Looking Through A Five Car Class 378 Train
I finally got a picture this morning of the view through a five car Class 378 train.
Looking Through A Five Car Class 378 Train
There’s certainly a lot of London Overground’s signature colour.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
If Transport for London had known that the Overground would be such a success, I suspect they’d have ordered five car trains and the lengthened the platforms before the line opened.
At least though Bombardier designed the trains so they could be broken in half and extra carriages could be inserted in the middle.
I wonder if in a few years time, we’ll see another lengthening of trains and platforms. Some documents from TfL say that six cars is a possibility.
Work Starts On The Bridge At Highbury Corner
I walked past Highbury and Islington station this morning and it appears that work is starting on replacing the bridge.
The crossing has been moved away from the station, but the old Post Office hasn’t been demolished yet.
The Five Car Class 378 Trains Are Showing Themselves
I described my first sighting of a five car Class 378 in this post in December 2014. Since then, I have had the odd trip in one, but over the last few days they have become more numerous.
The pictures show the brighter upholstery in the new carriages.
Today, I sat in one and the helpful announcer said that I was in Car 5 of 5. In fact, the carriage was in its normal position of four.
It All Happens In London In May
May is looking to be a big month for the infrastructure of London.
I’ve just read this article in the Hackney Gazette, which is entitled Canary Wharf Crossrail Artwork Released.
But as the article says, we won’t see the artwork until 2018, when Canary Wharf Crossrail station opens.
But what the article does say, is that the shops, restaurants, bars and the roof garden will open to the public in May.
So what else is happening in May?
1. Crossrail will take over the Shenfield Metro services in May. I have spoken to staff about this and everybody I spoke to seemed positive about the move and there has been the odd article like this one in the Btrentwood Gazette that has shown a positive tone.
2. Cossrail has put out this report, which says that tunnelling will be complete in the Spring amongst other things.
3. The Lea Valley Lines become part of the London Overground on the 31st of the Month. I don’t think you’ll find many, who believe it was wrong that London took over the North and East London Lines to create the Overground in 2007. So probably the sentiment for this takeover is positive.
4. Today on Hackney Central station, I asked a London Overground employee, when the pedestrian link to Hackney Downs station will open. It should be in May. He also told me about all the other developments at Hackney Central that are being planned, like extra lifts. The Overground does seem to have instilled infectious enthusiasm into its staff.
There is also the little matter of the first General Election of 2015.
Transport for London Get The Cleaners, Painters And Engineers Ready For The Shenfield Metro
There is an article in the Brentwood Gazette, entitled Shenfield to London slow trains to get refresh before end of year, which illustrates how Transport for London aim to hit the ground running, when they take over the Shenfield Metro services in May this year.
1. The Class 315 trains will be refreshed. I took these pictures.
I think that TfL could spend billions on these trains and they wouldn’t be that much better, as in their current state, they do the job they were built for of moving people in and out of London, reliably and with enough comfort for those with seats. So fixing the seat covers, perhaps getting rid of the awful pink colour and asking Aggie and her ilk to give them a good clean, and they’ll last until the Class 345 trains arrive.
2. Staff will be on duty when trains are running.
3. The stations will be fully integrated into TfL’s information and brought up to their standards.
I wonder if their other big acquisition in May;the Lea Valley Line services will get the same treatment.
One For London Overground To Correct
I was at Walthamstow Central station last night and wanted to return home the quickest way, for which I have a choice of routes.
1. Take an Abellio Greater Anglia train to Hackney Downs and then get a 56 bus.
2. Take a Victoria Line train to Highbury and Islington and then cross the road and get a 277 or 30 bus.
3. Take a Victoria Line train to Seven Sisters and then get a bus to Dalston.
I prefer the first route, it has the least amount of walking and if it’s raining hard it’s mostly under cover. But the route has the disadvantage that you can wait fifteen minutes for a train. This is a bad picture of the information screen on the platform.
Information At Walthamstow Central
The trouble is that like all the other information screens at the station, it doesn’t give information for the Underground services in their station below.
Last night I waited about two minutes for a train, but if it had been six or so, I’d have probably dived into the Underground.
To make matters worse, if you arrive in the station using the underpass from the bus station, you do not pass any information screens at all and you have to climb the stairs to finds out the next train.
That’s not very customer friendly in my book.
Hopefully, when the Chingford services are taken over by London Overground in May, then as it will be an Overground/Underground station exclusively, then this lack-of-information problem will be resolved.
Could Maiden Lane Station On The North London Line Be Reopened?
According to an entry in Wikipedia, Camden Council have proposed that Maiden Lane station on the North London Line be reopened, as it is just to the north of the extensive developments at Kings Cross Central.
This Google Earth view shows the area.
Kings Cross Central
The North London Line runs across the picture and the former station was just to the left of centre in this view, to the west of where the road crosses the railway line.
Some months ago, I walked to that area from Kings Cross station. I commented that it was not a short walk, so to build a station there to serve Kings Cross and St. Pancras stations may not be very worthwhile.
But take a look at this more detailed view of the area.
Railway Lines North Of Kings Cross
Note the distinctive acoustic cover over the Channel Tunnel Rail Link at the right, with the line sweeping across to turn towards St. Pancras.
But there does seem to be quite a bit of land in the area and it could fit that well-used cliché of development potential.
I’d also be intrigued to know if the Piccadilly Line could be reached from a station on the North London Line near here, by the use of modern construction techniques.
It probably won’t happen in the next few years, but I can’t help feeling that at some time, some very comprehensive property development in this area will incorporate a new station.
A Forest Of Orange Poles
I took this picture looking down a London Overground Class 378 train.
A Forest Of Orange Poles
This was a standard 4-car train and I’m still looking to get this view on an extended 5-car train.
It’s An Ill Wind
I always take opportunity of any situation that fate presents me.
Today, I woke to the news that due to overrunning engineering works, no trains would be running into Kings Cross station.
So I had a quick bath and before it was light, I was on my way to the station to see if there were any opportunities for some decent photos.
I took a few pictures of the deserted station, but as the shops and restaurants were open, I was able to do my food shopping in Marks and Spencer and have an excellent breakfast in Leon, without having to share the calm with too many other people.
It was all a bit surreal and summed up when a Japanese tourist asked me where the Harry Potter platform was. He even got to see that properly,almost by himself.
The Bridge Party Continues
There has been a lot of progress since I took the last pictures.
Rumour has it, that they’ve given the bridge to North Korea, in the hope it will help them realise that bridges are good things to build links between different views.
The Anonymous Widower 