Kings Cross Square Is Nearly There
Kings Cross Square opens tomorrow and it’s nearly there.
The buses though are back and I came home on a 476 towards Islington, from in front of the station. The driver seemed pleased too, judging by the smile on his face, when I said it was good to have the stop back.
Will Crossrail Overload The Docklands Light Railway?
After my visit to the new Canary Wharf Crossrail station on Saturday, I got thinking about the effect of the new line on the Docklands Light Railway.
A walkway will take passengers direct from Crossrail to Poplar station on the DLR. So would commuters from Essex and Kent going to the Bank area of the City, change at Canary Wharf for the DLR?
Only real figures, when Crossrail opens in a few years time, will give the answer.
I do think though that in a few years we’ll be talking about extending the DLR from Bank towards the west. These plans are discussed here in Wikipedia, but nothing has been firmed up yet. I suspect that if anything does get built it will be the link from Bank to Euston and St. Pancras, as this will open up a new route from Canary Wharf to the train lines to the north. But the uncertainty over HS2 doesn’t help in making this decision.
Wigan On The Up
I went to Wigan to see Ipswich play. These are pictures, I took show the area around the North Western station and the station itself.
Incidentally, the toilets were some of the best and cleanest, that I’d ever found on any railway station. They were free too!
I’m sure if all stations were as clean and tidy as Wigan North Western, then more people would travel by train.
The sun was even shining.
Incidentally, Wikipedia says this about Wigan North Western station.
In 2009 North Western station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and was set to receive a share of £50m funding for improvements.
It looks like the money has been well spent, as the description didn’t fit the station I visited.
Inside Canary Wharf Crossrail Station
This was one of the must-see events in Open House.
The areas we saw were the bottom levels of Canary Wharf station where trains and passengers go. On the top of these floors is a large retail mall.
This is the future, where stations are more than just means to access the trains. The new Birmingham New Street station has another large retail mall on top and the new Crossrail station at Woolwich, is underneath masses of flats, as is my local station of Dalston Junction. Land is expensive, but digging down or building in the sky only increases its value and hopefully gives benefits to all of us.
There Are Three Clocks At Piccadilly Circus Station
Piccadilly Circus station, must be the one with most clocks in the booking office and ticket checking area.
There Are Three Clocks At Piccadilly Circus Station
The oicture shows the one by the booking office.
One of the staff told me it is for heritage reasons.
Does Good Rail Infrastructure Attract Investment?
I ask this question after reading this article in Global Rail News about the opening of the new Kings Cross Square in a few days time.
This paragraph in the article also caught my eye.
It’s not only the station that is undergoing a makeover. The area around King’s Cross is also undergoing a major regeneration – a project that will soon see Google build its new European headquarters beside one of the capital’s most famous stations.
So if we had left Kings Cross as it was or just cleaned it up, would Google and others be hastening to the area?
I doubt it!
Will Birmingham New Street, Leeds, Derby and Reading stations, which have all been or are being substantially rebuilt have the same effect?
We need a lot more kingscrossification!
Upgrading Alexandra Palace Station
I have very early memories of Alexandra Palace station and probably first used it to get to Kings Cross with my father. But now it’s being upgraded.
This is very much needed, as there are quite a few suburban stations on that line, that need improving from a new coat of paint upwards. But it’s coming, according to this post on the First Capital Connect web site.
Abbey Wood To Get a Striking Station
Abbey Wood station in South East London is one of the termini of Crossrail. The drawings and concept have now been released and don’t look boring.
The best place to see the concept is here on the Fereday Pollard web site.
Chaos at Highbury And Islington Station
I was going to Broadstairs today, by taking the high speed train from St. Pancras. As I’d got a parcel to post before, I decided to take 38 or 56 bus to Essex Road Post Office and then get a 73 bus to the station after dropping the parcel. But for some reason, the 38 and 56 were in short supply, but there were two 277.
So I took one to Highbury and Islington station, with the intention of using the Post Office there and then taking the Victoria line to St. Pancras.
But unlike other post Offices locally, the one at Highbury and Islington station didn’t open until nine, rather than eight-thirty. As it was twenty minutes before the hour, I decided to take the Victoria line, so I could use the Post Office by Kings Cross station.
But then I got stuck in the jam of those getting into the station for fifteen minutes. Transport for London haven’t seemed to have organised the escalator servicing in the best way possible. I should have taken my own advice.
Birmingham Is Getting A World Class Station
I’ve been going to the old Birmingham New Street station since the 1960s. Until recently, you always got the impression, you were in the depths of a dark place underneath the centre of the city. The platforms are still a bit dark, but I suspect that’s because they haven’t been finished yet, but get upstairs and some of the station has been transformed.
A Transformed Station
Or at least half of it has, as the reconstruction has some time to run.
Escalators are everywhere, as they should be.
Escalators Are Everywhere
At present only one bridge over the platforms is complete and the second, is just a building site.
Outside an impressive frontage is being finished.
An Impressive Frontage
Although, another entrance is littered with dummies.
New Street Station With Dummies
How do you stop smoking dummies cluttering up entrances? But at least it’s not as bad in the UK, as in some European countries.
After lunch, my friend dropped me back to the station in his car. And what a surprise we got!
Passenger Drop Off At New Street Station
How many stations or airports have such a good well-designed drop off area? I walked straight into the booking hall, and after buying my ticket from a new and improved machine, two minutes later I was on the train back to Euston.
After Birmingham, you realise what a dump Euston station is. And of course it gets worse, as you descend into the Underground. We really knew how to design and build things badly then. Although, there are some notable exceptions! But Euston station is not one of them!
The Anonymous Widower 