What Is Happening At Old Oak Common?
I ask this question as I have just read this article on the New Civil Engineer web site which is entitled Old Oak Common Megadeck Momentum Slows.
This is said.
Momentum for the 7ha deck to be built over the Crossrail depot in the new Old Oak and Park Royal development in west London has slowed according to the chief executive of the regeneration body in charge of the work.
Sadiq Khan is blaming Boris, as any politician would.
It is truly a massive site, as this Google Map shows.
The two stations at the top of the map is Willesden Junction station.
Running across the map is the Great Western Main Line, with the various depots and Cargiant to the North.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines in the area.
This aerial view of the area is from Crossrail.
The megadeck is needed to go over much of this area, so that housing and other developments can be built.
Crowded Roads In West London
Today, I tried to get to West Drayton station to have a lunchtime drink with an old mate from Cambridge, who had called me up yesterday, as he might have needed a second person to help him with one of his robotic machines.
But it all went pear-shaped at Paddington, where trains to West Drayton were very much delayed and I was advised to take the Underground to Greenford station and then use a bus.
But at Greenford, there wasn’t a bus map or anybody to ask, so in the end I took a bus to Ealing Hospital, where I thought I knew I could get a bus to West Drayton. But there wasn’t! So I thought about giving up and instead, I got a bus to Ealing Broadway station, to get back to Paddington. But I arrived at Ealing Broadway station, just before a train to West Drayton arrived. I caught that, had a drink with my friend and then caught a train back to Paddington. He didn’t need me to help, as all he needed was a pair of eyes to tell him what was happening at the sharp end of his machine and the client had turned up with his glasses.
So I achieved my objective and also had a wander round the Boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon on buses and trains.
I trundle round North and East London most of the time and sometimes I even cross the River and go to the Deep South.
But I do find West London the most crowded, with buses slowed by all the traffic on the roads and infrequent very busy trains.
The West of London needs improvement in public transport.
I sometimes think, the traffic has got worse over the forty-six years, I had a driving licence.
Rail And Underground Lines
There are several lines going West from Central London, which include.
- The Chiltern Line from Marylebone to West Ruislip
- The Central Line to West Ruislip
- The Metroplitan Line to Uxbridge
- The Piccadilly Line to Uxbridge
- The Great Western Main Line tfrom Paddington to Reading and Heathrow
- The Piccadilly Line to Heathrow
Going further round, there are several lines from Waterloo going to the South West.
Only one line; the West London Line goes North South, although there used to be others.
The network is probably more sparse than some other directions from London.
Reliance on Cars And Buses
I think this rather thin coverage, puts a heavy radiance on cars and buses, which might explain the crowded roads.
Crossrail
Crossrail will bring improvement with the following Off Peak services in trains per hour (tph), along the slow lines of the Great Western Main Line.
- 4 tph to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 2 tph to Reading
- 2 tph to Maidenhead
Note.
- The central core tunnel probably has a limit of 24 tph.
- The service has a good balance between the various destinations.
- There will also be Great Western Railway services.
- Looking at the Crossrail schedule, there is scope to adjust the schedule on each branch.
I think that as Crossrail develops and the line and its passengers learn more about each other, the service pattern of Crossrail will change.
If I have a worry about Crossrail, it is that few of the stations towards Central London have many parking spaces, so will walking, cycling and the buses be adequate for Crossrail to tap its full potential?
The West London Tram
The West London Tram was proposed by Ken Livingstone in 2002.
These paragraphs from Wikipedia describes the tram and its route.
The West London Tram was a proposed on-street light rail line that was to run along the Uxbridge Road (A4020) corridor in West London, England. The scheme is promoted by Transport for London (TfL) but opposed by the councils of all three London Boroughs through which it would run. It was postponed indefinitely on 2 August 2007
The tram route was planned to run between Uxbridge and Shepherd’s Bush, serving Hillingdon, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing and Acton en route and would have completely replaced a number of equivalent London Bus routes.
If it had been built it would have had good connectivity to Crossrail and the Central Line. But the view of those against the project prevailed.
