A Trip To Stansted Airport In A Class 745/1 Train
This lunchtime a friend was passing through Stansted Airport on the way to Glasgow. As we hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years, we had decided to have a coffee at the Airport.
I took these pictures on the trip.
Property Development At Tottenham Hale
There is a lot of development going on around Tottenham Hale station.
There will be a lot more to come.
The New Class 745/1 Train
I travelled in a new Class 745/1 train, which are replacing the Class 379 trains.
Note.
- The trains have twelve articulated sections.
- The trains are 236.5 metres long.
- Only 11-car Class 390 trains or a pair of five-car Class 80x trains are longer.
- The train has767 seats at a density of 3.24 seats/metre
This picture through the train emphasises the train’s length.
Note.
- There are some light slops, but no steps.
- A coffee and snack trolley would be possible.
- The overhead racks are generously-sized.
- Some seats are higher and you step up into them, as they are over the wheels.
The ride was also excellent.
Class 745/1 Train Performance
I made these observations.
- My train stopped at Tottenham Hale, Harlow Town, Bishops Stortford and Stansted Mountfitchet.
- The train was at 80 mph most of the time on the West Anglia Main Line.
- The maximum speed if a Class 745 train is 100 mph.
- The operating speed of the West Anglia Main Line is given on Wikipedia as 100 mph maximum.
- The train was didn’t exceed 70 mph on the Stansted Branch.
- Between Stansted Airport and Stansted Mountfitchet, the train accelerated to 70 mph and then braked at the right time to stop precisely in the following station.
At all times, I felt the train was running very easily. But then there are 125 mph members of the Flirt family running in Norway.
I can see these trains cutting the current 49 minutes between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.
Other times to London’s airports are as follows.
- London Bridge – Gatwick – Thameslink – 48 minutes.
- Victoria – Gatwick – Gatwick Express – 30 minutes.
- Victoria – Gatwick – Southern – 32 minutes.
- Paddington – Heathrow Central – Heathrow Express – 15 minutes
- Paddington – Heathrow Central – Crossrail – 28 minutes
With the exception of Heathrow Express, the new Stansted Express doesn’t stand up too badly.
Rye House Gas-Fired Power Station
One of the landmarks you pass on the West Anglia Main Line is Rye House power station.
The weather wasn’t good, but the pictures give an impression of the 715 MW gas-fired power station.
This Google Map shows the power station.
Note.
- The West Anglia Main Line running SW-NE across the map.
- Sainsbury’s distribution centre to the North of the railway.
- The power station to the South of the railway.
- The grid-like structure is an air-cooled condenser.
But where is the station’s carbon capture equipment?
The Lea Valley is London’s greenhouse, as this second Google Map shows.
Note all the nurseries and salad producers on the map, which is a mile or so to the South East of the power station.
Drax Group used to pipe carbon dioxide to salad producers from Drax power station, so why aren’t they doing it here?
Changing At Tottenham Hale Station
This set of pictures show my change at Tottenham Hale station, when I returned to London.
Note.
- The step-free entry to the Class 745 train.
- The Stansted Express used Platform 3.
- It was then followed in Platform 3, by a train to Liverpool Street via Hackney Downs station.
- At the same time, a train arrived in Platform 4, which went to Stratford via Lea Bridge station.
- I took the Stratford train to Lea Bridge station.
- The train was a Class 379 train, which has been replaced by the Class 745 train.
It looks like all Stansted Expresses have an interchange to trains to Hackney Downs and Stratford after a few minutes.
This sums up, what travellers can do at Tottenham Hale station, after arriving on a Stansted Express.
- Stay on the Stansted Express for Liverpool Street.
- Wait for the next train to Hackney Downs and Liverpool Street, on the same platform.
- Wait for the train to Stratford, on the other side of the same platform.
- Catch the Victoria Line, as passengers have done for decades.
- There are also lots of buses and taxis.
When Crossrail opens, there will be connections at Stratford and Liverpool Street.
Lea Bridge Station
I took these pictures at Lea Bridge station.
Note, that not all trains on this route are Class 379 trains.
Property Development At Lea Bridge Station
There is a lot of development going on around Lea Bridge station.
As at Tottenham Hale and Stratford, there will probably be more to come.
Lea Bridge Road In Mid Afternoon
As I just mixed a 56 bus home, I walk about half-a-mile to the next bus stop.
It was not a pleasant walk!
Stevenage Station’s New Fifth Platform Opened A Year Early
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A new £40 million platform and track at Stevenage station has been completed more than a year ahead of schedule.
Yesterday, it appears that the first scheduled train left Stevenage for Moorgate at 0502.
Will This Be Good For Travellers?
A few thoughts!
Stevenage Hospital
One of my old school friends lives in Cuffley. From that part of Hertfordshire, the hospital, patients use is in Stevenage. He can drive, but not everybody can!
LNER
Currently, LNER run an hourly service between Stevenage and Leeds, with an hourly service between Stevenage and Lincoln or York via Newark.
North From Enfield, Palmers Green, Southgate, Winchmore Hill and Wood Green
If you live in Enfield or the old London boroughs of Southgate or Wood Green, it could be easier to pick up trains for the North from Stevenage, rather than Kings Cross.
Not Bad For Me Too!
Even, where I live now, which is a mile or so East of Highbury & Islington station, if the timing is right, I can walk or get a bus for four stops to Essex Road station and get a train to Stevenage and then change for Leeds and the North.
East Coast Trains
East Coast Trains will be starting a fast, low-cost London Kings Cross and Edinburgh service, which will call at Stevenage.
Grand Central Trains
Grand Central Trains are currently shut down because of COVID-19, but will they call at Stevenage station, when they restart?
Hull Trains
Some Hull Trains services between London Kings Cross and Hull, call at Stevenage.
Hitachi’s Class 80x Trains
LNER, East Coast Trains and Hull Trains, all run versions of Hitachi’s Class 800 trains or similar.
These trains are built for performance and an extra stop at Stevenage station can probably be incorporated in the timetable without any penalty.
So will we see more trains stopping at Stevenage, if the train operators think it will be worthwhile?
Could Some Services From The North Terminate At Stevenage?
The Digswell Viaduct and the double-track section through Welwyn North station are the major bottleneck on the East Coast Main Line.
