool Street station.
Conclusion
How many other transfers between London stations are similarly confusing?
Superloop -February 2024
This article on the Londonist, shows the latest status of the Superloop on this TfL map.
Note.
- The recently opened; SL3 has a lot of stops including Abbey Wood on the Elizabeth Line.
- SL4 will go through the Silvertown Tunnel.
- Since it opened, I’ve never needed to use a Superloop route going about my daily business.
I have this feeling, that a couple of years after it fully opens, there will be a few modifications to the route.
The Anonymous Widower 