What Is Happening At Platform 9 At London Bridge Station?
I regularly come home from Waterloo station, by walking to Waterloo East station and then getting a Southeastern train to London Bridge station, from where, I get a 141 bus to a zebra crossing on the corner opposite my house.
Location is important, when buying a house!
You might ask, why I don’t use the Jubilee Line between Waterloo and London Bridge. I prefer not to be in a dark tunnel in an small-diameter Underground train, when there is a full-size alternative on the surface.
When the new Southeastern Franchise is awarded, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a succession of large-windowed trains, like Aventras, replacing the over twenty-years-old Class 466 trains. They could become a tourist attraction linking Greenwich and Westminster via The Shard, that would be so much more interesting than the Jubilee Line.
This diagram from Wikipedia shows the proposed platform layout for London Bridge station from 2018.
Note.
- The island Platform 6 and 7 is flanked by two lines coming from Charing Cross station.
- The island Platform 8 and 9 is flanked by two lines going io Charing Cross station.
- The tracks through Platforms 6 and 9 appear to be on loops from the track going through the other paired platform.
I assume the layout is to get sufficient platform capacity for the ten-car trains going through the station.
Look at this Google Map of the station.
The Platforms are numbered from top-right to bottom-left.
- Platform 1 doesn’t appear to be complete and will be a bi-directional platform into Cannon Street station.
- Platforms 2 and 3 are the first through island platform and serve Cannon Street.
- Platforms 4 and 5 are the second through island platform are are for Thameslink.
- Platforms 6 and 7 are for trains coming from Charing Cross.
- Platforms 8 and 9 are for trains going to Charing Cross.
- Platform 10 upwards are bay platforms for terminating services.
Note.
- The generous width of the through island platforms.
- Ot appears it might be possible to put a second platform on the other side of the track through Platform 9. Let’s call it Platform 9a
- This extra Platform 9a and the bay Platform 10 could be easily connected, with a walk-through.
These pictures were taken from outside the station and show the area to the West of Platform 9.
Some substantial construction work is going on.
These pictures were taken inside the station.
I wonder what the final outcome will be!
In The Brick Caverns Under London
I took these pictures as I walked through London Bridge station to the Underground.
I do like well-executed brickwork! I hope they don’t cover it with plaster or concrete.
I certainly don’t think they’re finished yet! The lights are for light rather than to a design that fits.
This set of brick arches will form a level passageway between the inner concourse of the station and the exits towards the City and the Underground.
London Bridge looks like it could take the mantle of London’s best railway station from Kings Cross.
Crawling Home From Gatwick
Getting home from Gatwick for me, should be an easy process.
- Touch in with my American Express card at Gatwick Airport station.
- Train to East Croydon station.
- Touch out to close the transaction.
- Train to London Bridge.
- 141 bus to home.
But there was trouble in this simple plan.
- Thameslink services appeared to have problems.
- The tragic Croydon tram accident.
- There appeared to be a shortage pf trains to East Croydon.
- Staff weren’t very numerous.
- The closure of ower Bridge.
I eventually got to East Croydon and touched out without going through the barrier, so I was now in Freedom Pass territory. The train from Gatwick was a Class 377 train, which although brilliant for commuters, is not designed for anybody with a suitcase.
There needs to be a reader on the platform at East Croydon, so that passengers with Freedom Passes can touch in and out, without going to the barrier. But sorting this minor irritation, is probably the least of Southern’s worries.
After a wait of about thirty minutes, I got on a trainto London Bridge and although, I’d intended to get the Overground from Brockley, I missed the stop as in the dark, I missed the stop, so I went to London Bridge, which should be quicker anyway.
But it wasn’t, as on arrival at the station, there were no buses and only a couple of taxis.
I took the taxi and the amiable driver immediately turned off the meter.
It was all due to the total gridlock created by works on both Tower and London bridges.
After crossing the river, it was more or less plain sailing.
It could be argued that my journey would have been easier, if I hadn’t wanted to go via East Croydon, so that I could save a few pounds.
I don’t need the money but other travellers do! The system certainly doesn’t cope well with those, who want to change from using their Freedom Pass to a ticket at East Croydon station.
