Thoughts On The Closure Of The Northern Line At Bank To Complete The Upgrade To Bank Station
The Bank Station Upgrade is a major project that will increase the capacity of Bank station by forty percent.
This document on the Transport for London web site gives details of the project.
It was originally planned that sometime in late 2021, the Northern Line will be closed through Bank station.
The document says this.
We will need to close part of the Northern line Bank branch in 2021, between Kennington and Moorgate, to connect new and existing sections of tunnel safely. Trains will run less frequently on those sections of the Bank branch that are still open. Check back here for details.
This would mean that Bank, London Bridge, Borough and Elephant & Castle stations will be closed on the Northern Line.
To help passengers, TfL say, they will do the following.
- Run 33% more trains on the Northern line Charing Cross branch
- Review bus use and consider enhancing services where necessary
- Investigate scope for passengers to use alternative National Rail services, such as Waterloo to London Bridge, and London Bridge to Cannon Street
- Review available walking space on the Moorgate to London Bridge pedestrian corridor.
These are my thoughts.
The New Cannon Street Entrance To Bank Station
This visualisation shows the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
Note.
- South is to the right and we’re looking from roughly the North-West.
- The existing twin bores of the Northern Line on the far side of the visualisation.
- The escalator connection to the District and Circle Lines at Monument station Starts at the Southern end of these two narrow platforms.
- The new single bore of the new Southbound tunnel on the near side of the visualisation.
- The triple escalators descending from the new Cannon Street entrance to one of the four cross-walks between the Northern Line platforms.
- The current Eastern ends of these cross-walks are shown in The Southbound Northern Line Platform At Bank Station.
But where is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR)?
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Bank station.
Note.
- The two existing Northern Line Platforms 3 and 4 are shown in black.
- The Central Line is shown in red.
- The DLR is shown in turquoise and sneaks under the Northern Line into Platforms 9 and 10.
- Platforms 7 and 8 are the platforms of the Waterloo and City Line.
- It would appear that the escalator connection between Bank and Monument stations goes between the existing tracks of the Northern Line.
So where is the Docklands Light Railway?
- As Platforms 3 and 9 appear to be close together with Platform 9, the deeper of the two, I suspect we can’t see the Docklands Light Railway in the visualisation, as it is hidden behind and underneath everything else.
- I also suspect that the triple escalators between the new Northern Line cross-walks descend in the space at the Southern ends of Platforms 9 and 10.
This is the Northern end of the visualisation I showed earlier
Note.
- North is to the left.
- The two tracks and the narrow island platform of the current Northern Line on the far side of the visualisation.
- The two staircases leading up from Northern Line to a lobby, where passengers can walk North to the Central Line.
- The double escalator barrel going down to the DLR.
- The travelator that will connect the Northern and Central Lines
- The three cross passages linking the DLR escalators to the lobby between the Central and Northern Lines.
- The most Southerly of these cross passages has a lift to the DLR.
The new Southbound platform of the Northern Line, would appear to be to the West of the Docklands Light Railway.
It appears to be a very tight fit.
These pictures show the current status of the new entrance.
There would appear to be still a lot to be done.
This TfL image shows how it will look in 2022.
Ducking And Diving
No-one ducks and dives like Londoners. So rest assured, that if someone needs to get from A to B and the obvious route is blocked, Londoners will always get through. And if all else fails, a black cab will find a way, usually driven by a Londoner or someone infected with the ducking and diving virus.
Crossrail
As ever Crossrail is the herd of elephants in the London railway system.
The Northern Line is possibly the most important North-South route across Central London with two branches through the centre; Bank and Charing Cross.
But Crossrail connects to these North-South routes.
- Lea Valley Lines at Stratford
- East London Line at Whitechapel
- Lea Valley and West Anglia Lines at Stratford
- Northern Line Bank Branch at Moorgate/Liverpool Street
- Northern and City Line at Moorgate/Liverpool Street
- Thameslink at Farringdon
- Northern Line Charing Cross Branch at Tottenham Court Road
- Jubilee Line at Bond Street
- Bakerloo Line at Paddington
Crossrail will give a lot of opportunities for ducking and diving.
Under original plans Crossrail was supposed to open in 2019, with the Bank station closure for the upgrade in 2021.
This phasing certainly seemed a good idea at the time.
- Crossrail will be able to offer alternative routes during the closure.
- If the Crossrail stations are substantially complete, they can release workers to finish Bank station.
I wonder, if it would be sensible to not upgrade the tracks through Bank station until Crossrail opens through Moorgate/Liverpool Street.
As I wrote in Your First Crossrail Service May Arrive In Time For Christmas, Crossrail could open this year.
So are we being prepared for the mother of all cunning plans?
- Crossrail between Paddington and Abbey Wood opens before Christmas.
- The closure of the Bank branch to allow the Bank station upgrade happens at a convenient time after the opening of Crossrail through Moorgate/Liverpool Street.
- Moorgate continues to have a limited Northern Line service to the North.
- Crossrail continues work on the other branches.
Note.
- There is a crossover to the North of Moorgate station, which might allow Moorgate to work as a two-platform terminal station handling up to 4 or 6 trains per hour (tph).
- If Crossrail is running at Moorgate, the station should be step-free to and from the deep-level platforms.
- Transport for London are looking at walking routes on the Moorgate and London Bridge route.
- During the closure of the Northern Line through Bank, passengers for the City will go to Moorgate and walk or perhaps take a bus.
It is my view, that Crossrail must be open, before the Northern Line through Bank station is closed to allow work to be completed.
