Connecting The Bakerloo, Elizabeth and Victoria Lines At Oxford Circus Station
To my mind it is a design fault of the Elizabeth Line, that it does not correct directly to the Victoria Line.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the various lines at Oxford Circus station.
Note.
- Oxford Street running East-West across the top of the map.
- The Central Line runs under Oxford Street.
- Regent Street running North-South down the map.
- The Bakerloo Line runs under Regent Street.
- The buff tracks running East-West are the Elizabeth Line.
- Hanover Square is above the Elizabeth Line at the Western edge of the map.
- The tracks of the Victoria Line can be picked outrunning North-South down the map.
- They pass through Oxford Circus station at the outside to give cross-platform interchange with the Bakerloo Line.
Consider.
- Oxford Circus station is not step-free.
- The Elizabeth Line entrance in Hanover Square is step-free.
I believe, as at Bank station, that a deep tunneled connection could be made between Oxford Circus station and the Elizabeth Line entrance in Hanover Square.
Note.
- It could be below the foundations of the buildings.
- A travellator might make it easier for some.
- There could even be shops, cafes and perhaps toilets in the tunnel.
There might not need to be any new street entrances to the below ground complex.
Into The Realm Of The Rabbits
The completed Bank Station Upgrade opened today and I went and took these pictures of what is now a rabbit warren of a station.
Note.
- There are now three cross passages between the two Northern Line platforms.
- There are two lifts between Cannon Street and the Northern Line and one extends to the Docklands Light Railway.
- The Northern Line and Cannon Street are now connected by two sets of three very long escalators.
- I took a walk to Cannon Street, whilst taking this pictures and from leaving the new entrance to being on a train out of Cannon Street, took mt five minutes.
- After photographing the station, I walked to the bus stop for the 141 bus, which took me home. As there is now a new passage between the gate-line and the bus stop, it took just two minutes.
The new Cannon Street entrance is a practical, stylish and well designed and built addition to the Bank station complex.
I would let the same architects and builders loose on Camden Town, Holborn and Oxford Circus/Bond Street stations.
The Five Minute Walk Between Oxford Circus Station And The Hanover Square Entrance To Bond Street Station For The Lizzie Line
With Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line opening tomorrow, I thought I’d take a reconnaissance today and find out how long it takes to walk.
I took these pictures as I walked.
Note.
- I started from the South-East entrance to Oxford Circus station.
- I walked a few yards down Regent Street and took the first right into Princes Street.
- Princes Street has a few cafes and restaurants, a toilet and a Timpsons.
- I then walked straight across the Northern side of Hanover Square to the station entrance.
- I passed Harewood Place on my right, which leads directly to the London’s largest John Lewis.
If the station had been open, the walk would have taken five minutes.
Hanover Square
Hanover Square now is a London Square with its own station entrance. I suppose that Sloane Square is the only other one, but that doesn’t have the formal garden that Hanover Square does.
The Medici Courtyard
Hidden behind the station building is the Medici Courtyard, which has been created by the developers of the station entrance.
These pictures show the courtyard.
Note.
- The Medici Courtyard leads between Hanover Square and Bond Street.
- It joins Bond Street, just to the North of Fenwicks.
- It contains a high-class hotel, an upmarket coffee shop and some shops.
- There is a courtyard, where you can sit and enjoy a drink.
- There were a lot of flowers.
It is a very unique station feature, that has been designed to attract visitors and shoppers to the area.
Would A Tunnel Between Oxford Circus Station And The Hanover Square Entrance To Bond Street Station Be Possible?
Consider.
- At some point Oxford Circus station will be remodelled to provide extra capacity and full step-free access.
- In a few years time, there will be reliable statistics on how many passengers will change between Oxford Circus Station and The Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street Station.
- There will be more pedestrianisation in the area.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to find out, that the The Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street Station has provision for a possible tunnel.
I suspect various proposals will be put forward for improving the connection, if it is needed. Some will include tunnels.
From October 24th 2022, It Looks Like Bond Street And Oxford Circus Stations In London Will Share An Out Of Station Interchange!
Consider.
- Bond Street station is served by the Jubilee and Central Lines.
- Oxford Circus station is served by the Victoria, Bakerloo and Central Lines.
- On this page on Oyster Fares Central, the distance between Bond Street And Oxford Circus stations, is given as 280 metres or yards.
- On the 24th of October 2022, Bond Street station on the Elizabeth Line will open with two new entrances in Davies Street and Hanover Square.
- Westminster City Council have refurbished Hanover Square to improve walking routes to and from the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street Station.
- In Hanover Square – 9th May 2022, I show some of the wide pavements around the area.
