Missing Links on the Overground
Late this year, the extension of the East London line of the London Overground to Clapham Junction station will be opened. I say “will be opened” as given Transport for London‘s record, they usually hit their own targets.
You will then be able to do all sort of circular journeys around London, but there will still be a couple of missing links in the complete circle or if you include Stratford, the circle and stub. But it’s never been intended that you get on one train and go all the way round.
Here are the missing links.
Passing through Clapham Junction from east to north
Passing through Clapham Junction from north to east
These two have been solved by an elegant solution, where the northbound trains use one end of the platform and the eastbound the other. So passengers just walk a few metres to their next train or where it is expected.
East London line stations to Stratford
The standard way is to change from the East London line to the North London line at Canonbury or Highbury and Islington, which involves a lift-assisted bridge crossing. But you can always go to Canada Water and then take the Jubilee line to Stratford. They might rebuild the Eastern Curve at Dalston, but I think that will only happen, if they need to send significant traffic from Stratford to South London.
Stratford to East London line stations
The standard way is to change from the North London line to the Line London line at Canonbury or Highbury and Islington, which involves just a walk across the platform.
East London line stations to Richmond
Richmond to East London line stations
These two will again need a lift assisted walk over the tracks at Canonbury or Highbury and Islington. I’d take the second as you have a bigger choice of direct stations without changing when travelling from Richmond.
To show how I use it, I’ll give a simple example. Say, I’ve been to the Eastfield John Lewis at Stratford and I’m bringing home a heavy parcel, I’ll get off at Canonbury and take the first train to Dalston Junction, where I’ll often take the first bus home, to avoid carrying the parcel. It’s also step-free all the way.
The reinstatement of the Dalston Eastern Curve would save a few minutes, but then you’d probably have to wait a couple for a suitable train at Stratford. So from a passenger point of view, it’s probably not worth building, especially, as you can use the Jubilee line as a by-pass to South London. In fact the Jubilee is very much circular tube through South London.
Why Is The Jubilee Line Always Delayed?
Or it seems to be when I go near it!
This morning I went to Elephant and Castle and passing through Monument, an announcement said that all lines on the Underground were running well except for the Jubilee.
It always seems to be like that. Could it be, that as it was built to be finished by the Millennium for the do of the great-and-good at the Doom, that it wasn’t done properly? Or was it NuLabor couldn’t afford the bribe to keep the workers on the job, so they left out a few important wires?
As it was, today it didn’t matter, as I took the Bakerloo from Embankment. But it was still suffering delays, when I came back!
Going Off The Jubilee Line
Today it is reported that the Jubilee line is wasting electricity.
They may be, but that doesn’t explain, why I’m beginning to go off London’s newest deep tube.
Every time I seem to use it, there would appear to some delay. And when it is working well, the gaps between trains seem to be longer and vety much more crowded.
The Anonymous Widower 