Through The Blackwall Tunnel In A 108 Bus
Around lunchtime today, I took a 108 bus from North Greenwich station on the Jubilee Line to Bow Church station on the DLR. It’s rather a roundabout way to get home from Bow Church station, so I walked to Bow Road station to get a train to Moorgate for a bus home.
I took these pictures of the journey.
Note.
- The first picture shows the Radisson Red hotel on Tunnel Avenue.
- The Northbound bus travelled through the old tunnel, which was built in 1897.
- It looks in good condition for its age in my pictures.
- Even at lunchtime on Christmas Eve, there are queues of traffic waiting to go through the tunnel from both directions.
- The dog in the last picture is better and less-threatening street art, than you get in some parts of the UK
Taking good pictures from inside a dirty single-deck bus is not the easiest task.
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the Blackwall Tunnel, gives a snapshot of the tunnel’s development.
The tunnel was originally opened as a single bore in 1897 by the Prince of Wales, as a major transport project to improve commerce and trade in London’s East End, and supported a mix of foot, cycle, horse-drawn and vehicular traffic. By the 1930s, capacity was becoming inadequate, and consequently a second bore opened in 1967, handling southbound traffic while the earlier 19th century tunnel handles northbound.
Note.
- Both tunnels are not open to pedestrians, cyclists or non-motorised traffic.
- There is a four metre height limit on the Northbound tunnel, which also has sharp bends.
- The Southbound tunnel is straight and has a height limit of 4.72 metres.
- London’s iconic Routemaster and New Routemaster buses are 4.38 and 4.39 metres high respectively.
- The tunnel will be tolled, when the Silvertown Tunnel opens in a few years time.
- It looks like both Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels will have the same charge as the Dartford Crossing, which is currently two pounds if you pre-pay for a car.
The pictures and words give clues to why the Mayor has decided to build the Silvertown Tunnel.
It is very rare to get through the tunnel without being delayed in a queue of traffic.
Double deck buses can’t go through the Northbound Tunnel.
As a non-driver, who doesn’t need to use the Blackwall Tunnel, I don’t listen to traffic reports, but perhaps once a week whilst waiting for the news on Radio 5, I hear of problems at the tunnel. Sometimes, these are caused by over-height or over-long vehicles, which have got stuck in the Northbound tunnel.
Incidentally, my earliest memory of the tunnel is probably from about 1953, when my family was stuck in the tunnel for several hours in my father’s Y-type MG.
, My father’s car had the registration BNH 368.
I doubt I’ve driven through the tunnel this century, as I have rarely driven to South and South-East London since the 1970s, as I’ve generally taken the train across London. I can remember one trip in about 2008 though, when I took the Woolwich Ferry for the Southbound crossing.
As I was living near the top of the M11 in Suffolk, I may have gone home via the Blackwall Tunnel.
Battersea Power Station To London Bridge – 18th September 2022
I took a Thames Clipper from Battersea Power Station to London Bridge.
Note.
- The South Bank is generally to the left in the pictures.
- I took a Northern Line train to Battersea Power Station pier.
- As I finished at London Bridge pier, it was convenient for the Northern Line.
- I took these pictures from the back of the boat in the open as the windows were so dirty.
- In some pictures you can see the power of the boat, as it pulls away from the stops.
- The boat passed three of the super sewer sites.
- There were large numbers on the South Bank queuing to pay their respect to The Queen.
The fare was £7.70 on my Oyster card and the journey took under forty minutes.
London Overground’s Barking Riverside Station To Open This Summer
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
This is the first paragraph.
Transport for London (TfL) says that it is bringing forward the launch of London Overground services on the extension to Barking Riverside, following good progress being made in the completion of the station commissioning and testing stages.
Are railway lines like buses? You wait years for one to come along and then several turn up in a rush.
This railway line has been built mainly to serve the new housing at Barking Riverside, but as I showed in A Cruise To Barking – 13th May 2022, the route will have leisure possibilities as well.
I also feel, that if this 4.5 km extension of the Gospel Oak and Barking Line is a success, I can see other extensions of Metros and local trams and railways being created or restored, as this extension will show the economics.
I have some further thoughts.
Rethinking Of c2c Services In South Essex
It could even result in a rethinking of c2c services in South Essex.
Platforms 7 and 8 at Barking station will host the following services.
- 2 tph (trains per hour) – Fenchurch Street and Grays
- 4 tph – Barking Riverside and Gospel Oak
There will certainly be scope for ducking and diving at this station.
A same-platform interchange will give an easy route between Fenchurch Street and Barking Riverside.
The next station on the Gospel Oak and Barking Line is Woodgrange Park, which has an out-of-station interchange with the Elizabeth Line at Manor Park station.
The Gospel Oak and Barking Line offers connections all across North London.
Grays station can probably turn four tph.
There could be a new Beam Park station to serve more housing.
I can certainly see the Fenchurch Street and Grays service increased to four tph, if lots of housing is built in South Essex. Provided that the trains can be squeezed in to the timetable.