In my trip today, you could see why probably every car driver in the area, would be against a scheme like the tram. Only at places on the route, where there was a wide island of grass dividing the carriageways, would the tram not have increased congestion.
It looks like the thirty million pounds spent was wasted.
Crossrail And/Or West London Tram?
This Google Map shows the area around the three stations of Hanwell, West Ealing And Ealing Broadway.
Great Western Main Line And The A4020 Through Ealing
Note.
- The Great Western Main Line across the middle.
- The A 4020 runs South of and parallel to the railway.
- Ealing Hospital is marked by the red arrow in the bottom left of the map.
I asked in the Header to this section if it should be And/Or between the projects.
Undoubtedly, it should be Or! Taxpayers can’t afford both!
In comparing the two, I believe the following points are valid.
- Trams stop about three or four more times than trains.
- The train is faster.
- The tram doesn’t serve Old Oak Common station or Heathrow.
- Trams annoy drivers in the same way that bendy buses do.
- Crossrail has a rich connection pattern compared to the tram.
- Pedestrians probably prefer trams, whilst drivers prefer trains.
The politicians decided and chose the trains.
Making More Of The Railways
If the streets are crowded can we use the existing railways to inject greater capacity into the existing railways in West London?
The key to this, as it sits in the middle of so many lines is the creation of a new station at Old Oak Common.
I will now summarise the possible rail projects that can be developed in West London
Chiltern Railways To Old Oak Common
Chiltern Railways have a capacity problem at Marylebone and one way to alleviate it would be for Chiltern to create a second terminal at Old Oak Common station, which could be accessed using an improved New North Main Line.
There is a real possibility of this project going forward and it could have many worthwhile features.
It would add another East-West route across West London, but with the comprehensive connectivity of Old Oak Common.
Chiltern Metro Creation
Wikipedia says this about a Chiltern Metro.
New Chiltern Metro Service that would operate 4+tph for Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park, South Ruislip and West Ruislip. This would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip, passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow, and a passing loop at Wembley Stadium (part of the old down fast line is in use as a central reversing siding, for stock movements and additionally for 8-car football shuttles to convey passengers to the stadium for events).[73] This ‘Chiltern Metro’ service was not programmed into the last round of franchising agreements.
When I wrote Could A Chiltern Metro Be Created? and came to the conclusion, that it might be possible, I got several positive responses.
Greenford Branch Improvements
The Greenford Branch Line connects the Great Western Main Line and the New North Line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Northern end of the branch, where it joins the New North Line.
Northern End Of The Greenford Branch
Whilst this map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Southern end of the branch, where it joins the Great Western Main Line.
Southern End Of The Greenford Branch
What service the line will get after Crossrail opens has still to be decided,
- 4 tph between West Ealing and Greenford stations is certainly possible.
- There are those, including Ealing Council, who don’t like Greenford losing its direct connection to Paddington.
- A rebuilt Greenford station could incorporate Chiltern services.
As the connections at both ends of the branch allow trains to go in either an East or West direction, could this be useful in creating services between the two main lines?
Brentford Branch Reopening
I wrote about this in Could The Golden Mile In Houslow Get A Station?
The Brentford Branch could be a useful branch, worked by a shuttle train!
Hounslow Loop Line Improvements
The Hounslow Loop Line, which has a strong presence on both sides of the river and takes passengers to and from Waterloo, is being improved to increase capacity.
Could we see the Overground opening new services along the North London Line to perhaps Brentford, Hounslow and Feltham stations?
The route is used by freight trains, and Transport have suggested using the route to create an orbital Overground route.
Conclusions
The railways will take the strain in West London, after the abandonment of the West London Tram.
Could Old Oak Common Be London’s Super Hub Station?
Old Oak Common station is going to be a very important rail hub in the future, with all the services that various companies and organisations would like to see serving the proposed station.
This map shows some of the existing and proposed rail lines in the area.
Rail Lines At Old Oak Common
Current Plans
I’ll now list the lines shown in the map or that go through the area. and are listed in Wikipedia, as having connections at the proposed Old Oak Common station.
1. Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo Line will call
2. Central Line
The Central Line will call.
The Central Line acts as a loop from Crossrail through Central London, serving stations not on the direct route, in Central London between Stratford and Bond Street.