But a train returning North at Stevenage wouldn’t go over the viaduct.
Stevenage already has or could have excellent connections to the following.
- Cambridge, Stansted Airport and East Anglia
- Moorgate and the City of London and Crossrail.
- North East London
If keen pricing can encourage travellers to use Stevenage instead of Kings Cross, I can see operators wanting to run extra services, that could start at Stevenage.
I can also see Greater Anglia getting in on the act.
Could Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Cambridge service be extended to Stevenage via the planned Cambridge South and Royston stations?
Could the service be timed to offer cross-platform interchange with their Norwich and Stansted Airport, at Cambridge South station?
Four important extra services would be created with a step-free interchange.
- Ipswich and Stansted Airport – 106 minutes – Step-free walk across at Cambridge South station
- Ipswich and Stevenage – 115 minutes – New direct service
- Norwich and Stansted Airport – 107 minutes – Existing service
- Norwich and Stevenage – 116 minutes – Step-free walk across at Cambridge South station.
A large number East Anglian rail journeys would be simpler.
Car Parking
Will there be enough car parking at Stevenage station?
I suppose, it would be possible to build a Stevenage Parkway station between Stevenage and Watton-at-Stone stations.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note, that the railway seems to mark the development limit for the town.
The high performance of the Class 717 trains, would probably mean, that there would be no lengthened journey times.
Conclusion
This project appears to have been well-thought through!
Plans For Brandon Rail Station Upgrade Deemed Lawful By Local Council
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Train operator Greater Anglia has been allowed to press ahead with plans to complete £1m of improvements at Brandon railway station.
Work at Brandon station will include.
- Demolishing of redundant buildings, that are not in the best of condition.
- Install new shelters, LED lights, CCTV cameras and better drainage.
- Increase car parking spaces from six to a hundred.
- It looks like accessible car parking will be provided.
- Provide a new bat roost.
The overall cost will be a million pounds.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- Cambridge and Ely is to the West and Norwich is to the East.
- The queues at the level crossing at the Western end of the station.
- I seem to remember, that it’s a Council Depot on the North side of the tracks.
At some time in the future the station will need a step-free footbridge.
Greater Anglia’s Norwich And Stansted Service
This is the main passenger service at Brandon station.
- Trains are four-car Class 755 trains.
- The service is hourly.
- Trains take about thirty minutes between Brandon and Cambridge stations.
- Trains take about an hour between Brandon and Stansted Airport stations.
- Trains take forty-five minutes between Brandon and Norwich stations.
Will there be enough car parking spaces?
Could Brandon Station Ever Have A Half-Hourly Service?
If there’s one city that will dominate the economy of East Anglia, it is Cambridge and its need for premises and housing for workers, will mean that there will be increasing numbers of passengers using the trains into Cambridge.
So I wouldn’t be surprised to see a half-hourly service between Norwich and Cambridge.
Could We See More Brandon Stations?
As I travel round the country, I’ve visited several stations like Brandon. Many could be improved by a radical restructuring or a comprehensive refurbishing.
Greater Anglia’s New Stansted Service To And From Norwich
Stansted Airport railway station now has the following rail services.
- Four trains per hour (tph) Stansted Express services to and from Liverpool Street station.
- One tph to and from Cambridge.
- One tph to and from Birmongham New Street
- One tph to and from Norwich, which started on December 15th, 2019.
This morning I wen to the station to use the new service to Cambridge.
Note.
- Platform 1 at Stansted Airport, is used to handle two trains.
- The Class 755 trains appeared to be using overhead 25 KVAC.
- The Cambridge-Ipswich and Norwich-Stansted services appear to offer interchange possibilities at Cambridge could be developed in the future.
- It appeared that a new Class 755 train had failed and was parked in Platform 1a at Stansted.
The service certainly seemed to be attracting more than a handle of passengers.
These are a few extra thoughts.
Whittlesford Parkway Station
Whittlesford Parkway station has a Holiday Inn hotel and a large car park, as this Google Map shows.
When I lived in the area, I used to use it as a station for travelling to and from London.
Consider.
- Whittlesford Parkway to Stansted Airport takes twenty-six minutes by train.
- There are two tph to and from Stansted Airport.
- Given the station’s convenient position on the road network and the good train service to Stansted Airport, I suspect some Airport users will use the station as an alternative place to park.
- It will certainly make a sensible drop off point for Stansted passengers and workers.
In my view, the only improvement needed, is a step-free bridge.
Audley End Station
Audley |End station is another station that is served by trains going between Stansted Airport and Cambridge and Norwich.
As the map shows, car parking is not as extensive.
Commuting From Audley End And Whittlesford Parkway To Norwich
C, my late wife was a barrister, who regularly drove to Norwich for a day in Court.
If there had been a train service between Whittlesford and Norwich, she might have used it.
But it does appear, that early morning services start from Cambridge.
Early And Late Trains Between Norwich and Stansted Airport
It appears to me, that that the timetable between Norwich and Stansted Airport may not start ealy enough and perhaps run late enough, given the hours that flights arrive and depart at the Airport.
Conclusion
This is going to be a worthwhile service, but I don’t think it is fully developed yet.
Future Stansted Airport Train Services
Currently, the following services go to Stansted Airport station, in trains per hour (tph)
- Four tph – Stansted Express – Liverpool Street
- One tph -CrossCountry – Birmingham New Street via Cambridge, Peterborough and Leicester
- One tph – Greater Anglia – Cambridge via Audley End and Whittlesford Parkway
Greater Anglia have plans to change the services.
- Extend the Norwich and Cambridge service to Stansted Airport.
- Reintroduction of a Stansted Express service between the Airport and Stratford is mentioned in Wikipedia.
With two very long and one shorter platform, the Airport station has plenty of capacity.
Stansted Express Journey Times And Trains Required
Currently, Stansted Express services run at a frequency of four tph, that take fifty minutes between London and the Airport.
If a turnround time of ten minutes is added, then it takes trains two hours to do a round trip between London and the Airport.
So this means that thse numbers of trains are needed for the following frequencies.
- One tph – Two trains
- Two tph – Four trains
- Four tph – Eight trains
As Greater Anglia have ordered ten Class 745/1 trains for Stansted Express, these would be able to provide a reliable service with eight in service, one as a spare and one in maintenance.