A Ferry Across The Thames At Barking
There have been proposals to extend the line from Barking Riverside station across the Thames to Thamesmead and Abbey Wood station.
But a tunnel or a bridge, as I prefer, would be massively expensive and take years to plan, finance and build.
This Google Map shows the Thames at Barking.
Note.
- Barking Riverside station under construction in the North-West corner of the map, with the Thames Clipper terminal on the North bank of the river.
- The sprawling Thamesmead Estate on the South bank of the river.
- In the South-East corner of the map there is the Grade 1 Listed Crossness pumping station, which I wrote about in Open House – Crossness.
An hourly ferry across the river between Barking and Crossness with an intermediate stop at Thamesmead might be the most affordable solution to crossing the river.
A Cruise To Barking – 13th May 2022
I noticed earlier in the week, that the Thames Clippers now go all the way to Barking Riverside. So I went today.
Note.
- I boarded the boat at the London Bridge City Pier.
- The easiest way to get to this pier is to get a 21, 43 or 141 bus from Moorgate or Bank station. to London Bridge and walk along the South Bank of the river for perhaps a hundred metres. Walking from London Bridge station is a bit tricky.
- I alighted at Barking Riverside Pier, which will be a short walk to the new Barking Riverside station.
The route is a mixture of historic and modern London and places passed include.
- HMS Belfast
- The Tower of London
- Tower Bridge
- Canary Wharf
- Cutty Sark
- The Royal Naval College, Greenwich
- The O2
- The Thames Barrier
- Wooolwich Arsenal
Many have piers for the Thames Clipper.
The Royal Iris
These pictures show what is left of the former Mersey Ferry, the MV Royal Iris, which is rusting in the River at Woolwich.
I remember the ferry, when it was resplendent in green and yellow in the 1960s. I also remember going on one evening party cruise up and down the Mersey.
It’s rather a sad end for ship that has many happy memories for many.
According to Wikipedia, there is a campaign to return the iconic ferry to Liverpool.
London’s CrossFerry
The Thames Clippers keep on going and now at many times, you can go all the way between Barking Riverside and Putney.
It’s not that slow either and in the open waters East of Tower Bridge, my phone was saying that the ferry was cruising at 40 mph.
If it has one problem, it is that the Thames Clippers don’t have an all-day timetable, that is simple.
If it is going to be a pseudo-train line across London, then there needs to be a two boat per hour service across the city. This will be needed more as more housing is built at Barking Riverside.
I know Barking Riverside will be getting the Overground in the Autumn, but unlike the Thames Clippers, that serve Canary Wharf, the City and Westminster, the Overground will serve a swathe of housing, rather than employment, across North London.
Quiet Battery-Powered River Ferries To Serve Battersea Power Station Pier
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Nine Elms.
These two paragraphs give the story and explain the operation of the new boats.
Passengers using Battersea Power Station pier will soon be boarding the UK’s first hybrid high speed passenger ferries using battery power.
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers are building two new vessels which will operate solely on battery power when travelling between Tower and Battersea Power Station piers – and recharge while using biofuelled power when sailing further east and west outside their central London route.
They will join the fleet in the Autumn.
There is also this environmental statement from Thames Clipper.
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is committed to achieving net zero with all new builds by 2025 and for its wider fleet, infrastructure and environmental footprint by 2040.
That sounds very good to me.
Conclusion
I suspect that this policy will lead to increasing use on London’s river transport system.
I’d also like to see Thames Clipper better integrated with the Overground, Underground and the buses. Some of the walking routes could be improved and have better signage.
I also think, that the Thames Clipper would benefit, if the Freedom Pass could be linked to a credit card, so that Freedom Pass holders would only need to use one card to use all of London’s transport systems.
From Battersea Power Station Station To The River
I took these pictures as I walked from Battersea Power Station station to Battersea Power Station pier to get a Thames Clipper back to London Bridge.
Note.
- There appears to be fake smoke coming out of the chimney in the third picture.
- I think the second entrance to the station will be close to where I walked.
- To my taste there appeared to be a lot of car parking.
The walk took me under ten minutes.
The New And Unusual Way Commuters Will Be Able To Get To Canary Wharf And Central London
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on MyLondon.
The image shows a Thames Clipper at Greenwich Pier.
A new pier for Thames Clippers is to be built at Barking Riverside, close to the new Barking Riverside station.
This will create a whole series of new routes to the East of Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the Thames Barrier.
Conclusion
I think the new pier will also be good for tourists, just as much as commuters.
I shall certainly use it to show visitors, the historic sites of the Thames.
It’s also good to see the Thames Clippers getting integrated with London’s more traditional public transport.
Can We Innovate Our Way Out Of Our Troubles?
One Of London’s biggest problems at the moment is the bridges across the Thames.
This article on the BBC is entitled London’s Bridges ‘Are The Capital’s Embarrassment’ and is typical of many.
