Talking up Defiencies
They’ve just had a very one-sided phone-in on BBC Radio 5, with virtually an hour of the dismal Jimmies and Jennies complaining about all the inadequacies.
We’ve just had a volunteer complaining, that they are not being given car parking on the Olympic Park. It sounds to me, that they should have been turned down as a volunteer.
Let’s face it, if you don’t like the conditions, don’t volunteer.
We should be celebrating what we got right.
My field is project management and we should be celebrating the fact that all of the venues and transport links have been constructed on time and generally on budget.
Remember the Olympic Park is built in a marsh and with all the bad weather we’ve been having lately, that has not only caused construction problems, but made the design of the park difficult. Luckily, the main site of the Games is by the River Lea and Joseph Bazalette‘s massive Northern Outfall Sewer, so hopefully we’ll cope, with water and sewage.
I’ve watched the plans unfold and East London has improved beyond all expectations.
When we won the bid the London Overground from New Cross to Dalston and from Stratford to Richmond only partly existed as a set of travelling urinals. now it is a modern railway with new trains, signalling and completely renewed track. The East London Line deserves five stars in its own right, as it was built through Brunel’s Thames Tunnel of 1840 and under the Kingsland Road, without breaking anything.
As the icing, London has now got its magnificent cable-car, which will be the fun legacy of the games.
And now the phone-in is talking about the failure of the O2 mobile phone network. My Nokia 6310i works well on O2 at the moment.
The City At Sunset From Hoxton Station
Coming back from the Emirates Air-Line, I stopped off at Hoxton Station to take these pictures from the Northbound platform.
These are not the first photographs I’ve taken from the station, but the photograph on this post, was taken from the Southbound platform
Hit By a Strike
London’s buses are on strike today.
I can’t remember the last time, I was personally hit by a strike, but I suspect it was the odd Underground strike in the 1970s, when we lived in London.
It doesn’t really affect me much, as I can walk to the end of the road to get the Overground. But I know someone, who is having radiotherapy and the only way they can get to hospital is on a bus.
What annoys me about this strike, is that it appears to have been totally avoidable. Olympic bonuses should have been settled months ago, but I suspect UNITE were waiting to see if Ken got to be London Mayor. And where are Ed Milliband’s statements on this strike. Nowhere! But who funds the Labour Party? UNITE!
On fairness grounds, the bus staff should be getting something. But there is more to this row, than has appeared in the media.
An All-Over Train on the Overground
I took these pictures at Canonbury station on the North London line.
I’m not sure, whether I like the concept, but I suppose it brings in money.
Clapham High Street and Clapham North Stations
Clapham High Street station will be on the London Overground from December 2012 and Clapham North station is on the Northern Line. So how do they rate as an interchange?
This picture shows the view of Claphsm North from under the bridge by Clapham High Street station.
Looking Towards Clapham North Station
The station is in the distance on the right. And this shows the view the other way.
Looking Back at Clapham High Street Station
It’s not too far to walk and Clapham North station does have escalators. But it also has rather a scary platform.
A Scary Platform at Clapham North
With a tricky set of stairs to get down to it.
Tricky Stairs at Clapham North Station
It was a station that I was glad to leave on a train.
I asked how the two stations rated as an interchange. I managed to use them successfully, but the platfdorm gave me the willies.
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Over The Top of Brixton and Loughborough Junction Stations
Today I wanted to get another view of Brixton and Loughborough Junction stations, so I took a train from Victoria to Peckham Rye and then back to Clapham High Street station.
You can see how high up the line is and the two tracks that will form the London Overground are much higher than the parallel tracks that pass through Brixton.
More Train Doors
I took a few more pictures yesterday.
Note that most are not much better than the first ones I took and posted here.
The strange one is that the Overground at Dalston Junction station is virtually flat, but it isn’t at Highbury and Islington station. As there is only one class of train on the line, surely the step should be the same.
The London bus which may be slightly higher was taken with a typical kerb, but the step up is generally lower. Remember too, that this door on all London buses has a wheelchair ramp, which unfolds from under the bus.
I Finally Get to Loughborough Junction Station
Today all of the trains were running and I was able to get to Loughborough Junction station.
The pictures don’t really do, one of the worst stations I’ve visited in recent years, justice. It had the usual long difficult staircases to the trains, narrow platforms, difficult access for the elderly, the disabled and buggy pushers and no visible staff. It did though have what looked to be a reasonable cafe, but as I was running late, I didn’t have have time for a coffee.
But as it is on a major cross-London route, you’d hope it would be a station on the list of stations to be improved. I’ve searched the Internet and Lounghborough Junction station is not slated for any improvement in the next few years. I did find this blog post, moaning about lack of improvements in the area.
In the pictures, you’ll see the line, that will take the London Overground on its way to Clapham Junction station. This is to the right in the pictures, with the line to the left leading to Denmark Hill station. Putting platforms on the London Overground on this line here, has been dismissed on the grounds of cost, just as they have been at Brixton.
This may be right, but it just shows what a mess has been left by Victorian railway engineers in this area.
However, linking the London Overground to an improved Thameslink at this point, may offer a very much better financial case, than to link with the Underground at Brixton, which is linked because of the Victoria line to larege numbers of important places in the capital anyway, but of course to nothing towards the south, like Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
It is one of these problems that needs imagination. A good architect might be able to produce an elegant connection between the two lines and then link it to the ground on the other side of Coldharbour Lane to the current station entrance. Looking at the local bus map, shows that the area is well served by bus routes, so perhaps we could make Loughborough Junction a true interchange in the east of Brixton.
I just think that London can be improved by providing proper bus/rail interchanges and Loughborough Junction could be another, to join Stratford, Canning Town and West Hampstead, that have been created in recent years.
Whether Loughborough Junction could be one is debatable though, especially as I was told at London Bridge by a ticket inspector, that First Capital Connect, don’t want the connection built. That surprised me, as the link would not be built, if it wasn’t going to be used. And users would mean money for the company.
Trying To Get To Loughborough Junction
Yesterday, I had rather a wasted journey, as I was trying to get to Loughborough Junction station, so that I could see the bridges there for the London Overground. I started by going to St. Pancras station, but Thameslink wasn’t running, so I was advised by staff there to go to London Bridge station. But there were no trains there either, so I just came home and watched the football on the television.
In the evening, I had dinner with my son near Liverpool Street and he had difficulty getting in from Walthamstowe, as the Victoria line wasn’t running. I know engineering work needs to be done, but why is it always on the same day?
Today will be just as bad, so maybe I’ll try on Tuesday!
A Return to Brixton Station
When I went to Brixton in the week, I felt that a return visit might be in order to see Brixton station. So yesterday I went and took these pictures.
Note the picture I took of the underneath of the bridge that will carry the Overground to Clapham Junction over the station. It all goes to emphasise what a complete mess the railways in the area are.
In the next few days, if not today, I shall visit Loughborough Junction station, to see the mess the Victorians created there.
At least the artworks improve the station, which is not one of the UK’s finest. But integrate the three lines at Brixton properly, with perhaps a shopping centre and you might be able to create an interchange of which everybody could be proud.
The Anonymous Widower 