I wrote about the relationship between Crossrail and the Central Line in Ducking And Diving Between Crossrail And The Central Line.
3. Crossrail
Crossrail goes through the area and development of a station has been proposed.
4. Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line goes through the area and local and other services may call.
5. HS2
HS2 will be building a station at Old Oak Common.
6. North London Line
The North London Line is consulting on a new station as I wrote about in Should An Overground Station Be Built At Hythe Road?
The North London Line acts as another East-West line across London and will probably have a frequency of upwards of the current 4 trains per hour (tph) between Richmond and its Eastern connection to Crossrail at Stratford.
7. West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line goes through the area and local and other services may call.
8. West London Line
The West London Line will call and this line gives an easy route to Balham, Clapham Junction and East Croydon stations, which by-passes Central London.
I suspect that the frequency of trains on this route will be increased.
Eight lines is an large amount of connectivity.
Other Possibilities
If that isn’t enough connectivity, there are also these extra possibilities.
1. Chiltern Railways
Chiltern Railways have ambitions to use Old Oak Common station as another London terminus, with perhaps 2 tph.
I wrote about it in Linking Chiltern To Crossrail.
2. Dudding Hill Line
The Dudding Hill Line, runs to the West of Old Oak Common station. It could be electrified and have a station that is connected to Old Oak Common station.
For various reasons, both the Brent and Cricklewood \curves would be electrified, thus giving fully electrified access to and from North and South on the Midland Main Line.
3. Gospel Oak To Barking Line
Transport for London have published ideas to extend the Gospel Oak to Barking Line along an electrified Dudding Hill Line.
Suggestions have talked about 4 tph between Hounslow and Gospel Oak stations.
4. Heathrow Express
Heathrow Express uses the Crossrail route, so it could call.
5. Midland Main Line
If Chiltern can justify using Old Oak Common station, I suspect that services on the Midland Main Line can make the same arguments for using Old Oak Common station as a terminal.
Consider.
- Electrification of the Dudding Hill Line makes this possible.
- St. Pancras which is very much A Fur Coat And No Knickers Station, is short of capacity.
It would give passengers from the East Midlands much better access to London and the South East.
6. Thameslink
There are no plans to link Thameslink to Old Oak Common station, but why not?
I proposed this in Will The Third Runway At Heathrow Be Actually Built In The Near Future?
Under Integration With Both HS1 And HS2, I said this.
It would be possible to do the following.
- Arrange for Heathrow Express and/or Crossrail to call at Old Oak Common for HS2.
- Terminate some Thameslink services at Old Oak Common, thus linking HS1 and HS2.
- Build an easy entrance at St. Pancras to Thameslink close to Eurostar.
- It goes without saying, that Old Oak |Common will make interchange easy between the umpteen lines meeting there.
The Dudding Hill Line would be electrified.
This proposal and the related electrification of the Dudding Hill Line would do the following.
- Give Chiltern, Crossrail, GWR and Heathrow Express a connection to HS1.
- Give Thameslink a better connection to HS2 and the West Coast Main Line
- Create a fast ink between HS1 and HS2.
What could a Thameslink service to Old Oak Common station look like?
- I would terminate 4 tph trains at Old Oak Common to give an adequate level of service.
- It might be advantageous to use eight-car Class 700 trains on this route, so that all trains North of Cricklewood could be twelve-car trains.
- Could the trains going to Old Oak Common be the Wimbledon Loop trains?
- There could be advantages in having 2 tph between Old Oak Common and London Bridge.
Obviously, passenger statistics would determine the services required.
Old Oak Common As An Airport Hub
If all or some of these plans come to pass, Old Oak Common station will be well-connected to the following airports.
- Birmingham – Under 50 minutes by HS2.
- City – Under 20 minutes by Crossrail
- Gatwick – Under 50 minutes by Thameslink
- Heathrow – Around 20 minutes by Crossrail and around 15 minutes by Heathrow Express
- Luton – Under 30 minutes by Midland Main Line.
- Manchester – Around an hour by HS2.
- Southend – Around 80 minutes by Crossrail and Greater Anglia.