- There is no direct interchange between the Victoria and Elizabeth Lines.
- There is no direct interchange between the Piccadilly and Elizabeth Lines.
I think it is likely, that some travellers will walk between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station, to do journeys like these.
- Victoria Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations
- Piccadilly Line stations, that are North of Finsbury Park station and Elizabeth Line stations, with a cross-platform change between Piccadilly and Victoria Line trains at Finsbury Park station.
- Some travellers may prefer this interchange between Bakerloo Line stations and Elizabeth Line stations, than use the Bakerloo Line Link at Paddington.
- Some travellers arriving in Euston, King’s Cross and St. Pancras may use the Victoria Line to transfer to the Elizabeth Line.
I can see a substantial number of travellers walking between Oxford Street station and the Hanover Street entrance at Bond Street station.
I suspect Transport for London can too, as they have made Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations an out of station interchange, with a time limit of twenty minutes.
- It would be time enough to pick up a coffee on the way.
- As Tony Hancock once said, there would be time for a cough and a drag.
- There are several useful shops on the route.
It is not your normal interchange and I suspect shops will adjust their wares to the traffic.
I have a few thoughts.
Toilets
I think toilets are needed on the pedestrian route.
Interchange With The Central Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Central Line at Ealing Broadway, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch, Holborn, St. Paul’s and Bank will have a large choice of new routes.
I suspect many passengers will change at Bond Street and Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
This visualisation shows the knitting that connects the lines at Bond Street station.
I think for a fast interchange, using the minimum amount of walking, you would need to travel in the Western end of an Elizabeth Line train if you want to change to the Central Line.
But some passengers might prefer to travel in the Eastern end of an Elizabeth Line train and use the out of station interchange to Oxford Circus station for the Central Line.
Interchange With The Jubilee Line At Bond Street Station
Consider.
- From West to East the Elizabeth Line has interchanges with the Jubilee Line at just Bond Street and Stratford.
- Passengers for stations like Green Park, Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge and Greenwich will take the Jubilee Line.
Passengers will have to change at Bond Street or Stratford. Stratford is an easy interchange, but how good will Bond Street be?
Bachelor Searching For Wife On Tube Billboard Ad Reading ‘Best Indian Takeaway’ Flooded With Offers
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on ITV.
This is my picture of the poster at Oxford Circus station.
I hope he gets value from his investment.
Walking Between Oxford Circus And Tottenham Court Road Stations – 19th February 2021
Today, I walked down Oxford Street from Oxford Circus station to Tottenham Court Road station.
Note the pictures in the middle of the walk of the new Western entrance to Tottenham Court Road station, which will be on Crossrail.
This article on Construction Enquirer is entitled Galliard To Start £55m London Soho Resi Job.
- 92 flats, a large store and smaller retail spaces.
- Look at the pictures in the Construction Enquirer article and it looks to be a building that is not out of scale.
- Ideal for Crossrail and the Northern and Central Line.
- A hundred metres from the flagship stores of Marks & Spencer and Primark on Oxford Street.
- All the colour and food of Soho at the back door.
- Buses outside the front door to Euston, Kings Cross, Paddington and St. Pancras.
Who was it said, that the three most important points about a property are location, location and location?
The Proposed Development Under Cavendish Square
These pictures show Cavendish Square.
Note
- Underneath the square is a very expensive car park
- Harley Street, with its medical connections, lies at one cornet.
- John Lewis sits on another corner.
It is a very pleasant place to sit and have lunch on a sunny day.
This article on IanVisits is entitled A Shopping Centre Under Cavendish Square?.
Ian details how, plans are emerging to turn the Cavendish Square car park into a shopping centre and medical complex, spread over four floors under a re landscaped Cavendish Square.
Ian also discloses how the square was used as an access point to build the Victoria Line in the 1960s.
This development could change the area in several ways.
- Cavendish Square could become an even better landscaped garden.
- The medical complex would be a much-needed modern extension to Harley Street.
- Could the development be used to create the much-needed step-free access to Oxford Circus station?
- Would upmarket shoppers be drawn to the development?
- Could the square become electric vehicles only?
I very much think this development could be a valuable addition to the area.
The Former BHS Building
I always remember this building as the BHS Building, which I used to use as a cut-through from Regent Street to John Lewis.
Some years before it closed, BHS cut off this route and I never bought anything in an Arcadia Group store again!
So I certainly have no affection for this heap of concrete.
If the Cavendish Square development goes ahead, that I wrote about in The Proposed Development Under Cavendish Square, I think that this building will be drawn into the development.
- It has a substantial frontage on Oxford Street.
