Ten-Car Hull Trains
On Friday, about eleven in the morning, I was standing on the platform at Finsbury Park station, when unusually I saw a pair of Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains go through as a ten-car train.
A few minutes later, I took a train to King’s Cross, where I took these pictures.
Note.
- The four platforms are numbered from 1 to 4 from the right.
- The Hull Train is in platform 3.
- The fourth picture clearly shows the 11:18 Hull Trains service has ten carriages.
Hull Trains were also selling tickets on the train.
Hull Trains Timetable On April 29th 2023
These trains ran South.
- Beverley-Kings Cross – 0557 – 5 cars
- Hull-Kings Cross – 0824 – 10 cars
- Hull-Kings Cross – 1033 – 5 cars
- Hull-Kings Cross – 1330 – 5 cars
- Hull-Kings Cross – 1531 – 5 cars
- Hull-Kings Cross – 1836 – 5 cars
And these trains ran North
- Kings Cross – 0727-Hull – 5 cars
- Kings Cross – 0948-Hull – 5 cars
- Kings Cross – 1148-Hull – 10 cars
- Kings Cross – 1448-Hull – 5 cars
- Kings Cross – 1748-Beverley – 5 cars
- Kings Cross – 1948-Hull – 5 cars
Note.
- The ten-car trains only run to Hull.
- The daily number of seats between Hull and London has been increased by 16.7 %.
- Four trains are needed to run 5 x five-car and 1 x ten-car trains in each direction.
I can see this timetable being used on other busy days.
From October 24th 2022, It Looks Like Bond Street And Oxford Circus Stations In London Will Share An Out Of Station Interchange!
Consider.
- Bond Street station is served by the Jubilee and Central Lines.
- Oxford Circus station is served by the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central Lines.
- On this page on Oyster Fares Central, the distance between Bond Street And Oxford Circus stations, is given as 280 metres or yards.
- On the 24th of October 2022, Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line will open with two new entrances in Davies Street and Hanover Square.
- Westminster City Council have refurbished Hanover Square to improve walking routes to and from the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street Station.
- In Hanover Square – 9th May 2022, I show some of the wide pavements around the area.
- There is no direct interchange between the Victoria and Elizabeth Lines.
- There is no direct interchange between the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Lines.
I think it is likely, that some travellers will walk between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station, to do journeys like these.
- Victoria Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations
- Piccadilly Line stations, that are North of Finsbury Park station and Elizabeth Line stations, with a cross-platform change between Piccadilly and Victoria Line trains at Finsbury Park station.
- Some travellers may prefer this interchange between Bakerloo Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations, than use the Bakerloo Line Link at Paddington.
- Some travellers arriving in Euston, King’s Cross and St. Pancras may use the Victoria Line to transfer to the Elizabeth Line.
I can see a substantial number of travellers walking between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station.
I suspect Transport for London can too, as they have made Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations an out of station interchange, with a time limit of twenty minutes.
- It would be time enough to pick up a coffee on the way.
- As Tony Hancock once said, there would be time for a cough and a drag.
- There are several useful shops on the route.
It is not your normal interchange and I suspect shops will adjust their wares to the traffic.
I have a few thoughts.
Toilets
I think toilets are needed on the pedestrian route.
Interchange With The Central Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Central Line at Ealing Broadway, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch, Holborn, St. Paul’s and Bank will have a large choice of new routes.
I suspect many passengers will change at Bond Street and Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
This visualisation shows the knitting that connects the lines at Bond Street station.
I think for a fast interchange, using the minimum amount of walking, you would need to travel in the Western end of an Elizabeth Line train if you want to change to the Central Line.
But some passengers might prefer to travel in the Eastern end of an Elizabeth Line train and use the out of station interchange to Oxford Circus station for the Central Line.
Interchange With The Jubilee Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Jubilee Line at just Bond Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Green Park, Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge and Greenwich will take the Jubilee Line.
