The Anonymous Widower

The Shuttle Lift At Whitechapel Station

Whitechapel station is an unusual station on the London Overground/Underground network, as the two Overground tracks are underneath the two Underground tracks.

But then Marc Brunel and his more famous son; Isambard didn’t realise that their Thames Tunnel would eventually be part of London’s circular Overground railway.

The interchange is further complicated, by the Elizabeth Line being dozens of metres below the Overground, so that is connected to the main station bridge concourse by a giant three-barrel escalator.

A single shuttle lift and a set of stairs connect the bridge concourse to the Northbound Overground platform.

Note.

  1. The route is well used, as passengers have realised it is the fastest way between the Elizabeth Line and the Northbound London Overground.
  2. Judging by the number of passengers, who exit from the first car of Northbound Overground trains, this route could be a popular one for passengers from South London, who are continuing their journey on the Elizabeth Line.
  3. I use the route to come home with shopping, I’ve bought along the Elizabeth Line. I can manage the Lizzie Line escalators with two shopping bags and after rising from the depths at Whitechapel, I can take this lift to the first car of a train for Dalston, where there is a lift to the street and a bus to home.
  4. The lift has only two stops and one button is used to shuttle it, between the stops.
  5. The lower lift stop is perhaps ten metres from the first car of Northbound Overground train.
  6.  The upper lift stop is perhaps ten metres from the bridge concourse and twenty from the escalator to the Elizabeth Line.

Strangely, the lift and stairs arrangement is more complicated on the Southbound platform of the Overground.

London’s transport network needs more simple shuttle lifts like this.

 

 

June 19, 2023 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Brunel Museum

The Brunel Museum is just a short walk from Rotherhithe on the East London Line and is well-signposted from there.

The Brunel Museum

It is a small museum with some good displays about Isambard Brunel and his often forgotten father, Marc.  It is well worth the entrance fee of £2.
One of my most favourite books is the biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, by LTC Rolt, who is one of the foremost writers on engineering. He died some years ago, but like William Shakespeare, his work will be around in hundreds of years.

September 22, 2010 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | Leave a comment