A Stansted Express service to Stratford would take the same time and would need similar numbers of trains.
Norwich and Stansted Airport Journey Times And Trains Required
The timing for the proposed service between Norwich and Stansted Airport, can be estimated by taking the timing of current services.
- Norwich and Cambridge – One hour 20 minutes
- Cambridge and Stansted Airport – 30 minutes
Both services are run by reasonably-modern 100 mph diesel trains.
Add in a ten minute turnround at both ends of the route and it should be possible to schedule a Stansted Airport and Norwich round trip in four hours.
Greater Anglia is introducing new bi-mode Class 755 trains on this route.
- The trains will be designed for fast stops.
- The trains will run on electricity on the nearly forty miles between Stansted Airport and Ely and around Norwich.
- The trains will run on diesel between Ely and Trouse Junction, just to the South of Norwich.
- The trains will probably be abe to achieve 100 mph on a good proportion of the route.
- The trains will probably be four-cars.
It would need four trains to run the proposed one tph service.
The current Norwich and Cambridge service probably needs three trains, so extending to Stansted Airport will need an extra train.
This seems to be good value for passengers, the Cities of Cambridge and Norwich, Stansted Airport and Greater Anglia.
Could There Be A Norwich And London Service Via The West Anglia Main Line?
I can remember seeing steam-hauled expresses thundering between Liverpool Street and Norwich in the 1950s, through places like Brimsdown.
They are long gone, but they gave places like Wymondham and Thetford a direct rail link to London.
Greater Anglia’s future plans will connect these towns and others directly to Stansted Airport, but could they go all the way to London?
What do the mathematics show?
The section timings of a Norwich and London service via Cambridge and Stansted Airport would be as follows.
- Norwich and Cambridge – One hour 20 minutes
- Cambridge and Stansted Airport – 30 minutes
- Stansted Airport and London – 50 minutes
This is just two hours and forty minutes.
Add in a few minutes for the reverse at Stansted Airport and the turnround at either end and I believe a round trip could be comfortably within six hours.
It would therefore mean that six trains would be needed to run an hourly service between London and Norwich.
- Stops could be Tottenham Hale, Broxbourne, Harlow Town, Bishops Stortford, Stansted Airport, Audley End, Whittlesford Parkway, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely and all stations to Norwich.
- The London terminal could be Liverpool Street or Stratford.
- If Stratford were to be used, trains could be turned round in the High Meads Loop.
- Trains would be Class 755 trains, which are bi-mode and capable of 100 mph running.
- Between London and Ely, the trains would take advantage of the electrification.
The service would give a lot of stations a direct connection to Stansted Airport, that would be complimentary to the Stansted Express.
It would require just two more trains, than the planned Norwich and Stansted Airport service.
The advantages of the service would be.
- Stations between Thetford and Norwich would get direct London and Stansted Airport services.
- Stratford would get a very useful direct service to Stansted Airport.
Greater Anglia would serve two markets with the extended service and just two extra trains, over the planned service.
If Greater Anglia say a London and Norwich via Stansted Airport service will never happen, they are being economical with the truth.
Could Class 755 Trains With Batteries Bridge The Electrification Gap,Between Ely And Trowse Junction?
The distance between the electrification at Ely station and Trowse Junction, South of Norwich, is just under fifty-three miles.
I believe that the tri-mode four-car Flirts for Trains for Wales are similar to Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, with three of the Deutz diesel engines replaced with 100-120 kWh batteries.
Would this be enough power to take the train across the electrification gap?
Consider.
- There is electrification at both ends and the batteries could be full, on entering the unelectrified section.
- The route is very gentle.
- There are a few stops, but the trains will have regenerative braking to charge the batteries.
- The trains could retain a single diesel-engine,, should livestock on the line cause the service to be suspended.
For these and other reasons, I suspect that in a couple of years, diesel will be relegated to emergency use only between Norwich and Stansted Airport.
The Herd Of Wannabe Unicorns In The Room
Other places have elephants, but the City of Cambridge has herds of wannabe unicorns.
For those of you, unfamiliar with the term, Wikipedia defines unicorn like this.
A unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion.
Cambridge is expanding at a fast rate and it needs public transport systems to bring in the workers, visitors and investors.
- A new Cambridge North station has been built.
- A guided busway linking Addenbrooke’s and Papworth Hospitals and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus to the City Centre has been built.
- A new Cambridge South station is being planned.
- The East-West Rail Link will connect Cambridge to Oxford.
Road travel in the local area is not an option.
Currently, most rail services radiate from Cambridge station, but like London and other cities are proving, Cambridge needs Cross-City services.
A high-frequency North-South route is being created across the City.
- To the North of the City is Ely station.
- North of Ely station, lines fan out to Peterborough, Kings Lynn and Norwich.
- From North to South across the City, there will be Waterbeach, Cambridge North, Cambridge and Cambridge South stations.
- South of Cambridge South station, lines will fan out to Bedford and Oxford, Royston, Hitchin and Kings Cross and Audley End, Stansted Airport and Livepool Street.
In addition routes to Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich and Felixstowe reach out to the East.
The current North-South train services include.
- 1 tph – Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport
- 1 tph – Kings Lynn and Kings Cross
- 1 tph – Cambridge and Norwich
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Liverpool Street
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Kings Cross
The number of these services will grow.
Will More Stations Be Built Or Reopened Between Stansted Airport And Norwich?
I know the route, South of Cambridge better than I know it to the North.
To the South of Cambridge, the current stations could be sufficient, with improved car and bicycle parking and provision for electric cars.
To the North, there appear to be new housing developments under consideration and surely, these will need good public transport to and from Cambridge.
Does The Norwich and Stansted Airport Service Need Two Trains Per Hour?
I have a feeling that Greater Anglia think, that East Anglia’s generally one tph services between major towns and cities is not enough.
Greater Anglia have said they will do the following.
- Increase the Ipswich and Norwich frequency from two to three tph.
- Run two tph between Ipswich and Kennett via Bury St. Edmunds.
I talked previously about Cambridge and its herd of wannabe unicorns.
I believe strongly, that the Cambridge Effect will in a couple of years, mean that the frequency between Norwich and Stansted Airport will need to be doubled.
But will Greater Anglia have enough trains?