A Demonstration of the Northern Line Capacity At Moorgate When Working As A Terminal Station
Yesterday, which was a Sunday, the Northern Line was closed between Moorgate and London Bridge stations.
- After a walk, I returned home from Moorgate station via Angel station, where I got a 38 bus.
- I was surprised to find that trains on the Northern Line were leaving Moorgate station for the North every four to five minutes.
This would seem to indicate that frequencies of between 12 and 15 tph are possible.
Current frequencies through Bank station are 24 tph in the Peak and 20 tph in the Off Peak, so it will be a substantial reduction. But it is better, than my original estimate earlier in this section.
33% More Trains on the Northern Line Charing Cross Branch
Currently, the Charing Cross branch has a capacity of twenty-four tph and handles the following services in the Peak.
- 10 tph between Edgware and Kennington
- 2 tph between Edgware and Morden
- 10 tph between High Barnet and Kennington
- 2 tph between High Barnet and Morden
And these services in the Off Peak.
- 10 tph between Edgware and Kennington
- 10 tph between High Barnet and Kennington
Note.
- Extra trains go between the two Northern branches and Morden via the Bank branch.
- Kennington and Morden can handle 28 tph and regularly does.
- The loop at Kennington turns twenty trains per hour in both the Peak and the Off Peak
If there is an increase of 33 % in the number of trains, this must mean that 32 tph will run through Charing Cross in the Peak and 28 tph in the Off Peak.
- The signalling system on the Northern Line is the same as that on the Jubilee Line, where it handles 30 tph.
- It also can handle up to 30 tph between Kennington and Morden on the Northern Line.
- Perhaps it can be stretched to 32 tph through Charing Cross in the Peak.
If the Charing Cross branch can only be uprated to 30 tph, that is still an increase of 25 % in the number of trains.
The Kennington Loop
I mentioned the Kennington Loop and this beautiful old drawing shows its layout.
Note.
- South is at the top of the drawing.
- At present, as I said, the loop turns twenty tph all day.
- The extension to Battersea connects to the loop.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows a map of the loop.
Note.
- The Charing Cross branch goes to the North-West from Kennington.
- The Bank branch goes to the North-East from Kennington.
- ,The lines to Battersea are shown dotted.
- Trains using the extension to Battersea can only use the Charing Cross branch.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised, if the line speed to and from Battersea, is faster than it is round the loop.
It’s just that the lines to Battersea are not such a sharp curve and they have been recently designed and built.
As the Modern branch can handle 30 tph, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the Battersea extension has been designed to handle this frequency.
The Northern Line Extension To Battersea
This document on the Transport for London web site gives details of the Northern Line Extension To Battersea.
This paragraph introduces the project.
The Northern line extension (NLE) between Kennington and Battersea will help regenerate the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas by supporting new jobs and homes. The extension is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2021.
The opening of the extension could offer benefits to the existing Northern Line.
As I said in the previous section, twenty tph are turned at Kennington using the loop.
Will all these trains now use the new Battersea extension, when it opens?
- The Battersea extension is fully double-track.
- Battersea Power Station station has two platforms and a cross-over, so if Brixton and Walthamstow Central stations can handle in excess of 30 tph, I suspect London’s newest terminal station can too!
If the Battersea extension has a design capacity of 30 tph, it would certainly be able to handle 20 tph.
So I wouldn’t be surprised to see all trains that currently turn at Kennington will take the Battersea extension, when it opens.
There must surely be the interesting possibility of before the Battersea extension opens to passengers, using it to turn the trains that would otherwise use the loop at Kennington. It would certainly be a very thorough test, of track and signalling.
I am fairly certain, there would be advantages in having the Battersea extension open before the Bank branch is upgraded.
- Running trains to Battersea could be more efficient than using the Kennington Loop.
- Opening the Battersea extension would need the signalling at Kennington to be upgraded and fully tested, so any changes needed for increased frequencies on the Charing Cross branch could be performed at the same time.
- All the residents of the new housing in Battersea. would have an Underground connection.
Opening the Battersea extension will change passenger patterns on the Northern Line and as the changes will be difficult to predict, it would surely be better to upgrade Bank station, after the opening of the Battersea extension.
Thameslink
Thameslink is not mentioned in any of the Transport for London documents, but surely it has a big part to play.
- Thameslink serves a lot of stations in South and South East London and beyond, including Brighton, East Croydon, Orpington, Sevenoaks and Woolwich Arsenal.
- Thameslink has an interchange with the Circle and District Lines at Blackfriars.
- Thameslink has an interchange with the Metropolitan and Circle Lines at Farringdon.
- Thameslink will have an interchange with Crossrail at Farringdon.
- Blackfriars and City Thameslink stations have good walking routes along the River and to the City.
Thameslink should be appearing on the Tube Map any time soon.
Waterloo And City Line
I am missing the Drain, as it is the easiest way for people in the area, where I live to get to Waterloo station.
I just take a bus to Bank and then walk underground to London’s shortest Underground line.
According to this article on London SE1, it is closed because of the covids, but should reopen in April 2021.
Surely, Transport for London could reopen the line, if they vaccinated all the drivers.
As the Waterloo and City Line has an independent new entrance on Wallbrook, there should be no reason, why it couldn’t reopen before the Northern Line through bank is upgraded.
The Central Line At Bank Station
Nothing has been said, about whether the Central Line will be closed through Bank station, during the upgrade.
I don’t think it will be continuously closed, although access to some parts may be restricted.
There could be partial closures at weekends or in the evenings.
