Mind The Gap – Threeses Style
I got off a Central line train at Bank station tonight and it was all a bit difficult for a family with a set of threeses, who were probably about three years old.
The platform there is rather curved and there must have been at least a twenty-five centimetre gap between the train and the platform.
But ushered by their parents, they jumped it successfully!
It really is a gap that needs sorting. This page has more details.
An Historic Station On The Overground
Wapping station on the Overground is more or less unique. It is built into the access shaft that was used to build the Thames Tunnel, so must in some ways be the railway station in the world, with the oldest structure or building. It certainly has lots of brickwork and other interesting structures.
It’s also a good place to go to see trains going through the Thames Tunnel.
I sometimes wonder, what the well-known resident of Wapping, Alf Garnett would have thought of the Overground. Compared to the 1960s, the journey that Alf would take from Wapping to Upton Park to see West Ham United, is the same, but he would probably be complaining about the new trains on both lines, where you can walk from one end to the other.
Osborne Says Redevelop Euston Before HS2
There is an article in the Standard, where George Osborne says priority should be given to the redevelopment of Euston station, before HS2 is constructed.
I use the station several times a year and compared to Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Waterloo, Marylebone and St. Pancras, it is totally inadequate. It is even worse at the moment, than London Bridge, which is currently a building site.
What makes it so bad, is the lack of connection to the Circle line and the endless dingy walks from the other Tube lines to the station. There is no disabled access to the Underground.
There is a lot of scope to do this rebuilding right. These factors should be considered.
- The effect of the Croxley Rail Link to Watford Junction, which should be completed in 2017.
- Any development at Watford Junction, that could ease pressure on Euston.
- Could Willesden Junction be used to take passengers off the West Coast Main Line?
- Should an Old Oak Common station be built?
Properly planned, rebuilding of Euston,. adds a whole new dimension to HS2. It even questions whether HS2 terminates at Euston!
Could George Osborne’s view on Euston station be coloured, by his own personal experience and those of his constituents?
It doesn’t matter to me, as redeveloping Euston station is good sense, for all sorts of reasons!
Marylebone To N1
I went to Birmingham to do a few things including collecting all my brass-coloured IKEA knobs.
I used Chiltern Trains both ways as with all these winds about, they were unlikely to suffer electrical problems on a non-electrified railway.
I also bought my replacement phone in the Bull Ring by the station and sorted it out on the train home, using the free power and wi-fi. Not that I was able to connect with my replacement sim, as O2 had made a mistake entering it into their system.
To get home to N1 from Marylebone isn’t theeasiest journey, especially as it was the rush hour.
So I asked one of the experts on the gate and virtually gave the reply, that if you want to get there, you don’t start from here. He regularly went to Hackney Wick to see his sister, so he did have good personal knowledge.
In the end, I hopped one stop on the Bakerloo line and then took the Metropolitan to Whitechapel station before taking the Overground to Dalston Junction for a bus down the Balls Pond Road.
There must be a better way.
The Tfl Journey Planner recommends going to Highbury and Islington via Oxford Circus and then getting the Overground back to Dalston Junction. That was my other route, but it does show how badly Hackney is connected to the Underground and the useless routes of the Bakerloo and the Bank branch of the Northern line.
Thinking about it, perhaps a better way would be to get the Bakerloo line to Regents Park station and then get a 30 bus to close to my house. But you wouldn’t use that route in the rush hour!
Even the proposed Crossrail 2 wouldn’t help as it doesn’t link to the Bakerloo line!
Crossrail might though, as it would be one stop to Paddington on the Bakerloo and then on to Moorgate for a 141 bus.
Reflected In The New Pudding Mill Lane Station
I took these pictures today of passing trains reflected in the new Pudding Mill Lane station.
It’s only a few months off being finished.
I had to laugh as a London guide was telling his charges it is the new Crossrail station.
Hackney On The Rise
BBC Radio 5 asks this morning about views on the economy. I sent them this text.