- It could be key to giving step-free access between Oxford Circus station and the Cavendish Square development.
- It could provide step-free access to Oxford Circus station.
Would anybody miss it, if it were to be demolished?
I wonder, who owns this building.
Thoughts On Step-Free Access At Oxford Circus Station
The London Underground station most in need of step-free access is probably Oxford Circus, where the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines have a cross-platform step-free interchange, which connects to the Central Line.
- Oxford Circus is the third-busiest station on the Underground.
- The capacity of the station probably limits the capacity of the Victoria Line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr, shows the lines through the station.
Note.
- The cross-platform interchange between the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines
- The Central Line running East-West under Oxford Street.
- Crossrail is shown by dotted lines, passing to the South of the station..
South of the Central Line, it would probably be difficult to squeeze in lifts and more escalators, but to the North, there may be space for another entrance building.
- The great advantage of making either the Victoria or Bakerloo Lines at Oxford Circus step-free, is that the other one will get it as well.
- I think it will probably depend on which of the buildings in the area, need to be replaced.
- I also suspect that the areas under Oxford Circus, Oxford Street and Regent Street are well surveyed, as there has been continuous development of Oxford Circus station since the 1960s.
On the other hand, the opening of Crossrail, with a new entrance to Bond Street station in Hanover Square, may mean that passenger numbers reduce at Oxford Circus, thus allowing a simpler solution.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very innovative solution to provide step-free access at Oxford Circus station.
I feel that the Proposed Shopping Centre Under Cavendish Square could be the elephant in the room.
- An upmarket shopping centre and medical centre needs good access for taxis, cars and public transport.
- Cavendish Square was used to build the Victoria Line.
- Tunnelling techniques have improved since the 1960s.
This Google Map shows Cavendish Square and the area between the square and Oxford Circus station.
Consider the four corners of the map..
- Oxford Circus station is in the South-East corner.
- Harley Street is just on the map at the North-West corner.
- The BBC is just off the map in the North-East corner.
- John Lewis’s flagship store occupies the South-West corner.
But perhaps the most interesting building is the former BHS flagship store, that lies to the East of John Lewis, with Cavendish Square to the North and Oxford Street to the South.
The proposed development under Cavendish Square will be upmarket and it will need high quality access to attract tenants, visitors and clients.
- I doubt there will be masses of car parking, although they could probably dig up to a hundred metres below the square. Could there be an automatic car park, where vehicles are taken and stacked deep underground?
- Good access for taxis, private hire vehicles and delivery trucks will be needed..I suspect that planning permission, would specify electric vehicles only.
- The Bond Street station complex, with Crossrail, Central and Jubilee Lines is perhaps two hundred metres away. I feel the developers of Cavendish Square, will see access to Crossrail as being essential.
- Oxford Street station is closer, but good access will be needed between the station and Cavendish Square.
Access to Bond Street and Oxford Circus stations would probably be via wide, deep tunnels with travelators as are being installed to solve the horrendous access problems at Bank station.
The former BHS building could be key in any design.
- The BHS building has a superb location.
- Tunnels between the two stations and the Cavendish Square complex could go via any development of the BHS building.
- It might be possible to go higher on the site.
- It might even be possible to put another station on the Central Line in the basement.
There is certainly a lot of scope for an innovative solution at Oxford Circus station.
Updating The Central Line
The Central Line will breathe two huge sighs of relief in the next eighteen months.
- The Elizabeth Line will open between Abbey Wood and Paddington stations in December 2018.
- The Elizabeth Line will open between Shenfield and Paddington stations in May 2019.
Travellers, from London, other parts of the UK and abroad will then have the following.
- Five East-West interconnected routes across Central London; Metropolitan, Central, Elizabeth, District and Jubilee Lines.
- Massive transport interchanges at Canary Wharf, Stratford, Whitechapel, Liverpool Street, Farringdon, Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Paddington will tie it all together.
- Liverpool Street. Whitechapel and Stratford will allocate passengers in the East of Central London.
- Paddington will allocate passengers in the West of Central London.
And this is before the Elizabeth Line opens between Paddington and all stations to Heathrow and Reading in December 2019.
The Central Line After the Elizabeth Line Opens
So will the Central Line become a little-used backwater?
- Holborn is a major interchange with the Piccadilly Line, which is that line’s only access to the Central or Elizabeth Lines.
- Oxford Circus is a major interchange with the Victoria Line, which is that line’s only access to the Central or Elizabeth Lines.
- Holborn, Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and other stations are destinations in their own right.
- The overcrowding of the Central Line probably kept passengers away and after freeing up will they come back?