So for commuters and other must-travellers, I suspect the Central Line will get through.
The Circle And District Lines At Monument Station
My thoughts about the Circle and District Line would be similar to the Central Line.
But these lines with their connections at Westminster, Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Tower Hill and Whitechapel could prove important during the works.
The Docklands Light Railway At Bank Station
Again my thoughts about the Docklands Light Railway would be similar to the Central Line.
But there is a lot of work going on to improve access to the Docklands Light Railway, and this could result in a closure to allow completion.
Review Bus Use
When I come into London Bridge station, I usually go to the bus station and get a bus, which stops within fifty metres of my front door. Going to London Bridge isn’t as convenient and I take a variety of routes.
But the corridor between London Bridge and Old Street via Bank and Moorgate has three bus routes; 21, 43 and 141, the last two of which terminate in the bus station at London Bridge. I suspect that the frequency of the last two buses could be increased, if they had a few more buses and drivers, and turned them faster at London Bridge.
I also feel there is scope to run a shuttle between Finsbury Square and London Bridge station.
- It would loop round Finsbury Square at the Northern end.
- It would loop through London Bridge station, as the 43 and 141 buses currently do.
- They would serve Moorgate and Bank.
- As it will be running through a busy part of the City with lots of pedestrians, these buses should be either battery or hydrogen.
- But as they should be high-capacity double-deckers, battery probably wouldn’t have enough power.
What better way would there be, to showcase London’s new hydrogen buses?
And I’m sure Jo Bamford, would make sure that London had enough new Wrightbus hydrogen buses to provide the service.
National Rail Between Charing Cross/Waterloo And London Bridge
I am probably not alone in using this route in preference to the Jubilee Line to travel between Westminster and London Bridge, as where there is an alternative to the deep-level Underground, I will often use it.
In my case coming home from Waterloo, I’ll often hop to London Bridge on National Rail and then get a 141 bus home.
This is classic ducking and diving on my part.
I’m sure others will do the same during the Bank branch closure.
I would also hope, that season tickets would allow passengers to swap terminals without too much trouble and any expense.
National Rail Between Cannon Street And London Bridge
Using Cannon Street instead of London Bridge could be an relatively easy alternative for many passengers.
- It connects to the Circle and District Lines.
- There are East-West buses outside the station.
This Google Map shows the location of the station.
There are a number of useful walking routes from the station, which is towards the bottom of the image slightly towards the right.
- Bank station is about 300 metres and six minutes away.
- The North-South buses between Moorgate and London Bridge on King William Street are 200 metres and three minutes away.
- St. Paul’s is a bit further but it does have the Central Line and lots of buses including the 76 to Moorgate and Old Street stations.
At seventy-three, I can still walk between Cannon Street and Moorgate stations in 15 minutes.
Walking Between London Bridge and Moorgate
Transport for London have said they will review this.
It is not a difficult walk and it has improved since traffic was reduced at Bank.
Conclusion
As originally planned, the timings of the various projects were such that these projects would be more of less completed before the upgrade of the tracks at Bank station was to be performed.
- Crossrail
- The Northern Line Extension to Battersea.
- The new Wallbrook entrance to Bank station.
But no-one had foreseen Covid-19.
So I would plan the date of the Northern Line closure with the utmost care.
Walking Between Cannon Street And Moorgate Stations
I took these pictures as I walked between Cannon Street And Moorgate stations.
Note.
- It was a Sunday, so there wasn’t much traffic about.
- The bus stop on King William Street is served by buses 21, 43 and 141. wjich all go to Moorgate and Old Street stations.
I needed to find out how long it took for this other post, called Thoughts On The Closure Of The Northern Line At Bank To Complete The Upgrade To Bank Station.
Timings were as follows.
- Cannon Street Station to the Northbound bus stop on King William Street – 3 minutes
- Cannon Street Station to Bank Junction – 6 minutes
- Cannon Street Station to Moorgate Station – 15 minutes
How much faster would I be in better weather?
From Silicon Roundabout To Bank – 4th February 2021
I was on top of a 21 bus, as I took these series of pictures.
Silicon Roundabout
Note.
- My bus Crossed from North to South down the East side of the roundabout.
- Work is now concentrating on creating the new road and pedestrian layout in the North-West corner of the roundabout.
- There will be a lift for passengers in this corner.
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout.
Note the Shoreditch Grind coffee house on the map.
20 Ropemaker Street
This will be a twenty-seven storey tower.
Moorgate Station
The road was blocked off yesterday, when I went earlier to Marks and Spencer. It still was when I took these pictures.
This screen-capture from a Crossrail video shows a possible future Moorgate.
Note the new buildings at 101 Moorgate and the current Moorgate station.There appears to be a gap, so will the station entrance be set back behind a small pedestrian area?
From Moorgate To Bank
The last two pictures show the works at Bank station.
Parallel Trains At Finsbury Park
I was travelling from Finsbury Park to Kings Cross, so I got on a Grand Northern service.
Like I’ve seen several times, there was a good cross-platform connection, between services going to Kings Cross and Moorgate, which leave from opposite sides of the same platform.
Note.
- The wide platform at Finsbury Park station between the two services.
- At the current time, the Kings Cross trains are every thirty minutes and the Moorgate trains every five minutes.
- Going say from Stevenage to the City would mean a wait of no more than five minutes.
- But going North, you might wait at Finsbury Park for up to half-an-hour.
Finsbury Park could be a very handy interchange as it has Thameslink, Victoria and Piccadilly Line services, in addition to the Kings Cross and Cambridge and Moorgate services.