Three years ago, I retired to Dalston after a stroke stopped me driving. Every month the area gets better and a lot is down to the London Overground, which takes people to jobs, shopping and leisure activities. It shows how investment in transport can improve the lot for us all! Next year Tottenham gets the overground. We live in interesting times.
So has the Overground really improved things?
I first rode the Overground towards the Olympic Park in July 2010, before I moved here in December of that year. Since that first short run, the system has expanded. but gone are the dingy stationsa, dirty trains and lack of staff of the pre-Overground era. The Class 378 trains, started as three cars, but as they couldn’t handle the demand, they were lengthened to four cars and now they’re going to five. Have we ever built a railway, for which much-need extra capacity can be provided so easily?
But the capacity is needed, as more and more people use the line contributing to the affluence and well-being of the areas it serves, like Hackney.
You could call the Overground a rebranding exercise, but that would be unfair. Give a railway line, better clean stations, reliable frequent trains, visible staff and a simple ticketing system and the passengers will arrive. Visitors will also come and bring prosperity to an area.
London will use the Overground to run trains on the Lea Valley Lines to Tottenham, Enfield, Cheshunt and Chingford. North East London will surely be on the up.
One of the great things about the way the Overground is implemented, as effectively a rebuilt, resignalled and fully-staffed train line first with a deep clear of trains and stations and Oyster ticketing, means that the concept can be brought in, in affordable stages.
I suspect that the Lea Valley lines have a good enough line and signalling for a few years, so it’ll be the grotty and unstaffed stations, and the ticketing, that get the most attention at first. As new Cl;ass 378 trains are delivered, they can of course be run in combination with the ageing Class 315 trains on the lines at present, as their bigger brother, the Class 379 does already. Dripping new trains in surely gives passengers hope that something is happening to improve their dismal line.
With a grand project like Crossrail, you only see the improvement, when the line opens. With the Overground, the upgrade is continuous and now the London boroughs seem to be getting involved in the development of the stations, many of which are on prime sites.
I suspect that the way the Overground has been implemented could be applied to various train lines around the country. The Cambridge to Ipswich line, which I know well could benefit, especially if the main line was electrified for freight and the various councils got involved, to facilitate the development of the stations. Bury St. Edmunds station, is a classic, where a good architect could create a mixed housing and commercial development that did justice to the town.
I believe that if you get the railway right, then the investment and development around stations will follow.
The Smoking Shelter At Liverpool Street Station
It isn’t that, but it seems to be used as such. There were a couple of people puffing away, in it, as I walked past.
I’m not sure if the artist intended the sculpture be used the way it was this morning. Incidentally, Richard Serra, who designed this sculpture called Fulcrum, also designed a lot of those, I didn’t warm to in Bilbao.
Changes At Tottenham Hale
Tottenham Hale station and the associated bus station, is an important transport interchange in North London. It suffered badly in the August 2011 riots, but some would claim that the 1960s design of the area was better after the modifications.
I went there today to go to the Staples, as that is my nearest. I was surprised to see that the bus station has now been demolished and work is starting on a major upgrade of the station and the roads in the area. there’s a lot more about it, with some good maps here on the TfL website.
My first thought was about time too! Hopefully, those that have demolished the bus station, will move on to Highbury and Islington station next.
Is This Going To Be A Beautiful Roof?
The roof on the Canary Wharf Crossrail station is coming on, as these pictures show.
Is it going to be a beautiful roof, using some of the best technology at our disposal?
After all, when Barlow, Brunel and Cubitt created their grand stations, they used the best and created masterpieces for us to enjoy nearly two centuries later.
Will they be joined by some modern masterpieces from Crossrail?
East Tilbury Level Crossing
After hearing about this level crossing a couple of weeks ago, I just had to visit.
East Tilbury may be loved by some, but it was all I had expected. I didn’t get a demonstration about how it is a real problem for emergency vehicles, but that was probably just as well.
The Anonymous Widower 