Hammersmith Bridge is causing particular trouble and has been closed to all traffic for some time.
But then I saw this innovative solution to the Hammersmith Bridge problem.
Note.
- Hammersmith Bridge is still closed.
- A floating bridge has been added alongside for pedestrians and cyclists.
- The floating bridge uses parts of the old Blackfriars pier.
- There is an innovative floating pontoon, which is activated by the current, that is used in the middle of the river to transfer passengers across.
- New Civil Engineer thinks, the temporary bridge could become a tourist attraction.
The design made me smile.
Walking Between Blackfriars And Hungerford Railway Bridges
These pictures were taken as I walked between Blackfriars and Hungerford railway bridges.
I was walking along the South Bank of the Thames.
A Short Cruise At Greenwich
I had taken the Emirate air-line to North Greenwich with friends and we decided we needed to go to the Cutty Sark.
So we took one of the Thames Clippers, from where I took these pictures.
About the pictures.
- The first pictures show Greenwich Power Station, which generates electricity for Transport for London on a standby basis. It must be one of oldest power stations still producing electricity, although nowadays it doesn’t use coal, but six massive gas turbines.
- The rest of the pictures show the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
The trip between the two piers took only a few minutes.
A Tourist Route Between Bank/London Bridge/Tower of London And Maritime Greenwich
I do this route on a sunny day, when I perhaps want to show a guest around London.
- Take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Bank or Tower Gateway stations to Royal Victoria station.
- Take the Emirate Air-Line across the Thames to Greenwich. Peninsular
- North Greenwich isn’t overloaded with attractions, unless you’re seeing a show or event at the O2. But it’s getting better!
- Take the Thames Clipper one stop to Greenwich. They run every twenty minutes.
If you want to be boring you can always catch the DLR to Cutty Sark station.
A few points.
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is often thought by Londoners, commuters and visitors as a bit of a Cinderella.
However, like Cinderella she works hard all day and provides reliable and efficient transport, where the only alternatives are buses, bicycles, taxis and Shank’s pony.
Just after the 2012 Olympics, I met a big cheese in Transport for London on a DLR train. He felt that the DLR had been the star in getting everybody to the games.
It must be one of the most successful light railways in the world!
And yet, no-one has ever thought to build another running on the same principles.
- Mainly elevated track.
- Mainly step-free stations
- Universal step-free train-to-platform access.
- High-visibility trains for passengers.
- Trains every three or four minutes.
- Friendly, interested, visible staff.
- Driverless operation with a train captain looking after passengers and driving in emergency.
- Contactless ticketing
Perhaps the lack of a full-time driver on every train, means that many other places would have massive union problems.
Emirates Air-Line
I’ve taken many people on the Emirates Air-Line and few haven’t been impressed.
The best time in my view is just as the sun sets, as these pictures show.
Note that unless you want a souvenir ticket, just use your bank card to touch-in and touch-out! My last one-way trip cost me £3.50 and appeared on my credit card statement labelled TFL TRAVEL CH Conractactless.
Thames Clippers
Since I moved back to London in 2010, the Thames Clippers have been continuously expanding and improving.
- .Five new boats have been delivered since the Olympics.
- Several piers have been improved, rebuilt or added in recent years.
- Cpmtactless ticketing can be used for all services. Payments are labelled THAMES CLIPPERS.
It should be noted that if you are a holder of a London Freedom Pass, you can get a discount on tickets at a machine.
Plans exist for the following.
- Extending the route to new housing developments at Barking and Thamesmead in the East.
- A new pier at Silvertown in October 2019, which could have a walking or bus link to the City Airport.
I can also see the following.
- Extensions to the West past Putney Pier to places like new housing at Brentford and Kew Gardens.
- Further extensions to the East to support the massive housing developments.
- Better connections to the London Underground, London Overground and National Rail stations.
- More use being made of the Thames Barrier as a tourist attraction.
- Thames Clippers becoming a river tube line.
- Thames Clippers appearing on the Tube map, just as the Emirate Air-Line does!
- A quick and easy connection between the City Airport, Canary Wharf and the Cities of London and Westminster being developed.
The last would surely appeal to City businessmen and those wanting to celebrate a special event.
If Venice can run a boat between the Airport, and St. Mark’s Square why can’t London do the equivalet?
Crossrail
Crossrail is the Elephant-in-the-Room, that will surely make its presence felt along the South Bank of the Thames, when it is extended to Ebbsfleet, as it surely will be.
- There will be a short walking interchange at Woolwich between Crossrail and the Tghames Clippers.
- If Crossrail build a station at Silvertown for London City Airport, this could be another interchange.
- If Crossrail eventually terminates at Gravesend, there could even be possibilities that far East.
The possibilities of designing the Crossrail Extension in conjunction with the Thames could open up the river has as both a leisure attraction and a transport artery.
Conclusion
London will reach towards the sea, to further enhance and add space to the undoubted Capital of the World!
A
The Anonymous Widower 