Walking Along Moorgate – 30th September 2020
I took these pictures as I walked from North to South along Moorgate today from the bus stop by Finsbury Square.
Note.
- I did cross the road three times.
- The building site behind the blue hoardings in some of the first pictures, looks like it could be another tall building.
- The tower looming in the background of several of the pictures is Citypoint, which was originally built in 1967 and refurbished in 2000.
- The new looking building, with the Barclays branch at street level, is not new but another refurbished building, that has been finished in the last few months.
- The older red and white building is Moorgate station. There is nothing to indicate that this building will be rebuilt.
- The odd shaped building to the South of the station is Moor House.
- A large new entrance to the station, with an office block on top is being built between the original station entrance and Moor House.
- Between the new station entrance and Moorgate, 101 Moorgate is being built.
There is certainly, a lot of all types of property development going on at Moorgate station, which after Crossrail opens will become the Western entrance to the Crossrail station at Liverpool Street station.
This 3D Google Map shows Moorgate.
101 Moorgate is marked with a red arrow.
A Crossrail Video Of Liverpool Street Station
This video shows the design of Crossrail’s Liverpool Street station.
This screen-capture from the video shows a possible future Moorgate.
Note the new buildings at 101 Moorgate and the current Moorgate station.
These are related posts on the design of the Crossrail station at Moorgate and Liverpool Street.
- London’s First Underground Roller Coaster
- Moorgate Is Being Refurbished In Readiness For Crossrail
- Has The Possibility Been Created For A Pedestrian Tunnel Between Bank And Moorgate Stations?
The station could become the major one for the City of London.
Extending the Northern City Line To The South
This was intended by the builders of the Northern City Line and they intended to take the route to just North of Bank station at Lothbury.
In the Wikipedia entry for Moor House, this is said.
Completed in 2004, it was the first building to be designed for the forthcoming Crossrail, with a ventilation shaft to the station underneath the building. When built, it had the deepest foundations in London, which reach down 57 metres (187 ft) and are specifically designed to withstand further tunneling below it in the future.
I suspect that could mean that Moor House won’t get in the way of any further railway development.
In the Wikipedia entry for the Northern City Line, this is said about possible developments planned after World War 2.
After the war there were proposals to extend the Northern City Line north and south. The London Plan Working Party Report of 1949 proposed several new lines and suburban electrification schemes for London, lettered from A to M. The lower-priority routes J and K would have seen the Northern City Line extended to Woolwich (Route J) and Crystal Palace (Route K), retaining the “Northern Heights” extensions to Edgware and Alexandra Palace. The lines would have run in small-diameter tube tunnels south from Moorgate to Bank and London Bridge. The “K” branch would have run under Peckham to Peckham Rye, joining the old Crystal Palace (High Level) branch (which was still open in 1949) near Lordship Lane. Nothing came of these proposals, and the Edgware, Alexandra Palace and Crystal Palace (High Level) branches were all closed to passengers in 1954. As a result, the Northern City Line remained isolated from the rest of the network.
Note.
- The proposed J branch to Woolwich has been covered by Crossrail calling at both Moorgate and Woolwich.
- The proposed K branch to Peckham Rye and Crystal Palace has been covered by Crossrail and the London Overground with a change at Whitechapel.
So why bother to open up the possibility by designing Moor House for more tunnels to be bored?
As the London Plan Working Party Report of 1949 indicated several more lines and electrification were proposed.
Also during the war several deep-level shelters were built under Underground stations. Wikipedia says this about the background to the shelters.
Each shelter consists of a pair of parallel tunnels 16 feet 6 inches (5.03 m) in diameter and 1,200 feet (370 m) long. Each tunnel is subdivided into two decks, and each shelter was designed to hold up to 8,000 people. It was planned that after the war the shelters would be used as part of new express tube lines paralleling parts of the existing Northern and Central lines. Existing tube lines typically had 11-foot-8.25-inch (3.56 m) diameter running tunnels and about 21 feet (6.4 m) at stations; thus the shelter tunnels would not have been suitable as platform tunnels and were constructed at stations the new lines would have bypassed. However, they would have been suitable as running tunnels for main-line size trains. (One existing tube, the Northern City Line opened in 1904, used a similar size of tunnel for this reason, although in fact main-line trains did not use it until 1976.)
Shelters were planned on the Northern Line at Belsize Park, Camden Town, Goodge Street, Stockwell, Clapham North, Clapham Common, and Clapham South on the Northern Line. Did London Transport do a full survey of the Northern Line before the war and leave documents saying where an express Northern Line could be easily built.
My mother told me about these plans and as her best friend worked in Personnel at London Transport, she probably knew more than the average suburban housewife, who worked part-time for my father as a book-keeper.
After Crossrail opens and Moorgate station and the Bank station Upgrade are completed will it be possible to bore two new full-size tunnels underneath the Northern Line and Moor House and other buildings on the route to create a Northern Line Express service?
Consider.
- The tunnels would be very deep and suitable for full-size trains.
- Moorgate, Bank and London Bridge stations will have all been rebuilt in the last twenty years, so hopefully, they have been built to allow tunnels for a Northern Line Express service to pass through.
- The Northern Line Express would take the pressure off the City Branch of the Northern Line?
- Initially, the line might terminate under London Bridge station in perhaps a two platform station.
- Modern digital signalling would allow up to 24 trains per hour (tph) on the section between London Bridge and Alexandra Palace station and 12 tph on the Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage branches
It would be a lot easier to build than Crossrail 2 and would give some of the benefits.
