Plan Ahead – Bank London Underground Station Upgrades To Disrupt Underground Services
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the best summary I have seen about what will happen between the 15th January and mid-May next year, when the Northern Line is closed between Moorgate and Kennington stations to work on the upgrade to Bank station.
As I rarely use the Northern Line between Moorgate and Kennington stations, I probably won’t suffer much inconvenience.
But i do have two convenient bus routes between my house and London Bridge station and there is always the Overground and a change to the Jubilee Line at Canada Water station.
London Underground’s Northern Line Extension Starts Trial Operations
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The Northern line extension between Kennington and Battersea has entered the final trial operations stage ahead of its opening later this year.
Four trains per hour are currently being run through the extension at weekends as part of trial operations. Throughout this trial period, operations and maintenance staff are testing all the systems required to keep the extension running, and existing Northern line train drivers will complete familiarisation training on the route.
As ever, Ian seems to have researched his facts and he is predicting the following.
- The extension will open in September.
- Mill Hill East will get direct services from Central London, which will eliminate the need to change at Finchley Central
- The initial Peak hour service will be six trains per hour (tph)
- The initial Off Peak service will be five tph.
I’m certainly looking forward to opening of the extension.
Ickenham Station Has Gone Step-Free
I wrote West London Stations To Be Made Step-Free in January 2018.
One of the stations on the list; Ickenham station, is now step-free.
These pictures showed the station, when I visited the station in early 2018.
And these show it, after the addition of step-free access.
It is a practical rather than architectural lift installation incorporating new walkways connecting the two lifts and the main entrance to the station.
- Unlike many Underground stations, Ickenham station, does not appear to be Listed.
- The cladding for the installation, appears to be in a slate-grey steel.
- The stairs are still there for the agile.
As the pictures show the walkways are open to the elements, but there is enough headroom to use an umbrella.
Has Tess Daly Only Got The One Dress?
Pictures of Tess Daly have been all over the London Underground for over a year now.
But it’s all getting a bit boring and perhaps she needs a new dress?
Is Turnpike Lane Tube Station Going Step-Free?
I took these pictures as I passed through Turnpike Lane station today.
Note.
- The blue hoardings are at the London end of the Northbound platform.
- There are no other blue hoardings at platform level.
- The yellow gates are on the bus station side of the station.
- A lift on the surface behind the yellow gates would be convenient for the buses and just round the corner from a light-controlled crossing of the busy Green Lanes.
- I couldn’t find any other evidence of work.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The station block in the North-West corner of the map.
- Green Lanes runs North-South to the West of the station.
- There is a bus on Green Lanes by the station.
- The spine of the bus station to the East of the station.
- The pedestrian crossing between the Underground station and the bus station at the Northern end of the spine.
- The wide pavements to give access to the light-controlled crossing over Green Lanes and the bus stops on the road.
This second map from carto metro, shows the track layout through the station.
Note that the escalators to the platforms are to the North of the platforms and connect to a lobby between middle of the two platforms,
Could this mean that using traditional tunneling on the London-end of Platform 2 allows access to what appears to be a generous space between the two platforms and their associated tracks?
It looks to my untrained eye, that a lift shaft could be dug in this area.
But there is no reference to step-free access at Turnpike Lane station anywhere on the internet.
Conclusion
This could be a simple scheme to add step-free access to another of the stations on the Northern section of the Piccadilly Line.
- At present, Cockfosters, Oakwood, Finsbury Park and Caledonian Road stations are already step-free.
- Southgate station could be difficult, but it does have bus connections to some of the stations with step-free access.
- Arnos Grove station is a surface station, where there will be a major housing development on the car park. So I would expect, that this could be one of the next to be planned for step-free access.
- The track and escalator layout might make Wood Green station difficult to make step-free. But it does have lots of buses to Turnpike Lane station.
- I’ve never used Bounds Green station, but it does appear that a Turnpike Lane solution might be possible.
- Manor House station has so many exits, that full step-free access could be expensive. But if it were to be decided that it should be step-free, I feel there could be an innovative solution.
It should be noted that all these stations, with the exception of Manor House are Grade II or Grade II* Listed.
As all road crossings at Manor House are controlled by lights, perhaps the solution at the station, is to replace one or more of the many exits with a lift.
The New Step-Free Entrance At Euston Square Station
This map from cartometro.com shows the Underground Lines in the Euston station area.
Note.
- The Northern Line is shown in black.
- The Victoria Line is shown in light blue.
- The sub-surface lines are shown in yellow and mauve.
- The Northern and Victoria Lines are deep underneath the station, whereas the sub-surface lines are under Euston Road.
This Google Map shows the area and the positions of the station entrances.
Note.
- Warren Street station in the South West corner of the map at the Northern end of Tottenham Court Road.
- Euston Road running South-West to North-East across the map.
- University College Hospital is on the South side of Euston Road between Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street.
- There is a subway under Euston Road almost in line with Gower Street, that gives access to the Western ends of the platforms at Euston Square station.
- There is a lift to the station from the South side of Euston Road on the Eastern side of Gower Street.
- The Western end of the platforms at Euston Square are probably just to the East of Gower Street.
The next road across Euston Road is Gordon Street, where the entrance to a new subway under Euston Road to Euston station will be located.
This Transport for London visualisation shows the entrance to the subway looking towards Euston station.
This diagram of the subway. is from Ian Visits,
Note the platforms at Euston Square station appear to be shown in red and end to the West of Gordon Street.
I took these pictures at the Eastern end of Euston Square station.
Note what look like bricked off areas at the end of the platforms for electrical and other gubbins. I suspect they could be removed to create more space.
Conclusion
I don’t think that connecting the platforms to the subway will be the most challenging of projects, if they can dig easily behind and over the walls of the Victorian tunnel and behind the platforms.