- Stansted – Around 55 minutes by Crossrail and Stansted Express.
The figures are very much my best estimates, as the Thameslink and HS2 web sites don’t have simple journey time calculators as does the Crossrail web site.
But these timings do show some interesting facts, that will effect the developments of airports in Southern England.
- Birmingham Airport is a practical alternative for those living with easy access to the HS2 stations at Euston or Old Oak Common.
- Gatwick access needs to be faster to compete with Heathrow and Luton.
- When HS2 reaches Manchester Aiorport, it will be a practical alternative for Middle England.
- Southend Airport will be good for those East of London, but the journey time needs to be cut, by running faster trains to London.
- Stansted Airport needs a faster connection to London and they will push for the four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line.
There will be a massive battle for passengers and Network Rail will be under tremendous pressure to perform.
Rail Companies, Lines And Terminals, Without A Direct Connection To Old Oak Common Station
There is quite a few, even if you cut out train operators like Arriva Trains Wales, Scotrail, Northern and TransPennine, that don’t serve London.
1. Caledonian Sleeper
With all its connectivity, would Old Oak Common be the logical destination for the Caledonian Sleeper?
Could Old Oak Common, be London’s hub for all sleeper trains?
2. Circle, District And Metropolitan Lines
There are various ways to get on the Circle, District and Metropolitan Lines depending on where you want to go.
Just as the Central Line acts as a loop from Crossrail, the Sub-Surface Lines have various loops running parallel to Crossrail through Central London.
- Circle and Metropolitan Lines, running North of Crossrail, from Paddington to Whitechapel.
- Circle and District Lines, running South of Crossrail, from Paddington to Whitechapel.
- District Line, running, South of Crossrail, from Ealing Broadway to Whitechapel.
My prediction in Is Whitechapel Station Going To Be A Jewel In The East?, seems to becoming true.
3. c2c
As I said in Will c2c Push For Access To Stratford And Liverpool Street?, c2c needs a connection to a station on Crossrail.
With some reorganisation of services, I believe that it might possible to have a 4 tph service to Stratford and Liverpool Street stations, which would give passengers in the c2c area, access to Crossrail
4. East Coast Main Line
These are routes between Old Oak Common and Kings Cross station for the East Coast Main Line.
- Crossrail to Farringdon and then the Metropolitan Line
- North London Line to Highbury and Islington and then the Victoria Line.
- Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus and then the Victoria Line.
- Crossrail to Tottenham Court Road and then a 10, 73 or 390 bus.
- Narrow boat on the canals.
- If Thameslink should in the future serve Old Oak Common, that can be taken to St. Pancras Thameslink, followed by a walk.
None of the routes are of the best.
If you had plenty of time, Tottenham Court Road station and then a bus would be a good route, as the bus drops you in the front of Kings Cross station, with totally flat access to the trains. If you’re early and it’s sunny, you can sit in the best Waiting Room at a London station.
For local services on the East Coast Main Line, there are two slower alternatives.
- Crossrail to Moorgate and then use the Great Northern Metro.
- Thameslink to St. Pancras Thameslink, cross to the other platform and take Thameslink to Cambridge or Peterborough.
The second route, would be much easier, if St. Psncras had an island platform for Thameslink. At least it’s only escalators and lifts.
There is one development, that might happen, that could improve journeys to and from Kings Cross station. That is the reopening of Maiden Lane station.
5. Jubilee Line
The Jubilee Line has interchanges with Crossrail at Bond Street, Canary Wharf and Stratford stations, with an interchange with Thameslink at London Bridge station.
It also has a step-free interchange with the Bakerloo Line at Baker Street station.
The Jubilee Line also acts as a loop from Crossrail serving stations away from the main route through Central London between Stratford and Bond Street.
6. London Bridge, Cannon Street And Charing Cross
I have grouped all these three stations together as the rebuilding of London Bridge station and the Thameslink Programme have connected these three stations in a way that will change passenger patterns dramatically for users of these three stations.
For myself, it will mean that to access any trains from Cannon Street and Charing Cross or on Thameslink going South, I will probably use a bus to the superb London Bridge station with all its escalators and lifts, rather than fight my way through Central London.