An Extension To North Cheam?
The Wikipedia entry for Morden station has this paragraph.
A post-war review of rail transport in the London area produced a report in 1946 that proposed many new lines and identified the Morden branch as being the most overcrowded section of the London Underground, needing additional capacity. To relieve the congestion and to provide a new service south of Morden, the report recommended construction of a second pair of tunnels beneath the northern line’s tunnels from Tooting Broadway to Kennington and an extension from Morden to North Cheam. Trains using the existing tunnels would start and end at Tooting Broadway with the service in the new tunnels joining the existing tunnels to Morden. The extension to North Cheam would run in tunnel. Designated as routes 10 and 11, these proposals were not developed by the London Passenger Transport Board or its successor organisations.
Perhaps, the solution would be to bore two new deep full-size tunnels from Moorgate to Tooting Broadway.
- The Northern Line Express trains couldn’t continue to Morden, as they would be too big for the existing tunnels.
- So they would have to turn back at Tooting Broadway station.
- The stations between Kennington and Morden, that are in need of improvement could be updated.
- I would design the interchange between Northern Line Express and Northern Line trains at Tooting Broadway station as a step-free cross-platform interchange.
The Wikipedia entry for North Cheam station, describes the extension to the station.
- It would have been in tunnel from Morden.
- There would be an intermediate station at Morden South station.
- It didn’t think much of the economics.
- I would suspect that the tunnel would run under the A 24.
- The tunnel would be just under three miles long.
I wonder, if the extra distance, made operation of the line easier.
I estimate that a train could go from Morden to North Cheam stations and back in under ten minutes.
- This would allow 6 tph with a single tunnel and track between the two stations.
- The two new stations; North Cheam and Morden South could be single platform.
- The signalling could be simplified.
The extension could be more affordable.
A Hand Sanitiser In A Quiet Corner
This corner at Moorgate station never gets any passenger traffic, but thousands pass within three or four metres or so.
So what a good place to put a hand sanitiser.
I often use these sanitisers, when I pass and wonder if they should be a permanent feature, even after COVID-19 has passed.
Would they help in the control of winter influenza?
Another Space To Be Filled
This Google Map shows the City of London North of Moorgate station.
Note the crossroads, where South Place goes East from the A501, which has LEON and Boots on the West side and Barclays Bank on the East.
The South-East corner of the crossroads has been redeveloped and now it the time for the North-West corner to be redeveloped.
The pictures show that the site has been cleared.
- At appears that the site will be a development called 20 Ropemaker Street.
- It will be up to 27 stories high.
- It will be 457,000 square feet of offices.
- There will be retail premises along Finsbury Pavement opposite Gap and Marks & Spencer.
- The building will be the new London headquarters for Linklakers LLP.
There are also hints on the Internet, that the main entrance will be opposite the entrance for Moorgate station, with all its connections to the following.
Circle Line
- Crossrail
- Hammersmith & City Line
- Metropolitan Line
- Northern Line
- Northern City Line
It looks to me that the developers are taking advantage of the transport developments.
My Bus Stop At Moorgate Has Been Reopened
The easiest way to get to my house is to get a 21, 76 or 141 bus from outside Moorgate station. All stop within a hundred metres of my house.
For several years the stop has been a temporary affair, whilst Moorgate station is rebuilt.
But now it’s a proper stop with a next bus display and a shelter.
Much of what I need in life, is available close to this stop.
- On the other side of the road is a Marks and Spencer store with both food and clothes.
- Within twenty metres of the stop, there are Boots, Hotel Chocolat, Pret a Manger and Leon.
- There’s a PC World and a Rymans around the corner.
And underneath it all is Crossrail!
I will have my own personal frequent bus route to London’s new rail line!
The Ultimate Capacity Of The Moorgate Line
The Moorgate Line is an important commuter line to and from its terminus at Moorgate station within easy walking distance of the City of London.
I use the line regularly to travel between my house and Moorgate station for breakfast at Leon, followed by shopping in Marks & Spencer on Finsbury Pavement.
- I catch a 38 or 56 bus from close to my house to Essex Road station.
- I then take the Northern City Line two stops to Moorgate station.
After my breakfast and shopping, I generally get a 141 bus home, as it means less road crossings to get to my house.
A Useful Line That Needs Improvement
It is a useful and well-used line, that needs improvement in various areas, some of which is already being done or is either in planning or fully planned.
The New Class 717 Trains
The new Class 717 trains are now all running up and down without too many problems.
The trains have been designed for the route, so hopefully they have the following features.
- Fast and automatic voltage changeover between 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third-rail at Drayton Park station.
- Ready for ERTMS signalling.
- 100 mph running, so they don’t get in the way of Thameslink trains on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).
- Fast acceleration and regenerative braking to batteries for fast station stops and train recovery, when power fails.
- Optimisation for fast entry and exit to the trains.
I am afraid that they don’t fully meet the last three points, but they should!
It will be interesting to compare these trains, with Stadler’s new Class 777 trains for Merseyrail, which are also replacing similar BR units.
I believe that regenerative braking to batteries is important for trains in tunnels, and as far as I can determine, only Bombardier’s Class 345 trains for Crossrail have it fitted.
- It reduces the power running in the overhead cables or third-rail in the tunnels, which generates less heat.
- Conventional braking can be avoided in tunnels.
- In case of power failure, the train can be moved to the next station for passenger evacuation.
If trains, tunnels and power supply are designed as a complete system, then surely there must be cost savings.