If I’m going out and back through Gatwick, the problem can also be solved by buying a return ticket from East Croydon to Gatwick Airport from a ticket machine from certain companies like the Overground and Thameslink.
I
Using Southern Crossrail Lite
On my trip to Shepperton today, I went from and to Waterloo station for the Shepperton Branch Line.
For both journeys, I used the route between London Bridge and Waterloo East stations, that some want to use as part of Southern Crossrail.
Going to Waterloo, I started at Farringdon, and this waan’t a good place to start, as I didn’t have a clue to the best way and neither did the London Underground staff.
So I took the Metropolitan to Moorgate and hopped South on the Northern Line to London Bridge, from where I had three routes.
- Jubilee Line
- Train from London to Waterloo East.
- Bus
At a pinch, I could walk along the Embankment
I suspect that when Crossrail and Thameslink are fully open, there will be a better route, between Farringdon and Waterloo.
- Crossrail to Paddington, then Bakerloo Line to Waterloo.
- Crossrail to Tottenham Court Road, then Northern Line to Waterloo.
- Thameslink to London Bridge, then train to Waterloo East.
As a special Crossrail-Bakerloo pedestrian tunnel is being built at Paddington, that may be the best way. I wrote about this in Paddington Is Operational Again.
My route to Waterloo worked today, as did the route home after a raid on the excellent Marks and Spencer at Waterloo. The only problem was that a 141 bus to my house, had broken down and I had to wait at London Bridge.
I tend to use a 141 bus to and fropm London Bridge, as one stop is in the forecourt of the station and the other is less than a hundred metres from my house.
So how could this abbreviated Southern Crossrail Lite route be improved?
- The London Bridge end works well, as generally all trains for Waterloo East station turn up on Platforms 8 or 9, which are the two sides of the same island.
- Only one up escalator at London Bridge was available and I have a feeling, there could be a bit of a reliability issue.
- I used a lift to go down coming back, to avoid walking to the escalator, and the lift was the sort of size the Victorians used because escalators weren’t in common use until later.
- The lift was certainly big enough for a cricket team and all their kit.
- There needs to be better connection between main line and Underground at London Bridge. I suspect this will get better, as more of the station opens.
- For this route four trains per hour, as you get on a Sunday, aren’t enough.
- At Waterloo East, the walking route could be improved.
- Waterloo East needs a Next Train To London Bridge Indicator.
- Waterloo has twin up and down escalators between the main concourse and the walking route, which is more than enough. Especially, as they were all working!
But I did notice several passengers used the route from London Bridge to Waterloo East stations, including at least two couples with children in pushchairs.
This new Southern Crossrail Lite is going to prove an invaluable alternative to the Jubilee Line.
Around Waterloo East Station
In Southern Crossrail, Idiscussed the possibility of creating a direct link from Waterloo across London to London Bridge. The proponents of Southern Crossrail also take about rebuilding Waterloo East station.
So I went to look at the station and took these pictures.
Note.
- The complex arrangement of high bridges.
- The highest white bridge is the pedestriain link between the two stations.
- The red bridge is what remains of the former rail link.
- It’s about a hundred metres between the two stations, with a slope down to the platforms at Waterloo East station.
This Google Map gives a view from above.
The Link Between Waterloo And Waterloo East Stations
The link is the white-coloured link that goes between the two stations. Don’t confuse it with the two trains in the map.
In the previous post, I said that rebuilding this station could be a project that a quality developer would relish.
But I do think that Southern Crossrail’s dream of connecting Waterloo East and Waterloo stations with a rail link is an impossible dream.
- There is now a retail balcony at Waterloo station, which was built in 2012 at a cost of £25million. It would need to be demolished.
- The lift and a couple of escalators to Waterloo East station are in the middle of where the new track would go at Waterloo station.
- The residents of the area probably wouldn’t like to have trains trundling through at height.
In the previous post, I said that rebuilding this station could be a project that a quality developer would relish.
Consider.
- Waterloo East station could be replaced with a better station.
- There is probably space around and above the station to add some sympathetic development.
- Escalator and lift connections could link Waterloo East station to the Northern, Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines.
- A full step-free connection could be built between the two Waterloo stations.
- The current connection to the Jubilee Line at Southwark is poor.