Could We See More Bunhill 2s On The London Underground?
This article on Railway Gazette, is entitled Air-Conditioned Piccadilly Line Train Designs Presented.
This is said in the article about the air-conditioning of the new trains.
The trains will feature air-conditioning for the first time on one of the capital’s small-profile deep-level Tube lines, which has posed a significant engineering challenge. The heat passed into the tunnels from the air-conditioning units is expected to be offset by a reduced heat output from the traction and braking equipment, given the trains’ lower energy consumption.
Cutting the energy consumption will be mainy good basic engineering.
- Lighting will use LEDs to use less electricity and cut heat generated.
- Efficient air-conditioning units will save energy.
- All electrical equipment like traction motors, transformers and door actuators will be low energy units.
There could also be some more complex ways to save energy.
Extensive Mathematical Modelling Of the Temperature And Humidity Of The Trains
I have built large numbers of mathematical models. I can see a lot of scope to use the technique to find the most efficient method of operation.
- On hot days would the trains be cooled down on the surface sections, so that they entered the tunnels cold?
- Conversely on cold days, would the heat in the tunnels be recovered to get cold trains entering the long central tunnel up to temperature?
- How does passenger loading effect the temperature and humidity?
The model would help to identify, the best operating procedure given the weather conditions.
The mathematical model could even be built into the control system of the train.
Heated Floors
As I said in Air-Conditioned Piccadilly Line Train Designs Presented, the trains could have heated floors, which are an efficient use of space.
They might even be an efficient way of warming a train on a cold day.
I lived near Cockfosters Depot for the first sixteen years of my life and know from personal experience, it can get very cold in the winter.
Regenerative Braking To Batteries
Regenerative braking is used in two ways on the London Underground.
- As the system is DC, electricity generated during braking, can be returned to the rails for use by nearby trains.
- Some stations are also hump-backed, so trains are slowed coming up the hill into the station and pick the energy up, going downhill out of the station. Stations using this technique are very noticeable on the Victoria Line.
I believe that the new Siemens trains should and probably will use regenerative braking to batteries.
- Electricity generated during braking is stored in a battery or batteries on the train.
- When accelerating away from the station, this energy is reused.
The method has advantages.
- There is less electricity transfer between train and conductor rails, which means less heat generated and less contact shoe wear.
- If there is a power failure, the batteries can provide hotel power for the train and could even be large enough to move it to the next station for evacuation of the passengers.
- There may even be scope in building batteries and traction motors as an integrated unit to save weight and reduce heat generation.
- Because of the reuse of energy, energy use is reduced.
I will be very surprised if these new trains aren’t fitted with batteries.
Why Build More Bunhill 2s?
The Bunhill 2 Energy Centre is described on this page of the Borough of Islington web site, which is entitled Bunhill Heat Network.
This is said about Phase 2 of the project.
Phase 2 of the Bunhill Heat and Power network involves building a new energy centre at the top of Central Street, connecting the King’s Square Estate to the network and adding capacity to supply a further 1,000 homes.
The core of the new energy centre is a 1MW heat pump that will recycle the otherwise wasted heat from a ventilation shaft on the Northern Line of the London Underground network, and will transfer that heat into the hot water network. During the summer months, the system will be reversed to inject cool air into the tube tunnels.
Note that a 1MW heat pump can supply enough hot water to heat upwards of a thousand homes.
This page on the Islington web site lists the project partners.
Transport for London is a key partner and this is said.
As a key partner in the Bunhill 2 scheme, TfL upgraded its City Road mid-tunnel ventilation system to enable the capture and utilisation of waste heat from the Northern line tunnels to provide hot water to local homes and businesses. TfL is also carrying out further research to identify opportunities for similar projects across the Tube network as part of its Energy and Carbon Strategy.
So what other stations could be used?
These are disused stations on the deep lines.
- Brompton Road – Piccadilly Line
- Down Street – Piccadilly Line
- South Kentish Town – Northern Line
- York Road – Piccadilly Line
York Road, which is close to all the developments to the North of Kings Cross, would probably be the most likely to be converted into an energy centre to transfer heat to and from the Underground.
Could Some Ventilation Shafts Be Converted Into Energy Centres?
The obvious one is probably Green Lanes Ventilation Station.
Green Lanes Ventilation Station
But then I suspect this is on Transport for London’s list of sites to be converted into something more useful.
Digging The Central Entrance To Old Street Station – 27th February 2021
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout of Old Street Roundabout.
Note the new entrance to the station in the middle of the roundabout.
The contractors are now digging a big hole for the central entrance, with a digger in an unusual turquoise colour.
Note.
- The central and the two other entrances will be steps.
- There will also be a lift, close to the Shoreditch Grind, in the North-West area.
- There will also be a service lift for the shops in the station.
- Particular attention has been given to the use of natural light.
- The central entrance features a green roof.
Some won’t like the design, but I think, its simplicity like some of London’s 1930s Underground stations will endear it to the majority of passengers.
Cowper Street Entrance To Old Street Station – 21st February 2021
These pictures show the start of the works to create the new Cowper Street entrance to Old Street station.
Note the large frame, which had been delivered the previous day.
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout.
The Cowper Street entrance will be in the South-East corner of the roundabout. The map says it will have stepped-access only.
This TfL image is a visualisation of the entrance.
I wonder if it should be step-free with a lift, as walking across to the lift in the centre, could be some way in bad weather.
The London Tube Map Gets A New Line
This picture shows the latest London tube map, which now shows the Thameslink network.
Note.
- There is a lot of new pink or red-and-white lines everywhere.
- The lines are numerous in the South-East corner of the map.
- Crossrail is not shown.
These pictures show areas in greater detail.
I am surprised that the whole of the Thameslink network has been added.
The Anonymous Widower 