It is also probably true to say about these trains, that if the operator needed some more trains, then Siemens would probably oblige.
Upgrading The Route
The complete route consists of three separate parts.
- The Northern City Line between Moorgate and Finsbury Park stations.
- The slow lines of the East Coast Main Line to the South of Welwyn Garden City station.
- The Hertford Loop Line between Stevenage and Alexandra Palace stations
The big upgrade planned for the East Coast Main Line is to install ERTMS digital signalling between Doncaster and Kings Cross.
Network Rail are doing their first digital signalling design in a darkened room with no communication to the real world, but I believe if the project was designed by experienced engineers, the following will happen.
- Any train that might use the East Coast Main Line will be fitted with ERTMS signalling.
- This ERTMS roll-out must include all Class 717 trains, as these can use the East Coast Main Loop to Welwyn Garden City and at Stevenage station.
- As the Hertford Loop Line is used as a diversion for the East Coast Main Line, it would be logical to install ERTMS signalling on this route.
- Installing ERTMS signalling into Moorgate station would surely be beneficial and would surely be needed to get the best of ERTMS on the East Coast Main Line.
The outcome should be that the whole Moorgate Line will become a fully digitally signalled route.
This should increase train frequency and capacity on all the digitally signalled routes.
- The fast lines of the East Coast Main Line will become a 140 mph race track.
- The slow lines of the East Coast Main Line will allow extra services.
- If coupled with track improvements, extra capacity on the Hertford Loop Line could be used to allow services to by-pass the bottleneck of the Digswell Viaduct with its limited pair of tracks.
- The Northern and City Line could take extra trains to and from Moorgate.
There could be reorganisation of some services.
- Kings Cross and Cambridge/Ely/Kings Lynn services would be run by 140 mph trains, so they could use the fast lines on the East Coast Main Line. I feel these services could be extended to Norwich, but that’s another matter. What would Alan Partridge think of High Speed Norwich?
- Thameslink services serving Peterborough would still use the East Coast Main Line, so they could call at Welwyn North and Knebworth stations, but why not divert the four trains per hour (tph) that serve Cambridge onto the Hertford Loop Line at Stevenage, to ease pressure over the Digswell Viaduct.
Consider.
- An upgraded Hertford Loop Line with full digital signalling could be able to handle as many as the twenty-four tph of Thameslink and Crossrail,
- The grade-separated junction with the East Coast Main Line is being improved.
- There are only infrequent freight trains on the Hertford Loop Line.
- Various platform upgrades at Hertford East and Gordon Hill could allow passing and more turnbacks.
My scheduling experience says that with a well-programmed computer calling the shots, that at least twenty tph along the Hertford Loop Line would be a serious possibility.
Improvements At Stevenage
The Stevenage improvements are very comprehensive and are designed so that however many trains run through the Hertford Loop, they can all stop in the station, if required.
Improvements At Alexandra Palace
If you are travelling North from Moorgate and find yourself on an East Coast Main Line service, when you need a Hertford Loop one, there is a cross-platform interchange at Alexandra Palace station, where the two routes are on either side of the platform.
It is convenient, but the platform needs better facilities, like a decent waiting room, better information screens and possibly a coffee stall and toilets.
Going South, there are two separate platforms, but this doesn’t matter, as there is no need to change.
Although surely, if all trains left from the same island, it would be easier for passengers.
The station would be improved with a properly-designed step-free bridge and information screens.
Passengers needing other than Moorgate as a final destination must change at Finsbury Park for Thameslink or the Piccadilly Line
The Knitting At Finsbury Park
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the tangle of lines at Finsbury Park station.
Note that the blue lines are the Victoria and Piccadilly Lines.
Improvements in the last few years have unlocked some of the station’s potential, but there is still plenty of space on the railway land to add extra tracks and possibly reinstate two more platforms.
If there are any train capacity problems, I believe that they can be solved.
The main passenger interchanges at Finsbury Park station are.
- An up-and-down interchange with the Piccadilly Line
- A cross platform interchange with Thameslink
Lifts have been added recently.
Improvements At Drayton Park Station
Drayton Park station is one of those stations, that should be given to developers with a blessing and a very detailed set of objectives and timescales enshrined in a watertight contract.
- The station sits very close to the Emirates Stadium.
- The new trains have increased passenger capacity through the station.
- It could handle much-more match day traffic.
- Large amounts of housing could be built on top.
If done well, it could provide a lot of housing and take the pressures off the other stations in the area on match days.
Improvements At Highbury & Islington Station
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Highbury & Islington station.
The track layout is basically sound.
The cross-platform interface between the Victoria and Moorgate Line is superb and only needs a good team of builders and lighting specialists to give it a modern finish to make it even better.
The Overground will get better too, as service frequencies increase by up to fifty percent.
The big problem at Highbury & Islington station is that access to the deep level platforms is not fit for purpose.
It is an absolute disgrace that The Mayor and Transport for London have put forward no plan to solve the problem of access to the deep level platforms.
The solution would probably involve opening up the disused station entrance on the on the side of Holloway Road and sinking an escalator and lift shaft to the four platforms. As at Drayton Park station, I believe with the right contract, it could be handed to a developer.
At least Crossrail, when it opens might give a bit of relief in the Peak. Many passengers might avoid Highbury & Islington station altogether by changing between the Overground and Crossrail at Whitechapel.
Like water, passengers tend to flow through the widest channels and find their own level.
Improvements At Essex Road Station
Essex Road station is a disgusting station, with all the charm of a Victorian slum.