I suspect that in a few years time it will be as busy as it ever was!
Improving the Central Line
It is my view, and probably that of Transport for London, that improvements need to be made to the Central Line.
Three projects are underway.
The Central Line Train Upgrade
This article on Railway-news.com is untitled London Underground’s Central Line Trains Set For Upgrade.
Currently, the Central Line‘s 1992 Stock have DC motors, which will be replaced by more efficient AC motors and a sophisticated control system.
The cost of the upgrade will be £112.1 million or about £1.3 million per train.
Transport for London are only making a reliability claim for the upgrade. Hopefully, if the trains are more reliable, then more can be in service. so can a higher frequency be run?
I also think in addition, the trains could possibly accelerate faster from stops, thus reducing the dwell times at stations and ultimately the journey times.
- Epping to West Ruislip currently takes ninety minutes with 38 stops.
- Ealing Broadway to Newbury Park takes sixty minutes with 24 stops.
- Northolt to Loughton takes sixty-seven minutes with 28 stops.
Saving just ten seconds on each stop will reduce journey times by several minutes.
I suspect that Transport for London will rearrange the timetable to increase the service frequency from the current twenty-four trains per hour (tph).
It will be interesting to see what frequency of trains and journey times are achieved, when all the Central Line trains have been updated.
Bank Station Capacity Upgrade
This page on the Transport for London web site gives details of this important upgrade at Bank station, which is already underway. It starts with this paragraph.
Bank and Monument stations form the third busiest interchange on the London Underground network. Work we’re doing to substantially improve the capacity of Bank station should finish in 2022.
It lists these improvements.
- A new railway tunnel and platform for the Northern line that will reduce interchange times and create more space for passengers
- Step-free access to the Northern line and DLR platforms
- More direct routes within the station, with two new moving walkways
- Two new lifts and 12 new escalators
- A new station entrance in Cannon Street
There will also be a new entrance in Wallbrook Square under the Bloomberg Building, which is planned to open this year.
Comprehensive is a good word to describe the upgrade.
I avoid the Northern Line platforms at Bank because they are so narrow. After the upgrade, I will have no need.
Holborn Station Capacity Upgrade
This page on the Transport for London web site, gives details of this important upgrade at Holborn station. It starts with this paragraph.
We’re proposing changes at Holborn station that would make it substantially easier for customers to enter, exit and move around the station. Subject to funding and permissions, work on the station would start in the early 2020s.
I don’t think this upgrade can come too soon.
As with some parts of Bank station, I avoid Holborn station.
What Still Needs To Be Planned?
The major projects left must surely be upgrading the capacity and providing step-free access at the following Central London stations.
St. Paul’s And Chancery Lane
St. Paul’s and Chancery Lane stations both need step-free access, but the problems of installing lifts at the two stations would be surprisingly similar, as both stations have a similar layout.
- Both stations will need lift access to the ticket halls, which are below street level.
- At both stations, the two Central Line tracks are unusually arranged one on top of the other.
- Even more unusually, the Westbound tunnel is on top at St. Paul’s and the Eastbound tunnel at Chancery Lane.
- At both stations, escalators lead down to a spacious lobby, which has direct access to the top platform.
- St. Paul’s has two escalators and a staircase, whereas Chancery Lane has three escalators.
- From the low-level lobby, two short escalators and a staircase lead down to the bottom platform.
It may be possible to provide lifts that go from the ticket hall to both platforms as before rebuilding in the 1930s, this arrangement was used.
Both stations might also be suitable for the application of inclined lifts.
For instance, would two escalators and an inclined lift handle the lower transfer at both stations?
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is a busy interchange, where the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria Lines cross each other.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Oxford Circus station.
Note.
- The Cemtral Line, shown in red, was built under Oxford Street to avoid disturbing the buildings.
- The Bakerloo Line, shown in brown, was built under Regent Street.
- The Victoria Line, shown in light blue was cleverly threaded through in the 1960s to give cross-platform interchange with the Bakerloo Line.
- The dotted purple lines are the Elizabeth Line.
- Between the two dotted lines, the Eastern End of the platforms at Bond Street station can be seen.
These pictures show the buildings at the four corners of Oxford Circus.
Wikipedia says this about these buildings.
Oxford Circus was designed as part of the development of Regent Street by the architect John Nash in 1810. The four quadrants of the circus were designed by Sir Henry Tanner and constructed between 1913 and 1928.
Note.
- The building on the North-East corner used to be Peter Robinson and is Grade II Listed.
- The other three corner buildings are also Listed.
- The shops in the two Southern corners are being refurbished.
I believe that the following is needed at Oxford Circus station.