Passengers will have to change at Bond Street or Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
Improving The Wood Green And Moorgate Public Transport Corridor
This morning I went for coffee with an old school friend from Minchenden Grammar School at Southgate station.
Southgate is not a bad place to meet someone.
- There are a couple of good coffee shops.
- There are plenty of buses.
- It has a couple of the better chain restaurants including a Pizza Express.
- The area also has a lot of memories for me.
It also has one of London’s most iconic Underground stations.
It may look familiar, as it regularly crops up in film and television dramas.
- One station guy told me, that the ticket barriers have been designed to be easy to remove, so filming of an historic drama is possible.
- It was used in The End Of The Affair to portray a Central London station.
- As the escalators have the same bronze fittings as Moscow, they could be used in a story set in Russia.
As the Piccadilly Line doesn’t go anywhere near my house, to get to Southgate, I take a 141 bus to and from a convenient Piccadilly Line station.
- Going North, I changed at Manor House station.
- Coming South, I changed at Turnpike Lane station.
- I could have also have changed at Wood Green station.
The journey home had four major problems.
- The bus stop at Turnpike Lane station, is a few hundred yards from the station.
- I waited fifteen minutes for a 141 bus.
- When it did arrive, it was so packed, it didn’t have space for a miniature dachshund to squeeze in between the feet of the standing passengers.
- The traffic was very heavy, so the journey was slow.
How can this bus route cope in the Peak, if it can’t cope on a Sunday morning?
Various issues and actions and will make these capacity issues worse.
The Victoria Line Has No Direct Connection With The Elizabeth Line
In my view, this was a mistake, although not that serious, as the young or energetic can probably walk between Oxford Circus and the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line.
Will this connection develop with coffee and snack shops to ease passenger interchanges?
When and if Oxford Circus station is ever made step-free, I can imagine a tunnel, perhaps with a moving walkway being built between Oxford Circus station and he Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station.
There is also the cross-platform interchange at Highbury & Islington station with the Northern City Line that links with Moorgate and the City of London.
The Piccadilly Line Has No Direct Connection With The Elizabeth Line
To get between the Northern stations on the Piccadilly Line and the Elizabeth Line is either a double-change at Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington stations or a ride on the 141 bus.
I wrote about these issues in Extending The Elizabeth Line – Improving The Northern City Line.
The Elizabeth Line Will Attract Travellers To Moorgate
I notice that my own travelling patterns have changed from using the Central, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines to using the Elizabeth Line since it opened and I suspect, when the Elizabeth Line is fully joined up, that more passengers will travel to Moorgate to access the Elizabeth Line.
Transport for London and the Mayor Are Rerouting The 21 Bus
The 21 bus duplicates the 141 bus between Newington Green and Moorgate station.
But it is being rerouted next year, which will increase the loading on the 141 bus.
The 141 Bus Used To Be The 641 Trolleybus
When I was a child, London’s trolleybus network was extensive and to get between Wood Green and Moorgate, you would have used the 641 trolleybus.
Trolleybus Ascending Jolly Butchers Hill in Wood Green
Many like me, look back on trolleybuses with affection.
Does this historical connection encourage passengers to use the 141 bus, which is the 641 trolleybus’s successor on the route?
My parents certainly had lots of trolleybus stories.
So What Could Be Done?
There are a variety of actions that could be taken to strengthen public transport between Moorgate and Wood Green stations.
Improve The 141 Bus Route
In Does London Need High Capacity Bus Routes To Extend Crossrail?, I put forward ideas for using buses to link to the Elizabeth Line.
This was my suggestion.
I suspect any route seen as an extension of Crossrail needs to have the following characteristics.
- High frequency of perhaps a bus every ten minutes.
- Interior finish on a par with the Class 345 trains.
- Wi-fi and phone charging.
I would also hope the buses were carbon-free. Given that some of these routes could be quite long, I would suspect hydrogen with its longer range could be better.
