Kent On The Cusp Of Change – Crossrail
The Kent On The Cusp Of Change article in the July 2017 Edition of Modern Railways talks about Kent and Crossrail.
This is said.
In December 2018, the Elizabeth Line is due to reach its south-eastern terminus at Abbey Wood, where there will be interchange with the North Kent line.
A wide range of new journey opportunities will open up, which over time will influence many choices over work and home locations. A train every five minutes from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf and central London is expected to have a dramatic effect in North Kent.
The article goes on to say that a working group called Crossrail Gravesend is pushing to extend the Elizabeth Line to Ebbsfleet International station for High Speed One.
Current Services Between London, Abbey Wood And The Medway Towns
Adding together current services at Abbey Wood station as given in Wikipedia with the proposed Thameslink service between Rainham and Luton, which I wrote about in Thameslink To Rainham, gives the following service level at Abbey Wood station.
Westbound;
- 6 trains per hour (tph) to London Cannon Street via Greenwich
- 2 tph to London Charing Cross via Lewisham
- 2 tph to Luton via Greenwich.
All trains will call at London Bridge station, which after rebuilding for Thameslink is complete, will be a formidable interchange to other services, such as the Underground, buses and Shank’s pony.
Londoners tend to think of Crossrail, as London’s most important rail project, but I do think that the rebuilding of London Bridge station in a few years time will be considered the second most important.
In addition, as Abbey Wood will be connected to Crossrail, there must be few places in Central London, to which travel is difficult from Abbey Wood station.
Eastbound;
- 2 tph to Barnehurst via Slade Green returning to London via the Bexleyheath Line
- 2 tph to Dartford
- 2 tph to Gillingham (Kent)
- 2 tph to Rainham (Kent)
- 2 tph to Crayford via Slade Green returning to London via the Dartford Loop Line,
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines around Dartford station.
Note.
- Barnehurst is on the Bexleyheath Line.
- Cayford station is on the Dartford Loop Line.
- The North Kent Line goes East from Datford station to Gravesend , the Medway Towns and Thanet.
In addition at Abbey Wood station, using their separate platforms and separate tracks to the Crossrail tunnel, 12 tph will be providing the Crossrail service.
Future Services From London To The Medway Towns
Looking at the Southeastern services to Gillingham and the Thameslink services to Rainham, the following can be said
- These are the only services, that go more than a few miles past Abbey Wood station.
- The Gillingham service is a Southeastern Metro service, so probably needs to be run by faster modern trains, rather than the current Class 465 trains.
- The combination of the Gillingham and Rainham services will hopefully give a very passenger friendly train every fifteen minutes between Abbey Wood and Gillingham, via Dartford, Gravesend, Rochester and Chatham.
- The Gillingham service calls at Lewisham, Blackheath, Charlton and Woolwich Arsenal between London Bridge and Abbey Wood.
- The Rainham service calls at Greenwich between London Bridge and Abbey Wood.
I do wonder, if it would be better if the Southeastern service from Charing Cross to Gillingham were to be extended to Rainham and always run by a twelve-car train.
- Rainham is only four minutes further from London than Gillingham.
- Rainham has a twelve-car bay platform.
- Gillingham’s bay platform may not be able to take a twelve-car train.
- Four tph can be handled in a single bay platform.
This would give a high-capacity four tph service between Abbey Wood and the Medway Towns, with two tph from Thameslink and two tph from Southeastern.
But the major factor would be that passengers would surely find it a very easy service to use.
Service Frequencies East Of Dartford
Note that of the eastbound trains, only 6 tph go through Dartford, as the other 4 tph loop back to London.
Between Dartford and Rochester, there is only the 4 tph to Gillingham/Rainham, although they are joined by 2 tph Highspeed trains between Gravesend and Rochester.
It would thus appear that the maximum frequency between Abbey Wood and Rochester is probably 6 tph.
When you consider that the trains through the area, will all be modern trains fitted with the latest ERTMS signalling, handling these numbers of trains and perhaps 4-8 tph for Crossrail between Abbey Wood and Gravesend in the future, will be well below the 24 tph handled by Crossrail and Thameslink in their central tunnels.
The New Track Layout At Abbey Wood Station
Looking at the new track layout at Abbey Wood station, it appears to be very simple with just a reversing siding to the East of the two Crossrail platforms 3 and 4.
Cross-overs appear to be provided so that the following is possible.
- Trains from Crossrail can continue towards Dartford after calling at Platform 4.
- Trains from Dartford can continue towards Crossrail after calling at Platform 3.
It looks to me, that the track layout is designed, so that Crossrail trains can easily run to and from Dartford or any other station that the planners decide is the terminus.
Capacity Between Abbey Wood And Rochester
As the double-track line between Abbey Wood and Rochester with modern signalling can probably handle up to probably 24 tph, there is capacity for a lot of Crossrail trains to go past Abbey Wood.