- Measures to alleviate the overcrowding.
- Full step-free access to all platforms.
- Improved access to the Central Line platforms.
- Better interchange between the Bakerloo/Victoria platforms and the Central Line.
In some ways, the biggest problem in the next few years will be passengers changing between the Victoria and Elizabeth Lines. Passengers between say Walthamstow and Heathrow will probably want to change between Oxford Circus station and the new Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station.
- The planned pedestrianisation of Oxford Street will obviously help, especially if the roads around Hanover Square, like Harewood Place and Princes Street are similarly treated.
- Joining the Victoria Line at Oxford Circus is not a problem, as there are four entrances to the ticket hall under Oxford Circus, a large number of entrance gates and four escalators down to the trains.
- But on arrival at the station, you are forced to exit from the station about fifty metres East of the station, which means you’re going the wrong way for the Elizabeth Line.
It strikes me what is needed is a new entrance to the station on the South Western corner of Oxford Circus.
But would this alone satisfy the needs of this station?
More Station Entrances On Oxford Street
For Crossrail, Bond Street station is being given two new entrances in Davies Street and Hanover Square.
But it is also being given another entrance on the North side of Oxford Street, to give better access to the Central and Jubilee Lines.
The picture shows the new entrance tucked away in what will probably become a new development.
So could this technique be used on Oxford Street to improve station access?
Look at the map of the lines at Oxford Circus station earlier in the post and you will notice that the Central Line platforms extend to the East. I took these pictures around where the platforms could end.
Could there be space to squeeze in another entrance to the Eastern end of the Central Line platforms?
It probably won’t be possible whilst traffic is running up and down Oxford Street. But after the road is pedestrianised, it would surely be much easier to dig down to the Central Line , which is not very deep below the surface of Oxford Street.
Marble Arch
Marble Arch station is at the Western end of Oxford Street. Wikipedia says this about the station.
The station was modernised (2010) resulting in new finishes in all areas of the station, apart from the retention of various of the decorative enamel panels at platform level.
But has it got the capacity needed?
It is also not step-free and needs lifts.
New Trains In The Mid 2020s
Under Future and Cancelled Plans in the Wikipedia entry for the Central Line, this is said.
The Central line was the first Underground line to receive a complete refurbishment in the early 1990s, including the introduction of new rolling stock. A new generation of deep-level tube trains, as well as signaling upgrades, is planned for the mid-2020s, starting with the Piccadilly line, followed by the Bakerloo Line and the Central Line.
The new trains would fit well to replace the current trains and give an increase of capacity to the line.
Possible Developments
These are possible developments.
Shoreditch High Street Station
There is a possibility of connecting Shoreditch High Street station to the Central Line.
This is said under Plans in the Wikipedia entry for the station.
There have also been discussions of creating an interchange with the Central line between Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green which runs almost underneath the station. However, this would not be able to happen until after the Crossrail 1 project is complete, due to extreme crowding on the Central line during peak hours.
Given that in a few years time, the following will have happened.
- There will have been a lot of development in Shoreditch.
- The East London Line will have a frequency of twenty-four trains per hour.
The connection may be worth creating.
On the other hand, the Elizabeth Line may make the connection unnecessary, as travellers can use the two connections at Stratford and Whitechapel stations.
Mile End Station
If ever there was a station, where step-free access would surely be worthwhile it must be Mile End station.
Consider.
- It is a busy station.
- It has cross-platform access between District/Metropolitan and the Central Lines.
- It has a cab rank.
Knowing the station fairly well, I suspect fitting the probably three lifts required would not be the most challenging of tasks.
Eastern Improvements
Crossrail has a step-free cross-platform interchange with the Central Line at Stratford, which will have the following effects.
Changing at Stratford will give better access to and from Oxford Street, Paddington and Heathrow.
Crossrail trains will be larger, more comfortable, better equipped and probably less crowded.
Journey time savings will be six minutes to Bond Street and nineteen minutes to Ealing Broadway stations.
Taken with the improved Central Line trains, it all must result in increased patronage in the East.
But there are twenty stations East of Stratford, of which only four are step-free.
So I suspect that Transport for London will make strenuous efforts to improve the Eastern end of the Central Line.
- More step-free access.
- Better bus services.
- More small retail outlets at stations.
I believe that in ten years time, the Eastern station will be very different.
Western Improvements
West of Marble Arch, there are seventeen stations, of which by 2020 only two will be step-free.; Ealing Broadway and Greenford.
Improvements will probably a similar pattern to the East, although there are rumours of rebuilding some stations.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of scope for improvement in the Central Line.
The Anonymous Widower 