Others will also choose to go direct to London Bridge, possibly by using the Jubilee or Northern Linse. It will be interesting to see how passenger usage changes at Cannon Street and Charing Cross stations.
London Bridge shows what could have been done, if they’d spent the money wisely at the dreadful St. Pancras.
There are four main routes between London Bridge and Old Oak Common stations.
- Bakerloo Line to Waterloo and then the Jubilee Line.
- Crossrail to Bond Street and then the loop of the Jubilee Line.
- Crossrail to Farringdon and then Thmeslink
- If Thameslink serves Old Oak Common, there could even be a direct train.
I suspect there are other routes and it will all be down to personal preference and where you catch your next train in London Bridge.
Cannon Street station could almost be considered a London Bridge North station.
- It has seven terminal platforms. Try fitting more into London Bridge.
- It is within easy walking distance of much of the City of London.
- On a nice day, many might even walk from Cannon Street to Moorgate for Crossrail, as this route could be pedestrianised.
- It has access to the Circle and District Lines, which with a change at Paddington give access to Crossrail and Old Oak Common station.
- In a few years time, it will have good access to the Northern and Central Lines at Bank station.
Cannon Street station will become more important, as Network Rail and the various operators learn how to use the new infrstructure.
Sometimes, I struggle to see the point of Charing Cross station, but as it’s a very busy station others certainly see the station’s purpose.
It’s on the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Northern Lines, so getting to Old Oak Common won’t be a problem.
Transport for London are looking to take over South London inner suburban routes, so I think we’ll see changes in the management of Cannon Street and Charing Cross stations if this happens.
7. Northern Line
Both branches of the Northern Line are directly connected to Crossrail.
- Tottenham Court Road station connects to the Charing Cross Branch.
- Moorgate station connects to the Bank Branch.
Connections to the Northern Line might improve, if two separate lines are created
8. Piccadilly And Victoria Lines
The Piccadilly and Victoria Lines share three interchanges, but unfortunately they have no interfaces with Crossrail and only one poor one with Thameslink.
The best bet is to get on the Bakerloo Line and change at either Oxford or Picadilly Circus.
9. Victoria
Victoria station is another tricky station from which to get to and from Old Oak Common.
- Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus and then Victoria Line.
- Crossrail to Paddington and then Circle or District Line.
As some services out of Victoria stop at stations served by the West London Line, it is possible to use that line to by-pass Central London.
10. Waterloo
Like London Bridge, Waterloo station is very well connected to Crossrail and the Old Oak Common hub.
- Bakerloo Line direct.
- Crossrail to Bond Street and then the loop of the Jubilee Line.
- Crossrail to Tottenham Court Road and then the Northern Line.
As some services out of Waterloo stop at stations served by the West London Line, it is possible to use that line to by-pass Central London.
Conclusions
I have come to the following conclusions.
Everybody will want to be connected to Old Oak Common station.
Groups of lines across London are emerging.
- East to West – Crossrail, Central, District, Metropolitan, North London, Gospel Oak To Barking, Dudding Hill.
- North to South – Thameslink, West London,East London, Northern.
- North-East to South-West – Crossrail 2, Piccadilly, Victoria.
- North-West to South-East – Bakerloo, Jubilee
A very strong grid with good interchanges is probably the main objective.
Looking at these groups, makes me think, that actions are suggested, that would strengthen the network.
- Build Crossrail 2
- Increase the capacity on the Bakerloo Line
- Split the Northern Line into Charing Cross and Bank branches.
London will quickly fill the extra capacity.
Linking Chiltern To Crossrail
In the November 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an interview with Dave Penney of Chiltern Railways, as the company is opening their service to Oxford station on the twelve of December.
In Connecting To Crossrail, this is a summary of what is said or implied.
- Chiltern could get a couple of platforms at Old Oak Common station, sandwiched between the Crossrail platforms.
- Access to Northolt Junction is possible, to allow services to connect to the Chiltern Main Line using the Acton To Northolt Line.
- Marylebone is almost at capacity.
- Old Oak Common would give Chiltern a second London terminus and access to Crossrail.
- Two trains per hour (tph) could start from Old Oak Common.