Greater Anglia are purchasing a fleet of 38 Class 755 trains with a total of 138 carriages to replace 27 assorted trains with a total of 58 carriages.
- This is a forty percent increase in the number of trains.
- This is nearly two and a half times as many carriages.
- The average number of carriages per train is raised from 2.1 to 3.6.
That is a massive increase in train capacity.
There should be enough for either.
- Eight trains for two tph between Norwich and Stansted Airport.
- Twelve trains for two tph between Norwich and London via Stansted Airport.
These would be increases of four and eight trains respectively on Greater Anglia’s current plan for a one tph service between Norwich and Stansted Airport.
Conclusion
Greater Anglia have enough trains to run a two tph service between Norwich and London via Stansted Airport.
I believe that the Cambridge Effect will create enough demand to necessitate expansion of the proposed one tph service between Norwich and Stansted Airport into a Norwich and London via Stansted Airport service.
- Frequency will be two tph.
- New commuter-friendly stations could be built.
- The Southern terminal could be Stratford to give a second route to Stansted Airport from London.
Greater Anglia would be satisfying two markets with one train.
Oyster Card Scheme Extension Agreed
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC,
This paragraph describes the extensions.
Its extension, due in early 2019, will include Hertford North, Welwyn Garden City, Luton Airport Parkway and Epsom.
As the Oyster Card extension will also include intermediate stations, the following stations will be included on the four routes.
- Hertford North – Crews Hill, Cuffley and Bayford.
- Luton Airport Parkway – Radlett, St. Albans City and Harpenden
- Welwyn Garden City – Potters Bar, Brookmans Park,Welham Green and Hatfield
All intermediate stations to Epsom are already in the Oyster Card Scheme.
Fourteen new stations will be added.
These are a few random thoughts.
Contactless And Oyster
Oyster card and most contactless payment methods with a card or mobile device can be used on Oyster Card reader, so in this post, I will use contactless to cover all methods.
I believe that in a few years, Oyster could be phased out, as cards and mobile devices will take over the ticketing.
Luton Airport Parkway
Adding Luton Airport Parkway station to the network, brings Luton Airport in line with Gatwick and Heathrow Airports.
This is very much a logical extension.
Airport Services
This is a list of the current times for airport services from London.
- Gatwick – Express – 29 minutes – Thameslink – 39-60 minutes
- Heathrow – Express – 15 minutes – Crossrail – 28 minutes
- Luton – East Midlands Trains – 21 minutes – Thameslink 30-47 minutes
- Southend – 52-53 minutes
- Stansted – 49-52 minutes
If you look at the passenger statistics for Gatwick Airport station, they have been rising at around a million passengers a year for the past few years. How much of the recent rises have been due to the station going contactless in January 2016?
Certainly, if you’re late for a plane, contactless ticketing might save a couple of minutes.
I always remember an incident at Southend Airport station.
My plane was late and arrived very close to the departure time of the last train to London. There had recently been a lot of arrivals and the queues for tickets were long.
So a Greater Anglia employee took the decision to tell everybody to get on the train and we all went to London without tickets.
If ticketing had been contactless, Greater Anglia might have collected some fares.
But contactless at an airport is not solely about making money, but getting the passengers away from the airport quickly.
Hertford East And Hertford North Stations
Hertford East station accepts contactless cards.
Adding the facility to Hertford North station may open up some journey possibilities and ease ticketing.
The National Rail web site recommends that to go between Ware and Bayford stations on either side of Hertford, that you walk between the East and North stations.
An anytime ticket will cost you £19.50.
But buy two separate tickets between Ware and Hertford East stations and Hertford North and Bayford stations and it’ll cost £6!
Using contactless ticketing and touching in at all stations will save £13.50! Will this cost difference encourage more journeys with a walk in the middle?
When I visited the Hertford East Branch recently in mid-morning, I thought that it was surprisingly busy. Does lower-hassle contactless ticketing encourage more passengers?
Analysis of contactless touches will provide the answers to my two questions.
St. Albans City And St. Albans Abbey Stations
The Abbey Line between Watford Junction and St. Albans Abbey stations is not contactless, although Watford Junction station is so enabled and St. Albans City station will be.
There is surely a case for adding contactless ticketing to this short line of five intermediate stations.
Welwyn Garden City Station
Enabling Oyster on the route to Welwyn Garden City station, will mean that all stations on the Great Northern Route from Moorgate station will be enabled except for Watton-at-Stone and Stevenage.
This would surely be less confusing for passengers, than the current arrangement, where Oyster tickeing is stopped at Hadley Wood and Gordon Hill stations.
Hopefully a suitable announcement would wake-up accidental fare avoiders at Hertford North station.
Epsom Station
The two routes to London from Epsom station are both fully Oyster-enabled, so surely adding one station to the routes shouldn’t be a difficult problem technically.
Further Routes For Oyster
Distances of the new Oyster-enabled stations, with a few existing ones, by rail from Central London are as follows.
- Epsom – 16 miles from Victoria.
- Gatwick Airport – 26 miles from Victoria
- Hertford North – 20 miles from Moorgate
- Luton Airport Parkway – 29 miles from St. Pancras
- Shenfield – 20 miles from Liverpool Street
- Welwyn Garden City – 20 miles from Kings Cross
So what other stations could be added?
Southend And Stansted Airports
Airports seem to like Oyster and as I said earlier, it can help to sort out ticketing problems at certain times.
- Southend Airport station is 39 miles from Liverpool Street and there are five other stations between Southend Airport and Shenfield stations.
- Stansted Airport station is 36 miles from Liverpool Street and there are six other stations between Southend Airport and Broxbourne stations.
This story on ITV is entitled Rail Minister Urged To Roll Out Oyster Card Payments To Stansted, Luton And Southend Airports.
Luton Airport will soon be Oyster-enabled, so hopefully Stansted and Southend Airports will be enabled soon.
Thirty Miles From London
There are a lot of places within thirty miles of London on commuter routes, that I’m sure eventually will be Oyster-enabled.
- High Wycombe and Aylesbury – Chiltern have ambitions for this.
- Rochester – 30 miles from London and on Thameslink.
- Windsor
There will be other suggestions.
Extending Freedom Pass
I’d like to be able to just touch-in and touch-out to go to any station in the Oyster card area.