I feel that a high-quality 141 bus running every ten minutes between London Bridge station and Palmers Green, would be just what the passengers would order.
- Palmers Green bus garage is at the Northern end of the route, so could be used for refuelling or recharging.
- London Bridge station is at the Southern end of the route and was designed with an efficient bus station.
- The 141 route connects London Bridge, Bank, Moorgate and Old Street stations in the City of London.
With the right buses, this could be a route with real quality and usefulness.
Increase The Frequency On The Northern City Line
The Northern City Line may have new Class 717 trains, but it still has a pathetic frequency of eight trains per hour (tph)
- I am sure it could be increased to at least 12 tph between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace stations.
- Something like six tph would go to Welwyn Garden City, four tph to Hertford East station and two to Stevenage.
- Large areas of the Northern suburbs would get a much better connection to the Elizabeth Line.
Once the digital signalling is installed and commissioned, no new infrastructure will be needed.
I am sure, that this would be the easiest way to improve public transport in North London.
Add Step-Free Access To As Many Stations As Possible
Moorgate, Finsbury Park, Oakwood and Cockfosters are step-free with lifts.
As many stations as budgetary constraints allow, should be made step-free.
Testing Of Digital Signalling To Close Northern City Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This first paragraph indicates what’s happening.
Any passengers travelling on the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate on Sunday 9th October are being asked to check before they travel due to testing.
I hope that when they’ve finished the testing, they will increase the number of trains on this important route.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Improving The Northern City Line
Some parts of North and North-East London, have less-than-good connections with the Elizabeth Line.
- The Piccadilly Line has no direct connection with the Elizabeth Line.
- The Victoria Line has no direct connection with the Elizabeth Line.
- The Bank branch of the Northern Line has only a poor connection with the Elizabeth Line at Moorgate station.
- The Northern City Line has only a poor connection with the Elizabeth Line at Moorgate station.
- The Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line has a good connection with the Elizabeth Line at Tottenham Court Road station.
- The Lea Valley Lines of the London Overground have good connections with the Elizabeth Line at Liverpool Street station.
- Thameslink has a good connection with the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon station.
It would appear that if you live near one of the Lea Valley Lines or Thameslink stations, you can access the Elizabeth Line fairly easily at Liverpool Street or Farringdon stations, but if you rely on a Northern, Northern City, Piccadilly or Victoria Line local station, you are not so lucky!
Could The Northern City Line Be Improved To Give Better Connections Between North London And The Elizabeth Line?
This map from cartometro.com shows the lines between Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington stations.
Note.
- The dark blue tracks are the Piccadilly Line, which calls at M (Manor House), Finsbury Park, Arsenal, Holloway Road and Caledonian Road, before going South-West to King’s Cross St. Pancras.
- The lighter blue tracks are the Victoria Line, which calls at Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington, before going South-West to King’s Cross St. Pancras.
- The black tracks on the Western side of the map are those of the East Coast Main Line into King’s Cross.
- The black tracks going South-East from Finsbury Park are the Northern City Line, which calls at Finsbury Park, Drayton Park, Highbury & Islington, E (Essex Road) and Old Street before terminating at Moorgate.
This second map shows the lines through Finsbury Park station.
Note.
- The dark blue tracks are the Piccadilly Line.
- The lighter blue tracks are the Victoria Line.
- The black tracks going through Drayton Park station are the Northern City Line.
- The platforms of the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines are paired at Finsbury Park station, so that passengers can change lines with a simple walk-across.
This third map shows the lines through Highbury & Islington station.
Note.
- The dark blue tracks are the Piccadilly Line.
- The lighter blue tracks are the Victoria Line.
- The orange tracks are the London Overground.
- The black tracks going through Drayton Park and Highbury & Islington stations are the Northern City Line, which terminates at Moorgate station.
- The platforms of the Northern City and Victoria Lines are paired at Highbury & Islington station, so that passengers can change lines with a simple walk-across.
The big problem with Highbury & Islington station is that is not step-free.