As with Drayton Park station, it should be given to developers with a blessing and a very detailed set of objectives and timescales enshrined in a watertight contract.
Improvements At Old Street Station
The access to the existing Old Street station is being improved, but it seems to be taking forever.
I do hope, there is a realistic plan to create a flagship station for Silicon Roundabout.
Improvements At Moorgate Station
This station is being fully upgraded for Crossrail.
Eventually, there will be step-free access between the following lines.
- Central Line
- Circle Line
- Crossrail
- Hammersmith & City Line
- Northern Line
In addition all the National Rail lines out of Liverpool Street will be step and weather-free from all the other lines.
This can only increase the number of passengers using the Moorgate Line.
The Ultimate Frequency
I said earlier that the complete route consists of three separate parts.
- The Northern City Line between Moorgate and Finsbury Park stations.
- The slow lines of the East Coast Main Line to the South of Welwyn Garden City station.
- The Hertford Loop Line between Stevenage and Alexandra Palace stations
These are my thoughts on the capacity of each section.
Frequency Of The Northern City Line
I know Walthamstow Central station on the Victoria Line well and have observed the following.
- Thirty-six tph come and go for most of the day.
- From the time the brakes are applied after a train arrives until the time they are release when the train leaves is about two and a half minutes.
- Drivers use a procedure called stepping-up to speed the turnround. The driver leaves the arrived train and a new driver gets in at the other end, to drive it out.
- There is a lot of passenger congestion in the Peak, due to bad passenger access.
Surely, if Dear Old Vicky can handle thirty-six tph with the following.
- Two platforms,
- Modern trains
- Modern signalling
- Well-trained staff
- Not the best passenger access with just two escalators.
Then the new Class 717 trains at Moorgate with the best passenger access can handle a higher frequency than they do now!
I suspect that around twenty tph can be achieved fairly easily, but that in future , a higher frequency will be achieved.
Frequency Of The Slow Lines Of The East Coast Main Line
London has several commuter lines with frequencies of over 10 tph.
- Foremost, are Crossrail and Thameslink, which are both planned to run at 24 tph
- The East London Line is also planned to increase from 16 tph to 20 tph.
- The North London Line is planned to be increased from its current eight tph
- Waterloo and Wimbledon is upwards of 8 tph.
In addition most London Underground lines have frequencies in excess of 16 tph.
The slow lines of the East Coast Main Line to be a railway, in a few years time with the following characteristics between Finbsbury Park and Welwyn Garden City.
- At least one track in each direction.
- An operating speed of over 60 mph
- ERTMS signalling, which will be fitted to all trains on the lines.
I can’t see any reason, why the lines couldn’t be able to handle up to twenty tph in both directions, based on the experience of other lines in London, that have been operating for over a decade.
But strand on the bridge for an hour at a station like Oakleigh Park, at a busy time of day and you’ll be lucky to see ten trains.
There is a lot more capacity on the slow lines of the East Coast Main Line, to use to add extra services between London and Welwyn Garden City.
Adding services that go further North than Welwyn Garden City will need a solution to the double-track section over the Digswell Viaduct.
Frequency Of The Hertford Loop Line
I said this earlier.
My scheduling experience says that with a well-programmed computer calling the shots, that at least twenty tph along the Hertford Loop Line would be a serious possibility.
I also think that the slow lines of the East Coast Main Line can handle the same frequency, so I very much stand by my original figure.
Is There An ERTMS-based Solution To The Digswell Viaduct?
I answer that question in Is There An ERTMS-based Solution To The Digswell Viaduct?.
Some Questions
Various people over recent months have asked me questions about possible improvements to the Moorgate Line.
Could There Be A Direct Escalator Connection Between Bowes Park Station On The Hertford Loop Line and Bounds Green Station On The Piccadilly Line?
This map from carto.metro.free.fr, shows the two stations.
Bounds Green station is one of the Piccadilly Line’s classic stations.
I took the picture, when I walked between the Bowes Park and Bounds Green stations
It is a level walk, that could be better signed and if the two stations were to be made step-free it would be an easier interchange than that at Finsbury Park.
In my view, improving the two stations and the local environment, would be much better value than an expensive escalator connection.
Should There Be A Second London Terminal?
Kings Cross is used as a London terminal at times, but would there be much of a necessity.
Passengers can use the following connections to get to Kings Cross and other stations along Euston Road.
- A cross-platform interchange at Finsbury Park with Thameslink
- A cross-platform interchange at Highbury & Islington with the Victoria Line
- When Crossrail opens, there will be a step-free connection with the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines at Moorgate.
Passenger numbers will decide.
Could The Moorgate Line Be Extended South To Bank Station?
The original Victorian plans for the Moorgate Line show the line extended to a station at Lothbury, which is just behind the Bank of England. This Google Map shows the area.
These pictures show the area, where Lothbury and Moorgate meet.
Given the difficulty of handling the logistics of all the tunnelling for the Bank station upgrade, I don’t think the City of London would look too kindly on a rail extension between Moorgate and Bank, especially, as there is already the Northern Line and even I can walk it easily.
It could be argued as Moorgate is served by Crossrail and Bank station isn’t, that there will be a high level of passenger traffic between the two stations.
Consider.
- It is only five hundred metres to walk.
- The Northern Line is jammed solid between London Bridge and Kings Cross in the Peak.
- After the completion of the massive Liverpool Street-Moorgate double-ended Crossrail station and the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade, a one stop on either the Central Line or the Northern Line will be step-free.