- The Waterloo and City Line will soon be getting a very good connection at Bank, so why not build a good one one to both Waterloo and Waterloo East.
This is one of those pedestrian links, that can benefit the around seven million or so passengers, who go through Waterloo East station every year.
Given the right financial figures, I think that there could be a developer, who would create the sort of development that residents, passengers and visitors to the area would like.
My ideal station would have the following.
- Four platforms to match the four platforms 6-9 at London Bridge station.
- Sympathetic over-site and surrounding development, preferably with affordable housing.
- Escalator and lift connections to the Underground and Waterloo and City Line.
- Full step-free access to Waterloo station, which would probably use the current entrance on the balcony.
- Better passenger facilities at Waterloo East station.
- A proper passenger entrance on Waterloo Road for Waterloo East station.
- The ability to handle an increased number of trains from the current fourteen trains per hour between London Bridge and Charing Cross stations.
All of this would probably be more affordable, than rebuilding Waterloo station.
London Bridge Station Will Be A Game-Changer For Many Passengers
After my first glimpse of the new London Bridge station, which I posted in London Bridge Station Wakes Up, I have a feeling that the station could be a gam-changer for many passengers.
These are a few of the ways the new station will help. Some are very specific for me, as I live in Dalston, without direct access to the Underground.
London Bridge Station Is Bus-Friendly
Ever since the new bus station at London Bridge has opened, it has been easier for those like me in Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets to get to the station, as there are several buses between our area and London Bridge.
But now the top entrance under the Shard is now complete, you can take one escalator to the concourse under all the tracks.
You can also still walk through direct to platforms 10-15, which I often do, as these platforms are the terminals for trains to and from Freedom Pass territory. There’s also a convenient M&S Simply Food, which I regularly use.
I also think that, as the concourse,has better access to and from Tooley Street, this will help those wanted to use buses on Tooley Street.
This visualisation from this page on the Thameslink Programme shows what Tooley Street will look like.
London Bridge Ststion And Tooley Street
There seems to be a wide pavement between the traffic and the station.
London Bridge Station Is Reasonably Tube-Friendly
The main London termini serving the South, are not as far as I’m concerned the easiest to get to by Underground, especially from East London.
Victoria and Waterloo are a long way to the West and Cannon Street and Charing Cross are downright difficult to get to.
However, the Northern and Jubilee Lines probably make London Bridge, the easiest terminal for the South for many to use.
Will Thameslink Be Considered Part Of The Tube?
Since it opened in the 1980s, I’ve always considered that Thameslink should have been considered to be another Underground line.
Although, I really haven’t used Thameslink seriously, until I moved back to London in 2010.
I believe that the following things should be done to make Thameslink better for passengers and increase ridership on the line.
- Show all Thameslink routes and stations on the Tube map.
- Allow Oyster and contactless bank card ticketing at all Thameslink stations.
- Have the same Freedom Pass rules as Crossrail.
- Run Thameslink stations under TfL design, information and operational rules.
- Thameslink stations should be manned from first to last train.
- Disabled passengers should be able to just turn up and ask for assistance.
- Thameslink should be part of the Night Tube.
As I suspect that as these conditions will apply to Crossrail, surely both lines running under the same rules would be very passenger friendly.
I look forward to the day, when I touch in with my bank card at Finsbury Park and touch out at Cambridge or Brighton.
London Bridge Station Will Be An Easier Walk To The City
I’ve walked across London Bridge in late afternoon on a sunny day and the pedestrian traffic to London Bridge station from the City is large.
It would appear that all the work being done on the Tooley Street side of the station, will open up routes to the concourse under the tracks and create better walking routes to and from the City.
Unfortunately, it’s probably not possible to totally pedestrianise Tooley Street, as there is nowhere for the traffic to go.
London Bridge Station For Cannon Street And Charing Cross Avoidance
Before work on the station started, you could always avoid going to Cannon Street or Charing Cross stations to get a train, by catching it as it passed through London Bridge
But it wasn’t the easiest of connections.
Now though with the new platforms 8 and 9 open, you can see how Cannon Street and Charing Cross services will be handled at London Bridge station.