A Step-Free Route Between Wood Green And Moorgate Stations
Currently, it is possible to go between Wood Green and Moorgate stations by using three trains.
- Piccadilly Line – Wood Green to Finsbury Park – 6 mins
- Victoria Line – Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington – 6 mins
- Northern City Line – Highbury & Islington to Moorgate – 10 mins
Note.
- These are actual times measured on my phone.
- The total time is twenty-two minutes.
- I had to wait a couple of minutes at both changes.
- Both changes are walk-across.
- The changes are not as perfect as they could be, although they would be easily managed with a buggy or a heavy case.
These pictures show the change at Highbury & Islington station.
These pictures show the change at Finsbury Park station.
This route works for all stations Between Manor House and Cockfosters.
- Cockfosters – Add 15 minutes
- Oakwood – Add 12 minutes
- Southgate – Add 9 minutes
- Arnos Grove – Add 6 minutes
- Bounds Green – Add 3 minutes
- Turnpike Lane – Subtract 2 minutes
- Manor House – Subtract 5 minutes
But look at the frequencies of the three sections in trains per hour (tph)
- Piccadilly Line – 21 tph
- Victoria Line – 33 tph
- Northern City Line – 4 tph
The Northern City Line frequency is not high enough, as you could have a fifteen minute wait for a train.
Improvements Needed To The Northern City Line
The Northern City Line now has new Class 717 trains, a terminal platform at Stevenage and full digital signalling is being installed.
- The major improvement needed would be to improve frequency to at least 12 tph.
- Six tph on both branches should be possible.
I would also install step-free access at more stations.
Moorgate Station’s Northern City Line Platforms
These pictures show the platforms of the Northern City Line at Moorgate station.
Note.
Improved Connections At Moorgate Station
I talked about the connections between the Northern and Elizabeth Lines at Moorgate station in Elizabeth Line To Northern Line At Moorgate Station.
This was my conclusion.
Routes between the Northern and Elizabeth Lines at Moorgate need to be improved.
I feel that some of the improvements could be fairly minor, but adding step-free access to the Northern City Line could be more difficult.
An Improved Connection Between Bank And Moorgate Stations
Currently, there are three ways between Bank and Moorgate stations.
- Use the Northern Line
- Use a 21, 43 or 141 bus routes
- Walk
I believe that it would also be possible to dig a pedestrian tunnel between the two stations and fit it out with a moving walkway.
This visualisation shows the updated Bank station.
Note.
- Moorgate station is to the left.
- The only more-or-less completed bits are the two Northern Line tunnels and platforms and parallel pedestrian tunnel.
- The four cross tunnels can be picked out towards the far end of the station.
- Three of the cross tunnels can now be used by passengers.
- The moving walkway can be accessed from the two cross tunnels nearest to the Central Line.
- The escalators from the yet-to-open Cannon Street entrance appear to lead directly into a cross tunnel and a parallel tunnel to the moving walkway.
I believe that the moving walkway to Moorgate station could connect with the Bank station complex, at the Moorgate end of the new moving walkway in Bank station.
Digital Signalling Work Outlined By Network Rail For Northern City Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Business Daily.
This is the first paragraph.
Network Rail has detailed work due to be delivered on the Northern City Line to Moorgate.
I use this line regularly and I believe that with digital signalling the Northern City Line could see a large increase in frequency.
Currently, the service from Moorgate is as follows.
- 4 tph to Welwyn Garden City via Potters Bar
- 4 tph to Hertford North of which 2 tph extending to Watton-at-Stone and 1tph of those continuing to Stevenage.
Note.
- tph is trains per hour.
- Although the service is reduced from that shown, because of the pandemic and lower passenger demand.
But eight tph means a train every seven minutes and thirty seconds.
If you look at London’s high frequency lines, they have or will have passenger frequencies as follows.
- Crossrail – 24 tph on dedicated tracks with digital signalling.
- East London Line – 16 tph on dedicated tracks.