- The Liverpool Street-Moorgate Crossrail station will hopefully have a selection of entrances with good connections to walking routes leading South towards Bank.
- The City of London is planning to make the streets of the city more friendly to walking and cycling.
- More and taller towers are increasing employment in the City.
Will the walking routes and the Central and Northern Lines be overwhelmed?
I think they could be, but there could be other solutions.
- Opening up of more walking routes and improving the already pretty good street maps and signage.
- A redesign of the bus network with high capacity electric buses taking over the routes between Old Street and London Bridge stations.
I also wonder, if it would be possible to dig a pedestrian tunnel between the two stations under the existing roads and fit it with travelators.
The ingenuity that has been shown in the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade has probably suggested a few ideas.
But I’m absolutely sure there will be no extension of the railway pass Moorgate.
Is The Interchange With Thameslink At Finsbury Park Frequent Enough?
It seems that Thameslink will run four tph through Finsbury Park station.
- All will have cross-platform interchange with Moorgate Line services.
- All services will serve London Bridge, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport stations.
Are these enough services?
Passenger numbers will decide.
Should Some Thameslink Services Use The Hertford Loop?
I said this earlier.
Thameslink services serving Peterborough would still use the East Coast Main Line, so they could call at Welwyn North and Knebworth stations, but why not divert the four trains per hour (tph) that serve Cambridge onto the Hertford Loop Line at Stevenage, to ease pressure over the Digswell Viaduct.
It possibly is an idea, but I also believe, that ERTMS signalling could offer an elegant solution to the Digswell Viaduct problem.
Could The Moorgate Line Have Some New Park-An-Ride Stations?
There are two possibilities on the Hertford Loop Line.
This Google Map shows where the Hertford Loop Line crosses the M25, to the North of Crews Hill station.
It would probably be impossible to build a Park-and-Ride station in this area now, but if the M25 had been designed in an holistic and environmentally-sympathetic manner, it could have been a place for such a facility.
There must also be the possibility of building a Park-and-Ride or more likely a Cycle-and-Ride station to the South of Stevenage, as the town develops, as it surely will in the next decade.
From my helicopter, it doesn’t look promising to add more parking except possibly at Hadley Wood station. This page from Hansard is a good summary of GNER’s original proposal in about 2000.
Should The Moorgate Line Be Taken Over By Transport for London?
Consider.
- This is certainly a desire of the London Mayor; Saddiq Khan.
- After the farce of the Metropolitan Line Extension at Watford will Greater London and Hertfordshire be able to work together over the route?
- There are twelve stations in Hertfordshire and twenty in Greater London.
- Stations are in four Greater London Boroughs; Barnet, Enfield, Haringey and Islington with Moorgate actually in the City of London.
The line might improve as part of Transport for London, but agreeing the management and development strategy for the line, with all those politicians of different colours, could be a nightmare.
Conclusion
Without doubt all of the parts of the Moorgate Line can handle at least twenty tph and possibly more, once the following conditions are met.
- Full ERTMS signalling on all lines.
- The stations are capable of handling the increased number of passengers.
- There are a few more trains.
Automatic Train Control may need to be used in certain sections, as it will be on Crossrail and Thameslink.
What Would This Mean For Passengers?
The current pattern of train services in the Off Peak is as follows.
- 4 tph – Welwyn Garden City
- 2 tph – Hertford North
- 1 tph – Watton-at-Stone
- 1 tph – Stevenage
Note.
- This is well below the future capacity of the section between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace stations
- It needs eight trains for each branch or a total of sixteen trains.
The simplest pattern would be twenty tph between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace stations, which would serve the following destinations.
- 10 tph – Welwyn Garden City
- 5 tph – Hertford North
- 5 tph – Stevenage
Note.
- Intermediate stations, like New Barnet and Cuffley would get a train every six minutes.
- The service would need forty trains.
- I doubt Great Nortern would want to finance the extra trains.
Cutting the service back to somewhere in between would also work.
- 6 tph – Welwyn Garden City
- 3 tph – Hertford North
- 3 tph – Stevenage
Note.
- Intermediate stations, like New Barnet and Cuffley would get a train every ten minutes.
- The service would need twenty-four trains.
As there are twenty-five Class 717 trains, is this Great Northern’s plan?
It looks to me like a plan designed by Great Northern’s accountants based on the least they can get away with.
An Improved Service For South Hertfordshire
Consider.
- The extra platform and remodelling at Stevenage station are ambitious and the new platform could probably handle six tph.
- Stevenage has an LN|ER service to the North of two tph.
- East Coast Trains intend to start a service linking Stevenage to Newcastle and Edinburgh.
- Healthcare in South Hertfordshire sends patients to hospitals at Barnet and Stevenage, neither of which are easy from a station like Cuffley
- Bus services across are not for the frail, elderly and impatient.
- There is no rail link between Hertford and Hatfield except with a change at Alexandra Palace station, which is not step-free.
Perhaps the Moorgate train service should be as follows.
- 8 tph – Welwyn Garden City
- 4 tph – Hertford North
- 4 tph – Stevenage
Note.
- Importantly, there would be four tph to between Alexandra Palace and Stevenage.
- The Stevenage services would link up to the improved fast services between Stevenage and the North of England and Scotland.
- Intermediate stations, like New Barnet and Cuffley would get a train every seven-eight minutes.
- The service would need thirty-two trains, which is probably another eight trains.
I also think, that Alexandra Palace station should be made step-free to ease journeys from one side of Hertfordshire to the other.
.
The Anonymous Widower 