London Bridge Station And Thameslink
If I needed to use the old London Bridge station to access Thameslink services, it wasn’t the easiest.
But now that I can see how I will access the Thameslink platforms at London Bridge, I will probably use a 141 or 21 bus through the City.
I have a feeling that London Bridge will see a bigger increase in passenger use of the Thameslink platforms, when they reopen, as the interchange at London Bridge will be so much easier than say St. Pancras.
In fact, London Bridge station, just amplifies how bad the passenger-friendliness is at St. Pancras station.
Island Platforms And Thameslink
On Crossrail all Central London stations between Woolwich and Paddington, would appear to be island platforms or ones where you can walk across between the Eastbound and Westbound platforms without any steps.
If you look at some of the classic Underground stations, built over the last hundred years, like Angel, Bermondsey, Gants Hill, Pimlico, Regents Park and Southgate, then they are all built to this simple design.
- Escalators and/or lifts are probably easier to provide, as these can descend to the central space to serve both lines.
- A large circulation space can be built between the tracks.
- When staff are provided on the platforms, it probably means they can be more efficiently provided.
- Passengers can easily reverse direction, either deliberately or because they’ve got on a train going in the wrong direction.
- The layout might be better for health and safety reasons, if say power fails on one track and passengers need to be evacuated.
It is for these and other reasons, that I think island platforms, should be built wherever possible.
But on the central section of Thameslink, only London Bridge has an island platform.
To make matters worse the idiots, who designed St. Pancras Thameslink station, inexplicably chose to build it with two separate platforms.
Thus, they made say New Barnet to Luton Airport with heavy bags, much more difficult than it should be.
You actually wonder, if that journey will be more convenient, when London Bridge is fully connected to Thameslink, by doing the extra stops to London Bridge and changing trains there.
Probably not, as the extra stops would take twenty minutes or so!
But if they had a good coffee stall and kiosk on the platform at London Bridge, you might think about it.
Details Of The New London Bridge Station
These are a selection of pictures showing design details of the new London Bridge station.
One thing that is noticeable, is that the station is very information rich. Are Network Rail trying to get passengers through the station with the minimum of questions asked to staff?
I will probably add some more pictures.
London Bridge Station Wakes Up
Part of the new concourse of London Bridge station opened at five o’clock this morning.
I got there around 05:30, so at least there would be some light.
Points to note.
- The concourse is underneath the platforms.
- Often when this is done, as at Brussels Midi, the concourse is dark and claustrophobic. London Bridge certainly isn’t, as natural light is allowed in and there are masses of LED lights.
- The concourse is split into an open side and one where you must have a valid ticket.
- Escalators join the platforms in the centre.
- The island platforms have three escalators, two sets of stairs and a lift.
- The first through platform; 8 and 9 for Charing Cross, form a wide island platform.
- If platforms 4 and 5 for Thameslink, are as wide as 8 and 9, they will be a game-changer for those with limited mobility on Thameslink.
- Currently, the only dreary public area, is the old cross-passage between Tooley Street and Guy’s Hospital, but that dates from a few years ago and is probably going to be updated.
It is certainly a very good start.
Walking Routes Around London Bridge Station
The walking routes around London Bridge station have been revealed.
They are shown in this plan.
London Bridge Concourse
It would appear that the new concourse is all at street level and that lifts, stairs and escalators take you to the fifteen platforms that run across the top.
It all sounds very simple and passenger friendly.
In some ways the key will be information, in that say you want to go to Purley, you will need to be directed there without fuss.
I have a feeling that the best way to work the station, is as you approach to call up http://www.nationalrail.co.uk on your mobile phone, choose Live Departure Boards and then type in London Bridge and your destination. As this information is generally available fifteen minutes before the train leaves, this should give you enough time to walk to the platform.
I’ve done it so many times on my phone, I just type “nat” to get started.
I would hope that the visual information system is just as quick.
London Gets A New Attraction On Monday
One of my Google Alerts found this article on the Network Rail web site, which is entitled New London Bridge station concourse to open this Bank Holiday.
I’m surprised that the new concourse is actually opening on the Bank Holiday, but I’ll be going with my camera.
It’s been a long time coming and I hope the new station lives up to its billing!
The Anonymous Widower 