- North London Line – 8 tph on tracks shared with freight trains.
- Thameslink – 24 tph on dedicated tracks with digital signalling.
Note.
- The East London Line is planned to go to 20 tph with two extra tph to Clapham Junction and Crystal Palace.
- 20 tph means a headway between trains of three minutes.
- 24 tph means a headway between trains of two minutes and thirty seconds.
It should also be noted that the Victoria Line runs upwards of thirty tph on a fully digitally-signalled line.
What Level Of Service Would Be Possible?
These are my thoughts on various aspects of the Northern City Line.
How Many Trains Could Be Handled Between Finsbury Park And Moorgate?
This section of track is a simple double-track with a diamond crossing to the North of the two platforms at Moorgate, so that trains can use either platform.
This layout is used at Brixton and Walthamstow Central on the Victoria Line and Battersea Power Station on the Northern Line to name just three of many.
So I suspect that the track layout at the terminus at Moorgate can handle well-upwards of twenty tph.
The new Class 717 trains that run into Moorgate have an operating speed of 85 mph, which is faster than the previous Class 313 trains, which appear to have run at 30 mph South of Drayton Park.
I suspect that eventually twenty or even twenty-four tph will be possible on a digitally-signalled route between Finsbury Park and Moorgate.
But in the interim, sixteen tph would be a good compromise.
How Many Trains Could Be Handled On The Current Routes?
Currently, four tph use the both the Welwyn Garden City and the Hertford East/Stevenage routes.
I am fairly sure that both routes could handle eight tph, with the only proviso, that there is enough terminal capacity to turn the trains.
Looking at the layout of Welwyn Garden City station, I am certain that it could be modified to be able to handle eight tph.
I would hope that the new platform at Stevenage station, built to handle trains to and from Moorgate, can cater for four tph. As there are turnback platforms at Gordon Hill and Hertford North stations, I’m sure the other four tph could be handled.
The Piccadilly Line And The City of London
It has always been difficult to get between the Northern section of the Piccadilly Line and the City of London.
In the 1960s, I used to use my bicycle. By public transport, you generally had to use the bus or the 641 trolley bus to Moorgate.
With the improvement of the Northern City Line and Finsbury Park station, the fastest route to Moorgate is probably to change between the Piccadilly and Northern City Lines at Finsbury Park station.
Increasing the frequency of Northern City Line services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate would create a high-capacity route to the City for those commuting from the Northern section of the Piccadilly Line.
The Piccadilly Line And Crossrail
There is no connection between the Piccadilly Line and Crossrail.
A trip between Oakwood and Canary Wharf would be difficult.
As with getting to the City of London, the improvement of the Northern City Line and Finsbury Park station offers a route to Crossrail.
Oakwood and Canary Wharf would probably be done with changes at Finsbury Park and Moorgate.
The Victoria Line And The City of London
There is a cross-platform interchange at Highbury & Islington station between the Victoria and Northern City Lines.
With an increased frequency of Northern City Line services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, I would expect that more people would use this route.
The Victoria Line And Crossrail
There is no connection between the Victoria Line and Crossrail.
The easiest route will be to take the route in the previous section and join Crossrail at Moorgate.
Conclusion
It does look that with the current routes sixteen tph to and from Moorgate could be a practical limit.
But that would still be a train every three minutes and forty-five seconds between Finsbury Park and Moorgate.
This increased frequency could be needed to create a high capacity link between the Northern sections of the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines and the City of London and Crossrail.
Parallel Trains At Finsbury Park
I was travelling from Finsbury Park to Kings Cross, so I got on a Grand Northern service.
Like I’ve seen several times, there was a good cross-platform connection, between services going to Kings Cross and Moorgate, which leave from opposite sides of the same platform.
Note.
- The wide platform at Finsbury Park station between the two services.
- At the current time, the Kings Cross trains are every thirty minutes and the Moorgate trains every five minutes.