My Freedom Pass would be connected to a bank or credit card and I would be charged beyond the Freedom Pass area.
If Oyster cards can be linked to a bank or credit card, surely London’s control computer can be programmed to do something very powerful for Freedom Passes.
It could be a nice little earner for cash-strapped Transport for London.
Conclusion
Oyster is extending its reach and after this flurry of extensions in the next few months, lot of places will be wanting to be Oyster-enabled.
I suspect the only objector to this roll-out, will be the RMT, who have made the Luddites look like pussycats!
Why I Don’t Use Stansted Airport
There are two reasons, why I don’t use Stansted Airport.
Ryanair
There are better ways to fly!
Train Ticketing
It’s not simple and I can’t buy an extension ticket to my Freedom Pass as I can for Gatwick, Luton and Southend.
This picture sums it all up.
I’d use the Airport more if I could use a contactless card from Tottenham Hale station.
As an aside, I also think Cambridge should be in the contactless area.
How Will Greater Anglia/London Overground Use The Third Track On The West Anglia Main Line?
This morning as I often do, I took the 11:00 train between Stratford and Enfield Lock stations.
I like to have a look at progress on STAR, which involves the following.
- A five and a half kilometre third track to the East of the current two tracks of the West Anglia Main Line between Lea Bridge and Angel Road stations.
- A third platform and station improvements at Tottenham Hale station.
- A third platform, removal of a level crossing and complete rebuilding of Northumberland Park station.
- Building of a completely new three-platform station at Meridian Water to replace the current inadequate Angel Road station.
This Google Map shows the location of Meridian Water station with respect to Tesco Extra and IKEA in Glover Drive.
You can just see the concrete foundations of the station and its platforms alongside the West Anglia Main Line to the West of the Tesco Extra.
In Meridian Water Station – 14th June 2018, I show pictures of the station just over two months ago.
There has been steady and worthwhile progess since.
- Meridian Water station now has platforms under construction.
- Northumberland Park station looks like it could be ready before Spurs’ new stadium.
- The lift towers for the footbridge at Tottenham Hale station are being erected.
- I estimate about seventy percent of the third track has been laid.
- All the electrification gantries seem to have been erected and there are even some overhead wires.
The target for finishing the works is said to be May 2019 and I suspect that is achievable.
Use Of The Third Track
It certainly looks like the third track will be ready, so how will it be used?
The Northern End
At the Northern end, the third track appears to finish in a bay platform at Meridian Water station.
Once Angel Road station is closed and reduced to rubble, there would be plenty of space to add a junction, so that trains going South towards Stratford, could use the third track.
This would surely ease operation of the West Anglia Main Line.
Meridian Water Station
Meridian Water station appears to be being built as a three-platform station with provision for a fourth.
From various drawings and notes on the Internet it looks like there will be two platforms on the West Anglia Main Line and a separate bay or through platform to the East.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the relationship of Angel oad and Meridian Water station.
The dotted line on the map is the third track.
I took these pictures from a slow train through the station.
It looks very much like a through platform is being created.
I feel that access to this platform will be in two ways.
- From the North via a junction with the Southbound track of the West Anglia Main Line. This junction could be to the North the current Angel Road station.
- From the South using the new third track.
This would mean that no trains will have to cross the West Anglia Main Line using a flat junction.
I don’t believe that trains can run bi-directionally on the third track, as there is not enough time in an hour for four trains to shuttle between Lea Bridge and Meridian Water.
So that means all services calling at Meridian Water will go further up the Lea Valley to turn back.
Using The Third Platform At Tottenham Hale Station
I think it is likely that the current two platforms will be used as follows.
- Platform 2 – Northbound trains
- Platform 1 – Southbound trains to Liverpool Street
It would be logical that the new third platform would handle Southbound trains to Stratford.
As Platform 1 and the new platform share an island, passengers will have a step-free cross-platform interchange, if they need to go to the alternative destination.
The following journey times should be noted.
- Tottenham Hale to Stratford currently takes 14 minutes
- Tottenham Hale to Liverpool Street currently takes between 14 and 17 minutes
- Liverpool Street to Stratford will take eight minutes on Crossrail
I suspect a lot of passengers will change to a direct train.
It could also mean that an ideal service would see the same frequency of trains at both platforms.
The Southern End
At the Southern end, the third track joins the West Anglia Main Line going towards Stratford, but there is also a crossover to allow trains coming from Stratford to use the third track.
Is The Third Track Going To Be Bi-Directional?
Loops like this third track are often signalled to be bi-directional, to ease operation. But as I said earlier, I think the third track is too long to operate in that way all the time with passenger services.
What Will Be The Operating Speed Of The Third Track?
I have watched the third track being constructed and it is totally new.
- All bridges have been replaced with new structures.
- The track is fully electrified.
- There appear to be no junctions, except at the two ends.
Everything certainly looks professional to my untrained eye.
The operating speed will probably be determined by the time set for the driver to take the train between stations on the line.
But the track has surely been designed to minimise the time between Meridian Water and Stratford.
Could The Third Track Be Extended Northwards?
The length of the third track is 5.5 km.
Could the third track be extended to the North?
If Crossrail 2 is built, there will be a need to make the route four tracks.
- Two fast tracks for the expresses between London, Stansted and Cambridge.
- Two slow tracks for Crossrail 2 as far as the terninus at Broxbourne.
These are my observations
- Looking from both a train and on Google Map, it appears that it will be a tight fit to squeeze in two tracks.
- There is the serious problems of the two level crossings at Brimsdown and Enfield Lock stations.
- Waltham Cross station seems very tight too.
But I do think, that with a clever redesign at the three troublesome stations, that a third track, but not necessarily a fourth can be squeezed in as far as North as Broxbourne, which would be another 11.2 miles.
Although in places, like these pictures taken just South of Tottenham Hale station show, there may be plenty of space for two tracks.
I suspect that to put in the fourth track will mean that the bridge at Ferry Lane will need to be rebuilt.
But it does appear that in building the third track, the builders are making sue there is space for a fourth track to be added in a few years.
Currently, How Many Calls Are There At Each Station?
These figures are calculated from the current timetable.
Lea Bridge
- Two trains per hour (tph) – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Two tph stop in both platforms.
Tottenham Hale
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Four tph – Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Ten tph stop in both platforms.