- Aylesbury and High Wycombe could get access to Crossrail.
Chiltern would also get access to all the services calling at Old Oak Common.
I think it is an exciting concept.
Will Chiltern Railways Get A Second London Terminus At Old Oak Common?
This article on the Rail Magazine web site is entitled Chilterns Route Study to tackle capacity challenges and it describes how Chiltern Railways may gain a second terminal in London at Old Oak Common, which would link to the following lines.
And that’s only for starters as a couple of Underground and other lines pass through the general area.
The full study on Network Rail’s web site is entitled West Midlands and Chilterns Route Study. This is said about Chiltern Railways.
The Chiltern Route provides an important commuter route into London with connections to the Underground.
- London continues to grow, and evolve with economic hubs expanding beyond the traditional City
- Growing towns with major housing development planned at Aylesbury, Bicester and Princes Risborough
- Marylebone Station is approaching its maximum capacity, in terms of train numbers and passengers
- Any expansion of Marylebone is likely to be expensive, and disruptive due to its constrained location.
The report suggests using Old Oak Common as an additional terminal, connected to the Chiltern route. It gives these benefits.
- Up to 4 additional trains per hour, with more travel options in to London.
- Access to HS2, Crossrail and Great West Main Line.
- Reduced cost and disruption compared to upgrading Marylebone.
The report is recommending building a new station at Old Oak Common, rather than upgrading Marylebone.
I think that this is a very sensible use of the space and existing railways in West London.
In Could A Chiltern Metro Be Created?, I looked at the lines between Marylebone and West Ruislip, where Chiltern Railways have ambition to create a Chiltern Metro. I said this.
I think Chiltern too, will make a bid to get into running services on the Greenford Branch and the Acton-Northolt Line, as it would give them a very useful destination in London of Old Oak Common.
Whatever happens, there will be some interesting rail developments involving Chiltern Railways in West London.
Old Oak Common Station And The Acton-Northolt Line
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines around Old Oak Common.
Old Oak Common Station And The Acton-Northolt Line
Note the West Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line go to the North and South respectively of the Old Oak Common site.
The line going to the West alongside the Central Line is the Acton-Northolt Line which links in the West to the Chiltern Main Line, just to the East of South Ruislip station.
This is the best map, I can find of the proposals for Old Oak Common station.
Rail Lines At Old Oak Common
And this map from carto.metro.free.fr shows roughly the same area.
Current Lines At Old Oak Common
The Acton-Northolt Line is currently single-track and without electrification or any stations, other than South Ruislip and West Ruislip after Northolt Junction, where it joins the Chiltern Main Line.
From following the line both on a Central Line train and on Google Maps, it would appear that restoring the Acton-Northolt Line to its original double-track should be possible.
With regard to electrification, as Old Oak Common station will be electrified for Crossrail, the North London Line and other lines, it would at least have power at one end.
The Current And Proposed Service Pattern
Wikipedia lists the current services, outside the peak from Marylebone on Chiltern as the following.
- 2 trains per hour (tph) to/from Birmingham (one fast, first stop Bicester North, and one semi-fast, first stop High Wycombe).
- 1tph to/from Banbury (semi-fast, first stop High Wycombe). Some extend to Stratford-upon-Avon.
- 1tph to/from Bicester North (semi-fast, first stop Gerrards Cross)
- 1tph to/from Princes Risborough (semi-fast, first stop Gerrards Cross)
- 1tph to/from High Wycombe (stopping service)
- 1tph to/from Gerrards Cross (stopping service)
- 2tph to/from Aylesbury (via Amersham). One of these services in each hour continues on to serve Aylesbury Vale Parkway
- 2tph to/from Oxford Parkway (fast)
So that is nine trains an hour through West Ruislip, two up the Aylesbury Line and eleven between Marylebone and Neasden.
The Network Rail report, is saying that another four trains per hour would run from Old Oak Common station, which would mean thirteen trains an hour through West Ruislip.
Where these four trains will go will be up to Chiltern, but I’m sure they’ll find the passengers to fill them.
Does London Need To Get A Grip On Rail Connectivity?