- Going say from Stevenage to the City would mean a wait of no more than five minutes.
- But going North, you might wait at Finsbury Park for up to half-an-hour.
Finsbury Park could be a very handy interchange as it has Thameslink, Victoria and Piccadilly Line services, in addition to the Kings Cross and Cambridge and Moorgate services.
Finsbury Park Station – 6th January 2020
Finsbury Park station now has a new entrance on the other side of the tracks.
London’s duck of a station is being turned into a swan.
- At least one new platform has been added.
- Buildings and passenger tunnels have been spruced up.
- Several lifts have been added to the maze of tunnels.
- Thameslink now runs four trains per hour (tph) through the station.
- Moorgate services are now eight tph and there is also a weekend service.
- Nearly all services stopping at the station are run by trains delivered in the last three years.
The new flats will be alongside a comprehensive station.
New Lifts At Finsbury Park Station
As I passed through Finsbury Park station, I took these pictures of the new lifts to the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines.
These lifts are particularly needed as there are no escalators between the Underground and the surface and you have to use spiral staircases.
This access is probably one of the worst design crimes on the Victoria Line, which was built on the cheap in the 1960s.
Notice that some of the signage is not complete and finding the lifts isn’t as easy, as it should be.
But then the installation is not fully finished.
London Has A New Underground Line
On Friday, I went between Brighton and Cambridge stations on one of the first Thameslink services on the route.
I wrote about it in Observations On Thameslink Between Brighton And Cambridge.
That journey took me on London’s new Underground Line between London Bridge and Finsbury Park stations.
The following trains are going North from London Bridge to Finsbury Park.
- 11:29 – Horsham to Peterborough – Arrives at Finsbury Park at 11:52
- 12:49 – Brighton to Cambridge – Arrives at Finsbury Park at 13:13
- 15:04 – Horsham to Peterborough – Arrives at Finsbury Park at 15:27
- 15:34 – Brighton to Cambridge – Arrives at Finsbury Park at 15:57
And the following trains are going South from Finsbury Park to London Bridge.
- 10:59 – Peterborough to Horsham – Arrives at London Bridge at 11:24
- 12:09 -Cambridge to Brighton – Arrives at London Bridge at 12:37
- 14:29 – Peterborough to Horsham – Arrives at London Bridge at 14:55
- 15:11 – Cambridge to Brighton – Arrives at London Bridge at 15:37
All journeys take around 23-25 minutes, with stops at Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras International stations.
It may officially be part of Thameslink, but it will function like a convewntional Underground Line, but with bigger trains.
The Underground Alternative
If you look at Transport for London’s Journey Planner, this give a time of twenty minutes for a journey between London Bridge and Finsbury Park, using the Northern and Victoria lines with a change at Euston.
That is also not a step-free or wheel-chair friendly route.
Obviously, at the moment, most passengers have no choice, as there is only four trains per day in each direction on the new Thameslink route.
But when a Full Service is running, with a train every ten minutes, things will be very different.
My Access To Thameslink
Timings to Thameslink stations from my house are as follows.
- Finsbury Park – 15 mins by 141 Bus and Piccadilly Line
- London Bridge – 25 mins by 21 or 141 Bus
- London Bridge – 31 mins using Transport for London’s Journey Planner’s recommended route via Dalston Junction and Canada Water.
The latter probably explains why Londoners are generally Grade 1 Duckers-And-Divers!
I suspect, when I go to Gatwick Airport, I’ll go via Finsbury Park, using the mini-cab from around the corner or a black cab, as both will be quicker.
I suspected right. Returning from Finsbury Park station to home this evening, took ten minutes and cost a tenner.
A Preview Service
Thameslink are only running a preview service between London Bridge and Finsbury Park at the current time.
On my Friday trip, it was particularly noticeable, that passengers were thin on the ground between the two stations.
- But then passengers probably didn’t know about the service and may have been confused seeing a train going to Cambridge.