Northumberland Park
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Two tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, eight tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Meridian Water
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Two tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, eight tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Ponders End
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
Two tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, eight tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Brimsdown
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
Two tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, eight tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Enfield Lock
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- One tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Three tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, seven tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Waltham Cross
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Four tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, six tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Cheshunt
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Six tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, four tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Broxbourne
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Six tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, four tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Harlow Town
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Stansted
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Six tph stop in both platforms.
In addition, two tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
Bishop’s Stortford
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph – Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Two tph – Liverpool Street to Stansted
- Two tph – Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
Four tph stop in both platforms.
Two tph would terminate at the station.
In addition, two tph pass through both platforms without stopping.
A Summary Of Current Services
This is summary of stops at the selected stations.
- Lea Bridge – 2 tph
- Tottenham Hale – 10 tph
- Northumberland Park – 2 tph
- Meridian Water – 2 tph
- Ponders End – 2 tph
- Brimsdown – 2 tph
- Enfield Lock – 3 tph
- Waltham Cross – 4 tph
- Cheshunt – 6 tph
- Broxbourne – 6 tph
- Harlow Town – 6 tph
- Bishop’s Stortford – 6 tph
Note.
- To say the least service is a bit patchy, with some stations getting a much better service than others.
- London Overround, Merseyrail and others feel that a service of four tph is highly desirable and attracts passengers.
The service definitely needs improvement.
STAR Services
It is certainly intended that four tph, will be run between Stratford and Meridian Water stations calling at Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park stations.
Current Services
Currently, this service is provided at a frequency of two tph by Greater Anglia, who extend the service to Bishop’s Strortford station.
There are various ways that this could be increased to four tph
Possible Northern Terminals
As I said earlier to avoid train-slowing flat junctions, STAR services must terminate North of Meridian Water station.
I think there are these possibilities.
- Bishop’s Stortford, which currently handles two tph in the bay platform 3.
- Broxbourne which is a large station with 8 platforms and has been earmarked as the terminal for Crossrail 2.
- Hertford East has platform space, but there may not be the capacity for the trains on the Hertford East Branch.
Passenger numbers will drive the choice, but I suspect all three terminals have their merits.
In the following sub-sections I’ll look at each terminus.
Two Extra Trains To Bishop’s Stortford
I will assume these services will call at the same stations as the current two trains.
This is summary of stops at the selected stations.
- Lea Bridge – 4 tph
- Tottenham Hale – 12 tph
- Northumberland Park – 4 tph
- Meridian Water – 4 tph
- Ponders End – 2 tph
- Brimsdown – 2 tph
- Enfield Lock – 4 tph
- Waltham Cross – 8 tph
- Cheshunt – 8 tph
- Broxbourne – 8 tph
- Harlow Town – 8 tph
- Bishop’s Stortford – 8 tph
Note.
- Enfield Lock now has the preferred four tph.
- Ponders End and Brimsdown probably need more services.
- Are there too many services at Harlow Town and Bishop’s Stortford?
But generally, it is a better distribution than now!
Two Extra Trains To Broxbourne Or Hertford East
I will assume these services will call at the same stations as the current two trains, that run between Stratford and Bishop’s Stortford.
This is summary of stops at the selected stations, which will be the same for both destinations.
- Lea Bridge – 4 tph
- Tottenham Hale – 12 tph
- Northumberland Park – 4 tph
- Meridian Water – 4 tph
- Ponders End – 2 tph
- Brimsdown – 2 tph
- Enfield Lock – 4 tph
- Waltham Cross – 8 tph
- Cheshunt – 8 tph
- Broxbourne – 8 tph
Note.
- Enfield Lock now has the preferred four tph.
- Ponders End and Brimsdown probably need more services.
- There will be no increase in frequencies North of Broxbourne.
Operational needs and passenger numbers will decide if these are better destinations.
Use Of The High Meads Loop At Stratford
The High Meads loop under the Eastfield Shopping Centre was designed to turn trains.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the loop.
On the map it is the horeshoe-shaped double track shown in black.
- , It goes through Platforms 11 and 12 in Stratford station.
- Currently, Platform 11 is used exclusively as a terminal for the two tph between Stratford and Bishop’s Stortford.
- Currently, Platform 12 is not used and the track is used to take trains to and from the Orient Way sidings
- Both ends of the loop join together just to the South of the Orient Way sidings and Lea Bridge station.
- In the past it has been used to turn Stansted Expresses, which used Platform 12 according to the signs still in place.
- I believe it would be possible to build a platform on the loop to serve Stratford International station and the Northern part of the Olympic Park.
In my view it is wasted fully-working infrastructure.
The Wirral Line Loop Under Liverpool
The most important rail loop in the UK is the loop of the Wirral Line under Central Liverpool.
- The loop is single-track with three single-platform stations
- This loop handles fourteen tph.
- The loop is built for full-size trains.
- Trains take eight minutes to go round the loop from Liverpool James Street station and fourteen minutes from Birkenhead Hamilton Square station on the other side of the Mersey.
It was built in the early 1970s and I’m sure the designers of the High Meads Loop were influenced strongly by the track layout in Liverpool.
The Wirral Line Loop showcases the major examples of this type of track layout.
- The driver just keeps driving and doesn’t have to change ends.
- A single terminal platform can handle a maximum of perhaps 4-6 tph, whereas a single platform on a loop can handle at least 14 tph.
- Stations can be provided at several places on the loop, where they are needed.
A loop is a very fast and simple way to turn trains.
Time Saving At Stratford Using The High Meads Loop
The 06:34 from Bishop’s Stortford stops at Tottenham Hale at 07:29, Lea Bridge at 07:33 and Stratford at 07:43.
The train then forms the 08:04 from Stratford, which stops at Lea Bridge at 08:10, Tottenham Hale at 08:18 and terminates at Bishop’s Stortford at 09:02.
So the train has taken thirty-seven minutes between the two calls at Lea Bridge station on a modern double track railway.
If the train loaded and unloaded passengers at Platform 11 at Stratford, I suspect that this time could be reduced to under twenty minutes, if the train continued round the High Meads Loop.
Even if there was an extra station on the loop to serve Stratford International station and the Northern part of the Olympic Park, I suspect that a saving on twenty minutes could be made.