This article in the Standard has a title of Old Oak Common regeneration scheme ‘risks being London’s worst cock-up in 50 years’. This is the first three paragraphs.
Boris Johnson’s flagship regeneration scheme at Old Oak Common is in danger of turning into London’s “worst cock-up in 50 years”, a leading government adviser warned today.
Urban planner Sir Terry Farrell said the £10 billion development, the biggest in Britain, is heading for disaster because of the rush to finish Crossrail.
He blamed politicians for ducking key decisions and said the Mayor was partly responsible for a shortsighted “pass the parcel” approach. Sir Terry said: “If a tenth of the energy he put into the Boris island airport idea had gone into Old Oak Common I feel sure it would have happened without a problem.”
Old Oak Common is going to be a major development of 25,000 homes and 55,000 jobs created over the next fifteen years. A major transport hub will be created at Old Oak Common station will be created, linking some or all of the following lines together.
- Bakerloo Line
- Central Line
- Crossrail
- Dudding Hill Line
- Great Western Main Line
- HS2
- North London Line
- Watford DC Line
- West Coast Main Line
- West London Line
This map shows the plans for Option C of TRfL’s Old Oak Common proposals.
Option C Proposal At Old Oak Common
I wrote about this option in Should An Overground Station Be Built At Hythe Road?
Terry Farrell has said that there is no space between the rail lines to put the piling to support the homes, offices and other developments that will built over the top.
I also believe that the walking routes between the various stations will be far to long and tortuous.
The developers, Transport for London and the rail companies involved all seem to be planning their own parts in isolation.
It seems to echo what I documented in Searching For What Is Going To Happen On The East London Line After The Thameslink Programme Opens, where I was trying to find out how Thameslink will improve my journeys from Dalston Junction using the East London Line.
My correspondence on that issue, would seem to indicate that Thameslink and Transport for London don’t talk to each other and calmly go their own ways.
Someone needs to get a grip on all these big projects at a high level.
Should An Overground Station Be Built At Hythe Road?
Some weeks ago Transport for London (TfL) launched a consultation on transport links and stations in the Old Oak Common area of West London.
A report in the Kilburn Times has said that the public have said that they’d prefer Option C of the TfL consultation, which involves two new Overground stations.
1. Old Oak Common on the North London Line, which would link to Crossrail and HS2.
2. Hythe Road on the West London Line.
This TfL map shows their locations.
Option C Proposal At Old Oak Common
And this is a Google Earth image.
West London Line At Hythe Road
As TfL are saying that service frequencies on the West London Line will be four trains per hour, which is the same as that of trains to Heathrow on Crossrail, it strikes me that these two new stations will greatly ease access to Heathrow from South London and beyond.
From where I live in Dalston, the two station idea has the benefit that if I want to get on Crossrail to go to Reading or Heathrow, it is just a single change at either of the two stations, depending on where my westbound North London Line train is going. Old Oak Common would appear to be a shorter walk however.
But surely, if you are doing a big development as at Old Oak Common, you need as many connections as you can reasonably afford.
Is Everything A Short-Term Fix At Willesden Junction?
In posts yesterday, I highlighted the problems with platform/train gaps and the dreadful interchange at the North London Line platforms at Willesden Junction station.
But is all the work done to lengthen the platforms for five-car trains just a short-term measure, which doesn’t address these problems at all?
Obviously, work has to be done on the low-level platforms and as they don’t have too many problems, except for the step up and down into Bakerloo Line trains, it will make the low-level station a good one with step-free access, a cafe and toilets.
The Tube/Overground Mismatch
But upstairs, I can’t help feeling that solving the problems are virtually impossible, without a complete rebuild of the station. But look at this map of the proposed layout of the lines at Old Oak Common.
Rail Lines At Old Oak Common
This would link HS2 and Crossrail to the North and West London Lines at a new station at Old Oak Common.
So if the Old Oak Common area is developed with a new station, would this have a knock-on effect at Willesden Junction? This could ich mean that the station had to be changed substantially or possibly was no longer needed.
The big problem is what to do with the interchange between the North London Line and the Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines.
There have been plans for the Bakerloo Line to take over the Watford DC Line north of Harrow and Wealdstone. This would mean diverting the North London Line via Queen’s Park and Primrose Hill.