- It’s also not shown on the Tube Map.
- I didn’t notice any advertising for the new route.
So how do you use something that you don’t know about?
The Full Service
This route will have the following characteristics, when Thameslink open it fully.
The Route Will Serve The City of London Well
These factors will help this section of Thameslink serve the City of London.
- Step-free stations at Farringdon, City Thameslink and London Bridge ring the South and West of the City of London.
- Crossrail with an interchange with Thameslink at Farringdon also gives a quick route to the East of the City of London and Canary Wharf.
- The City of London is also planning a lot of pedestrianisation.
Other developments like Crossrail and the expansion of Bank station and the Docklands Light Railway, will make London’s financial district, one of the best connected by public transport in the World.
The Route Will Have Tourist Attractions
The route could have been designed for tourists.
- London Bridge station has London and Tower Bridges, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, HMS Belfast and the Shard.
- But the most spectacular modern architecture at London Bridge, is the station itself, with its lifts, escalators, fifteen platforms and a shopping centre.
- Blackfriars is a unique station, as it spans the Thames with entrances on both banks, and it is the world’s largest solar-powered bridge.
- Blackfriars station is a short walk along the river from the Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge.
- Many good walks along the river start from Blackfriars.
- City Thameslink station dates from 1990 and it shows, but it is close to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Old Bailey, so it attracts visitors at both ends of the moral spectrum.
- Farringdon station will be a major interchange, where Crossrail and Thameslink connect, so don’t let unsuitable organisations build all the hotels this area will attract.
- Farringdon is close to two of London’s iconic markets; Smithfield meat market and the attached wife market.
- Saint Pancras International station is a fur coat and no knickers station, as although it looks good, it’s practicality is suspect.
- If they’d given the job to the architect, who updated Kings Cross station next door, they would have got a a more practical station.
- Finsbury Park station is a place, where you go and explore the local area, which is vibrant and full of history.
- You may even get as far as Alexandra Palace or Manor House, where I saw John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with a very drunk Eric Clapton in the 1960s.
It is a line to explore London.
Six Trains Per Hour
There will be six trains per hour (tph), which will run All Day.
- Two tph – Peterborough to Horsham – twelve-car
- Two tph – Cambridge to Brighton – twelve-car
- Two tph – Cambridge to Maidstone East – eight-car
This gives a six tph service between Finsbury Park and London Bridge and also a four tph service to East Croydon and Gatwick Airport.
Two Additional Trains Per Hour In The Peak
In the Peak, there will be two tph, that run from Welwyn Garden City to Sevenoaks.
But they will go via Elephant and Castle rather than London Bridge.
Thameslink must have their reasoning behind this service, but I have some questions.
- Would commuters in the Peak prefer to go to London Bridge?
- Would passengers from Sevenoaks and Welwyn Garden City like an All Day service?
These questions and others will be answered in the next few years, as hameslink develops.
Full Step-Free Access At London Bridge Station
London Bridge station has full step-free access for all the following services.
- Thameslink
- Services to and from Cannon Street station
- Services to and from Waterloo East and Charing Cross stations.
- Jubilee and Northern Lines of the Underground
- Terminating services at London Bridge
- Several bus routes, including my bus home!
Note.
- Passengers will use the escalators to get to the right destination.
- Thameslink passengers will use the island platform to reverse direction.
- It took me just two minutes to change from Platforms 2/3 to Platforms 8/9.
- Going from Platform 6/7 to the bus station was under three minutes and a 141 Bus was just getting ready to leave.
- Passengers can walk across London Bridge to the City of London.
There are few stations better than London Bridge anywhere in the world!
Full Step-Free Access at Finsbury Park Station
Finsbury Park station is being updated to have full step-free access for the following services.
- Thameslink
- Great Northern Services to Cambridge, Kings Lynn and Peterborough
- Northern City Line services to and from Moorgate station
- Piccadilly and Victoria Lines. of the Underground.