Greater Anglia would be a big beneficiary. Currently the train leaves Bishop’s Stortford at 06:34 and arrives back at 09:02, which means a total trip time of 148 minutes for an out-and-back journey with ten intermediate stops both ways.
With a bit of time saving and the new Class 720 trains, I suspect that with the turnround time at Bishop’s Stortford added in, that a train could do the full trip within two and a half hours.
This would mean that ten trains would be needed for a four tph service between Stratford and Bishop’s Stortford.
Take off the twenty minutes saved by the High Meads Loop and the minutes saved by the new trains and I believe that well-driven trains could do the full trip in two hours
This would mean that eight trains would be needed for a four tph service between Stratford and Bishop’s Stortford.
Stansted Airport To Stratford
How much time would be saved if Stansted Airport trains went to Stratford and used the High Meads Loop?
The fastest trains take forty-seven minutes between Liverpool Street and Stansted, with about fourteen minutes needed for the short stretch between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale.
Using the High Meads Loop at Stratford would probably mean a similar journey time, as from Liverpool Street, but there would be other advantages, disadvantages and score draws.
- Both platforms used by Stansted Expresses would be step-free.
- Train tracks to Stratford are probably less likely to delay.
- Walking routes at Stratford might be shorter.
- Both Liverpool Street and Stratford will be served by Crossrail.
- Stratford could have links to Highspeed services to Kent.
Greater Anglia would be a big winner, as they would have a better train utilisation.
What Length Of Trains Could Use The High Meads Loop?
The only restriction will be the length of platforms at Stratford, Lea Bridge and Tottenham Hale.
Without getting my tape measure out, I suspect they are all capable of taking a twelve-car Class 317 train, which is around 240 metres long.
Ten-car versions of Greater Anglia’s new Class 720 trains are 243 metres long.
I would be very surprised if the platforms couldn’t accept these long trains.
What Would Be The Ultimate Capacity Of The High Meads Loop?
Consider.
- The Wirral Line Loop under Liverpool handles fourteen tph.
- More complicated tunnels under London like Crossrail, the East London Line and Thameslink are planned to handle 24 tph.
- Modern digital signalling will be applied in the next couple of decades to the West Anglia Main Line.
Consider.
- The Southbound third track and the route to Stratford from Lea Bridge can probably easily handle fifteen tph or a train every four minutes.
- Platform 11 at Stratford with perhaps some escalators, could probably handle fifteen or even twenty tph, as do stations like Canada Water and several stations on Thameslink and the Wirral Line.
- Northwards from Stratford, there is probably a total limit of twelve tph along the Lea Valley, that could be increased by removing level crossing and modern signalling.
I suspect that the ultimate capacity is way in excess of the number of services that need to be run from Stratford up the West Anglia Main Line.
Using The High Meads Loop To Take Pressure From Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street is crowded.
- Some platforms can’t accept full length trains.
- West Anglia services crawk between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale at a speed of not much more than 40 mph at times.
- The two operators; London Overground and Greater Anglia want to add additional services to the station.
- c2c also want to serve the station, as they have capacity problems at Fenchurch Street.
However, future developments will make Stratford a viable alternative to Liverpool Street.
- Crossrail will provide a high-capacity service linking both stations to the Canary Wharf, Heathrow and the West End.
- Better access to the Central Line will happen.
- Stratford has access to the important Jubilee Line.
- Stratford will be able to take advantage of Docklands Light Railway developments.
- Tottenham Hale station will have better interchange to the Victoria Line.
So why not move some services from the West Anglia Main Line to the High Meads Loop?
What Services Could Be Transferred From Liverpool Street To The High Meads Loop?
At present, all stopping trains between London and Bishop’s Stortford, start from Stratford and I can see this continuing after the third track opens.
I could also see extra services on this route to deliver the promised four tph to Meridian Water and Nothumberland Park.
Four tph can probably use Platform 11 st Stratford, but looking at the smooth unhurried operation of the Wirral Line Loop at Liverpool, I suspect that the High Meads Loop will be used.
Looking at all the other services between Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale, only the two tph between Liverpool Street and Hertford East, stop at another station, which is South of Tottenham Hale.
So it would probably not be sensible to transfer theseHertford East services to the High Meads Loop, but it might be a good idea to add two tph all day between Stratford and Hertford East, to create a four tph service to Hertford East with two tph from both Southern terminals.
Some services between Liverpool Street and Cambridge and between Liverpool Street and Stansted might be augmented with more services or moving the services to the High Meads Loop at Stratford.
I would suggest that about half the services went to Liverpool Street and terminated as they do now and the rest used the High Meads Loop.
This would mean that those, who’d caught the wrong train or changed their destination, could just change at Tottenham Hale by walking across the island platform.
I was on a train going South to Liverpool Street recently, when I changed my mind and transferred to a Stratford train. As I inew a Stratford train was close behind, I only had to wait a few minutes.
Note that, if there are six trains on both branches, then the maximum wait would be ten minutes.
Examining A Possible Timetable
This is definitely my speculation, but I am trying to show what is possible!
I also very much believe that Network Rail, Greater Anglia and London Overground will come up with something much better.
A Few Rules
I am using these rules to guide me in my thinking.
- All trains going to Stratford use the High Meads Loop and Platform 11 at Stratford.
- No station gets an inferior service to that it gets at the present time.
- All Southbound trains for Stratford use the new third track between Meridian Water and Lea Bridge Junction.
I think that this could be a good mix of services.
- One tph Liverpool Street to Cambridge
- One tph Liverpool Street to Cambridge North
- Two tph Liverpool Street to Hertford East
- Four tph Liverpool Street to Stansted
- Four tph Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford
- Two tph Stratford to Hertford East
- Two tph Stratford to Stansted
Note.
- Greater Anglia have said they will run a Stratford to Stansted service from 2019.
- The two extra Stratford to Bishop’s Stortford and Hertford East services will have similar calling patterns to the existing services.
- Eight tph goes to and from both Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Currently, eight tph run between Tottenham Hale and Liverpool Street.
- Based on the my observations of the relaxed operation of the Wirral Line Loop under Liverpool, I feel the capacity of the High Meads Loop could be as high as sixteen tph.