This would fit in well with the combined North/West London Line station at Old Oak Common. On the other hand, it would mean a few station closures and stations between Queen’s Park and South Hampstead would leave their links to Euston.
Old Oak Common station is still very much at the planning stage and if the ideas get firmed up to a mega-interchange, it should make it easier to sort out the North London Line and the Watford DC Line.
There is also the question of how the Croxley Rail Link will affect ridership on the Watford DC Line. The fastest jouneys to Euston Square from Watford Underground station, are now about 45 minutes, whereas the DC Line takes 52 minutes from Watford High Street. However by going one-stop the wrong way to Watford Junction station, you can do it in 35 minutes. As London Midland runs several trains an hour into Euston in about twenty minutes, this might be a preferred option.
If Crossrail goes up the West Coast Main Line, as is also being proposed, then the trains would surely stop at Harrow and Wealdstone and Watford Junction.
Transport for London have a lot of deep thinking to do.
Platform Action At Willesden Junction Station
As I came back from Watford, I had a choice of going all the way to Euston or changing onto the North London Line at Willesden Junction.
In the end I chose to do the latter, as I needed the toilet and I know that Willesden has one of the few toilets on the Overground. As ever it was clean and welcoming.
I couldn’t hope noticing though that there seemed to be substantial work in progress on the platform faces on the line through the station.
Platform Action At Willesden Junction Station
Normally, the platform extension work for the five-car trains is much less than this. Checking on Wikipedia, this is said.
In October 2014 the DC line was closed temporarily between Wembley Central and Queens Park reportedly to allow platform 2 to be extended further west as a through platform.
Platform 2 is on the left in the picture.
So it would appear that the Overground/Bakerloo lines to the South are getting an extra platform. Looking at the Google Map view of the area shows the layout.
Note the three platforms for the Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines at the left and the two North London Line platforms at the right. Just above these is the double-track link to the West Coast Main Line.
Could it be that London Overground are just making sure that all the work they are doing to make the Overground ready for five-car trains, they are future proofing as much as they can? This section in Wikipedia talks of a reorganisation of the Bakerloo Line and the Overground DC Line to Watford, so with all the uncertainty and variability around Old Oak Common, this is probably a good approach.
I think the only certainty is that anybody using the Overground or Bakerloo Line through Willesden Junction in ten years time will find the station very different, with probably more connections and longer and more frequent trains.
Crossrail, HS2 And The Overground Seem To Be Coming Together At Old Oak Common
There has been a report in the Standard, which talks about how Crossrail, HS2 and the Overground could come together at Old Oak Common, which is an area of London ripe for redevelopment.
The report shows this map.
Rail Lines At Old Oak Common
The map is informative and it shows how the West London Line might split from the North London Line at the new Old Oak Common station, rather than at Willesden Junction.
The map though doesn’t show the Dudding Hill Line which joins the North London Line in this area, possibly just south of the new station.
To show the space available in the are, look at this Google Map shoeing the wider area around the proposed station.
Old Oak Common Area – Downloaded 7th July 2015
There are rail lines everywhere. This second image shows the Southern part of the previous one, along the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail.
Old Oak Common Detail – Downloaded 7th July 2015
Working upwards from the bottom (South) on this map, you see the following.
1. The long building is the North Pole depot to be used by the new Hitachi Class 800/801 trains, which will be delivered over the next few years.
2. The Great Western Main Line and the future Crossrail tracks.
3. Depots for Heathrow Express and other trains.
4. I think that the large building surrounded by a large amount of grey blobs is the factory that manufactured the tunnel linings for Crossrail.
5. The Grand Union Canal encircles the site.
So could the imaginative minds of the planners at Transport for London have decided to bring the North London Line, an Extended Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Crossrail and HS2 together at the proposed new large development at Old Oak Common? With a little bit more clever design, they might even be able to tie the Central Line into the mix.
I’m all for this personally, as North East London, where I live, will be given a simple route to get to Heathrow and Reading, by just taking the North London Line or the GOBlin to Old Oak Common for Crossrail.
The Anonymous Widower 