There will also be same-platform interchange between Thameslink and Northern City Line services.
The Improved Northern City Line At Finsbury Park Station
The Northern City Line will be substantially improved.
- New Class 717 trains have been ordered.
- This could mean an increased All Day service of perhaps 10-12 tph.
- Moorgate station will be on Crossrail.
- There will be a same-platform interchange with Thameslink at Finsbury Park station.
- Hopefully, the terrible stations on the route will be improved.
This line will change from being a crowded, outdated backwater of the UK rail system to an important modern link to the City of London and Crossrail from large parts of North and North-East London.
The Link To Crossrail
The link between Thameslink and Crossrail at Farringdon station will probably be heavily used, if it is well-designed and fully-step free. Which I suspect it will be, until proven otherwise!
Don’t forget too, the link to the Metropolitan and Circle Lines at this key station, which is much better than the link at St. Pancras
Step-Free Access At All The Intermediate Stations Between London Bridge and Finsbury Park
Access at Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras stations are all fully step-free.
The Fastest Way To Gatwick Airport And Brighton From North London
My friend lives in Walthamstow and always goes to Gatwick Airport by using the Victoria Line and Gatwick Express.
- This takes twenty-three minutes for the Victoria Line and thirty minutes for the train.
- The Thameslink route via Finsbury Park, takes nine minutes for the Victoria Line and an hour for the train.
Note.
- Both trains will run every fifteen minutes, when the full Thameslink service is running.
- The Thameslink timing is only the time of the Preview Service. Will the Full Service be faster?
- Finsbury Park and Victoria will both be fully step-free within a year or so.
- The trains on Gatwick Express will be more comfortable.
- The walk at Finsbury Park is shorter than at Victoria.
- The Thameslink route will be more affordable.
Everybody will have their own preference.
The biggest winners will be.
- Those living on the Northern reaches of the Piccadilly Line, who will have a full step-free interchange to Thameslink at Finsbury Park
- Those living on the Northern City Line, who will have a same-platform interchange to Thameslink at Finsbury Park.
- Those who walk, cycle or take a bus or cab to Finsbury Park.
Gatwick Airport could be a big winner, as a whole area of North London and Hertfordshire now has a new excellent direct connection to the Airport.
What Still Needs To Be Done?
It is a well-thought out route, but some things still need to be done.
Is Six Tph Enough Trains Between London Bridge And Finsbury Park?
I ask this question, with my scheduling hat on!
At the moment of the 24 tph through the Snow Hill Tunnel, two-thirds of the trains go up the Midland Main Line, with just a third on the East Coast Main Line.
I think that, when Thameslink increase the frequency through the central core, that they will increase the frequency through Finsbury Park.
Could Two Tph From The Sutton Loop Go To Welwyn Garden City?
Curremtly, four tph start at St. Albans City station, go through London, then round the Sutton Loop, before returning to St. Albans City.
Would it be desirable to start two of these services from Welwyn Garden City station?
It will all depend on operational issues and the routes passengers take.
City Thameslink And St. Paul’s Stations Need A Connection
I believe this is possible and I wrote about it in A Pedestrian Connection Between City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s Tube Station.
Should The Docklands Light Railway Be Extended To City Thameslink, Euston And St. Pancras?
I wrote about this extension in detail in A Connection Between City Thameslink Station And The Docklands Light Railway.
Could Thameslink Connect To The Waterloo And City Line?
I wrote about this connection in Could The Waterloo And City Line Have An Intermediate Station At Blackfriars?
Development of new trains for the Underground, will make this link possible.
Should Thameslink Be On The Tube Map
I wrote about this in Thameslink Should Be On The Tube Map.
All Of Thameslink Should Be In The Oystercard Area
Gatwick Airport is already in the Oystercard area, but it is silly that Oyster cards and contsctless cards can’t be used on all Thameslink services.
Conclusion
The possibilities for Thameslink and the effects it will have will be enormous.
The Anonymous Widower 