From Victoria to Wandsworth Road
Wandsworth Road station is the station on the new South London line closest to the terminus of line at Clapham Junction station.
These pictures were taken on the short route from Victoria to Wandsworth Road.
It is not the best area architecturally of the capital and is dominated by the disused and falling down Battersea Power Station. Whether and how the Northern Line Extension to Battersea is built, should make a difference to the area.
I’m tending to think though that the best thing to do, would be to demolish the Battersea Power Station first. All it seems to do is bankrupt developers these days. You have to remember that power stations built in the early part of the twentieth century were built for a short life span, after which they were demolished. Battersea Power station is proving that rule by falling down on its own.
Searching For The South London Line
The new South London Line from Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays is the last piece needed so that the London Overground does a complete circle of central London. The original plan was for it to be completed by the time of the Olympics, but it now looks to be late this year. It will pass through Clapham High Street, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Peckham Queen’s Road stations.
So this morning, I traced the route using the 09:11 from Victoria to London Bridge, taking a few pictures as I progressed.
A Colour-Coordinated Commuter
The picture shows the London Overground’s distinctive orange colour that gets everywhere. Perhaps, the colour design team was led by a Blackpool supporter or someone from The Netherlands.
The London Overground Orange
Opposite me on my trip to the deep South, was a very normal looking commuter, who had an orange-framed Brompton bicycle and a phone and an MP3 player in orange cases.
I felt to take the photograph would have been too much orange.
By the way, one of the Overground lines reaches from the Olympic site at Stratford to convenient buses to Alexandra Palace, where the Dutch House is to be setup . So is this orange by design or coincidence?
The Dutch should feel happy at Ally Pally, as it has an ice rink. They could get vertigo though, as it is one of the highest points of London and the views are spectacular.
Looking at the New Junctions South of Surrey Quays
At present two lines meet south of Surrey Quays station on the East London line of the London Overground.
- The New Cross Gate/Crystal Palace/Croydon branch.
- The New Cross branch.
These pictures show how the new extension to Clapham Junction station is being threaded through.
It has been reported that all the track has now been laid to connect from Surrey Quays to the southern part of the East London line.
This engineering has all been accomplished in a few months, which just shows how much better we art at this type of work, than a few years ago.
Although the bridge over the line, shown in the pictures, is rather simple, it has been designed so that no-one can throw anything onto the track, get access onto it, without completely stopping pedestrians watching the trains. Perhaps, the man who designed it, was a train spotter in his youth. It was certainly well-used in the ten minutes or so, I was there.
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.
The Success of the East London Line
I found this article on the web. It predicts that in 2011-2012 they’ll be a large increase in passengers on the East London Line.
Here’s the first couple of paragraphs.
The London Overground network has “grown faster than anticipated” with nearly three and a half times more journeys made per week in 2011 than in 2007, according to a TfL report on the train operator. Nearly two million journeys were made per week in September last year compared with 0.6 million in 2007.
But the increase has led to higher levels of crowding, and the local government body predicts that there will be 100 million journeys made on the service in 2011/12 as user demand proliferates this year due to predicted popular events including the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Jubilee.
I think it proves that building new rail lines or improving old ones encourages a lot of people to use trains.
Hampstead Heath Station
I went to Hampstead Heath station on the North London line yesterday.
It has been updated with some original artwork. The work is entitled Evenings’ Hill and it is by Clare Woods.
Whilst I was waiting, two freight trains passed through in opposite directions. Not unusually on the North London line, but it did seem a bit strange. One was full of new Ford vehicles.
All the station needs now is a pair of lifts. But it’s a big improvement on the station I first used about ten years ago.
Up The West London Line
After my visit to Clapham Junction, I came back via the West London line, taking a break to explore at the new Imperial Wharf station.
It is an impressive station as the pictures show. But I doubt it’s one I’ll use it very often, as it’s on the far side of London from me.
How To Improve A Station
Clapham Junction station is one of the busiest in Europe and on some measures the busiest station in the UK.