- Calling patterns will be adjusted to improve frequencies at Ponders End and Brimsdown stations
- The only other passenger trains on the route are two tph between Stansted Airport and Cambridge.
The number of trains running on each section of track would be as follows.
- Eight tph – Liverpool Street to Tottenham Hale
- Eight tph – Stratford to Tottenham Hale – Southbound trains use the third track where is has been added.
- Sixteen tph – Tottenham Hale to Broxbourne – Southbound trains use the third track where is has been added.
- Twelve tph – Broxbourne to Bishop’s Stortford
- Eight tph – Bishop’s Stortford to Stansted Airport
- Six tph – Stansted Airport to Cambridge
I’m not sure if this would be achievable, but there are several double-track main lines in the country, that handle at least sixteen tph.
Extra Services On The Lea Valley Routes Of The London Overground
The London Overground services from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt and Enfield Town have the following characteristics.
- A frequency of two tph.
- Extra peak hour services.
- Both services pass through Hackney Downs and Seven Sisters stations.
London Overgriound probably want to add two extra tph to both routes to increase the frequency to four tph. Unfortunately, the crowded lines South of Seven Sisters and a full Liverpool Street station, probably make this difficult.
Look at this map from carto.metro.free.fr, which shows the lines South of Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters stations.
South Tottenham station is on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, with the following connections.
- At the Western end of the station, the Seven Sisters Chord connects the station to the Lea Valley Line to Cheshunt and Enfield Town.
- At the Eastern end of the Tottenham South Curve connects the station to the line to the High Meads Loop at Stratford.
Would it be possible to run the extra two tph from both Cheshunt and Enfield Town to the High Meads Loop?
If it is possible, then the following frequencies will be achieved.
- Four tph between Cheshunt and Edmonton Green
- Four tph between Enfield Town and Edmonton Green
- Eight tph between Edmonton Green and Seven Sisters.
- Four tph between Seven Sisters and Stratford.
But more importantly, it will create more routes for East London’s Duckers-and-Divers to challenge the clock.
- Large parts of Enfield and Haringey now get a direct connection to Stratford.
- The new White Hart Lane station will have a direct connection to Stratford.
- Stratford to stations on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line is now just a step-free change at South Tottenham station.
I also wonder how many new sites for housing will become viable because of all the new transport links.
Future Developments
There are several developments planned or proposed, that will affect traffic on the West Anglia Main Line.
Track Improvements
The mainly two-track West Anglia Main Line has a maximum operating speed of 100 mph, but travelling the line over the last few days, at times we were only travelling at about 50 mph for long periods.
So I suspect that the average operating speed could be increased.
There are also several level crossings, including those at Brimsdown, Enfield Lock and Cheshunt on the busiest Southern section of the route..
Digital Signalling
Modern digital signalling on the West Anglia Main Line must allow more trains to be squeezed into the timetable.
New Trains
The current trains that work the West Anglia Main Line are Class 379 and Class 317 trains.
Both trains are 100 mph trains although the Class 317 trains are now nearly forty years old.
They are being replaced with Class 720 and Class 745 trains, which although they are also 100 mph trains, may offer advantages, because they are newer designs.
- Better acceleration and smoother regenerative braking.
- Easier passenger entry and exit.
- Shorter dwell times at stations.
- Better passenger comfort and facilities.
But crucially, they will be able to take advantage of the modern digital signalling.
I think it is very likely that the new trains will speed up services on the West Anglia Main Line.
I also think that the combination of digital signalling and new trains, that are capable of using it, will allow higher frequencies of trains to be run on the West Anglia Main Line.
A Possible Pattern Of West Anglia Line Services
Could we see the following in the future?
- London Overground services on the Lea Valley Lines use Liverpool Street, as they do now.
- Greater Anglia services on the West Anglia Main Line to Bishop’s Stortford, Cambridge, Hertford East and Stansted Airport are split between Liverpool Street and Stratford.
- Stratford services use the High Meads Loop and stop at either Platform 11 or 12 at Stratford.
It would certainly increase terminal capacity at the Southern end of the West Anglia Main Line and free up platform space in Liverpool Street.2 ru
.Conclusion
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the following.
- Twenty tph up and down the West Anglia Main Line.
- Direct services up the West Anglia Main Line to Norwich via Cambridge using bi-mode Class 755 trains.
- Extra services between Stratford and Cambridge, Hertford East and Stansted.
- Services are adjusted so that each station South of Broxbourne gets four tph or more.
Note that I haven’t mentioned adding a fourth track.
I believe that my calculations show it might not be needed to achieve the required intensive service on the West Anglia Main Line.
Northumberland Park Station – June 12th 2018
The new Northumberland Park station is coming on and has allowed the temporary footbridge to go somewhere else!
The level crossing will not be reinstated and I was wondering how pedestrians and others will cross the railway. There is still an old bridge on the other side to the station, but it doesn’t look to be in the best condition.
I then saw the two staircases in the new station.
So will there be two separate routes across the railway in one bridge?
This image from Network Rail, shows the station from the Eastern side.
There appears to be the following.
- Two bridge sections, with the one on the far side connected to the low station buildings.
- Two sets of stairs and a lift giving access from the bridge to the current Platform 1 and new platform behind it, that will become an island platform.
- Two tracks this side of the island platform.
- With the two tracks on the other side of the island platform, this means the station will be ready for four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line.
- A set of steps leading down from the near rend of the footbridge, this side of the extra tracks.
I have wondered for some time, when the West Anglia main Line is four-tracked and/or Crossrail 2 is built, which pair of tracks will be the fast lines.
In the interim it is obvious, that the third rack, which will run between Meridian Water and Lea #bridge stations, will run on the near side of the island platform.
My only question is will it only handle trains towards Stratford or will the line be bi-directional?
But when the line is fully four-tracked, I think that the lines from West to East will be as follows.
- Northbound Slow (Current Platform 2) – Local trains and Crossrail 2
- Southbound Slow (Current Platform 1) – Local trains and Crossrail 2
- Northbound Fast – Stansted and Cambridge services
- Southbound Fast – Stansted and Cambridge services
I have put the slow lines on the West, as these are the platforms with the best access and few if any, fast services will stop in the station.
Crossrail 2 could of course change everything.
But I suspect that Northumberland Park station is being rebuilt, so that it will work with the most likely arrangement of tracks.