I had only been twice before. One was in the 1960s, when I was looking to see some of Bulleid ‘s steam engines, like the Merchant Navy class. The other was a few years ago, when I was going to Southampton from Suffolk.
Since those days, the station has had a makeover. The most impressive feature is the rebuilt bridge with lifts to all the platforms and the new south-eastern or Brighton Yard entrance to the station.
I’ve tried to annotate the pictures correctly, but if you have better captions please let me know.
I should say that in the future Clapham Junction will be important to me, as I will be able to get a direct train to the station from Dalston Junction using the Overground, which will mean, I can get to the south and south west without having to struggle to Waterloo or Victoria. Incidentally, the design of the Overground Platform 2, shows how with a bit of innovation, you can squeeze wide easy-to-navigate platforms into a small space. Once complete passengers arriving on the new East/South London line will just have to walk a few metres to catch the West London line and vice-versa.
Just like with Stratford, it shows how by using good design and a sensible amount of money you can create a good interchange to take the pressure off the main London termini.
I think it is true to say, that the new bridge is the most impressive feature of the redevelopment. If you are changing trains, at the station, it is the ideal place to wait with interesting views, cafes and shops. It is also well-provided with information and has lifts to all platforms.
How many other stations would benefit from a similar makeover?
West Hampstead – This has been proposed and probably will happen. I would certainly benefit, as I could take the North London line to pick up the Jubilee line or Chiltern line to Birmingham.
Hackney Central and Hackney Downs – This could be an important interchange in north-east London, as I indicated here.
Willesden Junction– Connected to both Stratford and Clapham Junction by the London Overground, it should be developed as a link to the north. Selected Virgin expresses should stop at the station.
West Croydon – This needs to be sorted and linked properly to East Croydon. At present it’s easy to go from West to East, but the other way is difficult.
Get these and other interfaces sorted and a lot of pressure could be taken off the main London termini.
92 Clubs – Day 12 – Crystal Palace, Dagenham and Redbridge, Derby, Doncaster, Everton
If I had been predicting what would happen on this day as I started out, I’d have been very wrong. But it does show what is possible.
I started by taking the Overground to Norwood junction for Crystal Palace. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, but some idiot had hit a bridge at Homerton with a truck. And then as I walked to the ground another pair of idiots had a head-on on a cross-roads. Luckily no-one was physically hurt, although the words were flying. Both drivers then started arguing with me, so that I could be their witness and I was delayed about ten minutes. Then a policeman turned up and he extricated me from the argument and told me to get on with my business. If I have one regrest, it was I didn’t take the car numbers, so that I could report them to an accident claims specialist.
A few minutes later, I was at Selhurst Park.
Selhurst Park
I didn’t stay long and it was a long drag on the Overground and the District line to Dagenham East for Dagenham and Redbridge.
The ground is a short distance away and rather tucked down a side-street, but at least it’s signposted well.
Dagenhajm and Redbridge
I was now running late for my 10:55 train out of St. Pancras and I didn’t get there until 12:30 or so. But I had booked an Off-Peak rather than an Advanjce ticket deliberately, so the only inconvenience was that I lost my free reserved seat.
Pride Park, is easy to reach at Derby, and I just walked out of the back of the now rather grand station through the business park to the ground.
Derby's Pride Park Stadium
I wasn’t there long and I was soon off to Doncaster on a direct train.
Doncaster is one of these inaccessible drive-to stadia, so it was a taxi from the station again.
Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium
A few minutes after returning to the station, I was on a crowded Trans Pennine Express for Manchester, where I changed for Liverpool.
It got a bit of a fraught journey later on, as I point out in this post, however, once I got to Liverpool, it was redeemed by a proper Scouse taxi driver and Liverpool supporter, who took me quickly to Everton‘s Goodison Park.
Outside Goodison Park in the Dark
It was all very quick and he only charged me for the diesel and I was back in time to get the 19:48 for London. The train conductor even held the train for perhaps a minute or so, so that several of us late comers got on-board.
We were just a few minutes late into Euston, but as I was two trains in front of where I thought I’d be, I’m not complsining.
The Anonymous Widower 