Suppose Crossrail is extended to Gravesend with 4 tph extended to the new terminal and trains stabled at a new depot at Hoo Junction to the East of the town.
The following frequencies to and from London would apply at various stations.
- Abbey Wood – 10 tph + 12 tph Crossrail
- Belvedere – 10 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Erith – 10 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Slade Green – 10 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Dartford – 6 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Stone Crossing – 4 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Greenhithe – 4 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Swanscombe – 4 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- Gravesend- 4 tph + 4 tph Crossrail + 2 tph Highspeed
North Kent is going to get a better train service.
Hoo Junction
Hoo Junction, which is a few miles to the East of Gravesend station, has been identified by Crossrail planners, as a suitable area for a depot to serve an extended South-Eastern branch of the line.
Chris Gibbs, in his extensive report on GTR’s performance, suggests that the Hoo Junction area , be used as a depot for Thameslink services to North Kent. I wrote about this in Gibbs Report – Hoo Junction Depot.
In addition, Southeastern are running short of space in Slade Green Depot.
But that’s just the railways.
This report on the BBC indicates that the new Lower Thames Crossing will cross North-South between Gravesend and Hoo Junction.
Should there be a Park-and-Ride station at Hoo Junction?
It would have a four tph service between London and the Medway Towns with a stop at Abbey Wood for Crossrail.
In Gibbs Report – Hoo Junction Depot, I came to the following conclusion.
Crossrail, the Department of Transport, Kent County Council, Network Rail, Southeastern, Thameslink and all other stakeholders and residents should sit round a large table and agree a common long-term philosophy that is in all their best interests for the future.
What happens at Hoo Junction, will be tremendously important to transport infrastructure in the South East of England in general and Kent in particular.
Crossrail To Ebbsfleet International Station
The article talks about extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet International station, by adding two new tracks through Slade Green and Dartford stations, serving existing stations.
As I showed in the previous section, I think extra tracks are not necessary, as modern signalling can handle the required number of trains with ease. I suspect though, that the 75 mph Class 465 trains will need to be retired from the North Kent Line, as their performance is just not good enough.
The report says this about the connection at Ebbsfleet.
There would be a new station that would have pedestrian access with Ebbsfleet HS1 station and Northfleet on the historic line – this could be the terminus, or the new line might reach as far as Hoo Junction on the east side of Gravesend.
I’ve always felt that Ebbsfleet International station was a logical South-Eastern destination for Crossrail, mainly because of the space at the station for platforms, depots and car parking.
Consider.
- St. Pancras station may have too few platforms for Continental services in the future, so Ebbsfleet International may end up being a terminus for some of these services.
- Southeastern is developing the Highspeed commuter services to East Kent and East Sussex, which probably need a connection to Crossrail and/or Thameslink.
- The Fawkham Junction link connects Swanley and Ebbsfleet International stations, and it could be used by extra Highspeed services or Thameslink.
I’ve always felt that there’s a simple solution in there, but vested interests and politicians seem to stop railway planners from finding it.
So why not use upgrade Northfleet station with the following features?
- The ability to accept the services along the North Kent Line – 4 tph + 4 tph Crossrail
- The ability to accept twelve-car trains.
- A pedestrian link to Ebbsfleet International station based on something a bit sexy. Perhaps a fast travelator or some other form of people mover.
This Google Map shows that there is plenty of space between the stations.
Northfleet station is to the North-East of Ebbsfleet International station.
Could it be that a simple solution would work?
- Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green, Dartford, Stone Crossing, Greenhithe and Swanscombe become Crossrail and North Kent stations.
- Northfleet station is connected to Ebbsfleet International station in a passenger-friendly way.
- The four tph service through the Medway towns to London Bridge continue and are better-integrated with Thameslink at London Bridge.
- The Swanley link to Ebbsfleet is reopened to allow more service opportunities.
But then what do I do know?
Is Abbey Wood Station A Cross-Platform Interchange?
One thing that the Modern Railways article says, is that Abbey Wood station has been designed with cross-platform interchange, in such a way that any delays to Kent services don’t have any knock-on effects on the new services.
The Modern Railways article says that Abbey Wood station is a cross-platform interchange, as do other articles.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the layout of lines at Abbey Wood station.
Compare this with this track layout, that I posted in Abbey Wood Station – 29th August 2016.
Note the following.
- The older layout shows cross-platform interchange.
- The current one has two pairs of platforms, with Platforms 3 and 4 for Crossrail and Platforms 1 and 2 for other services.
- The current layout probably connects better to the existing lines to Dartford.
These pictures were taken on the 28th June 2017.
They show a similar layout, of two Northern platforms (3 & 4) for Crossrail and two Southern platforms (1 & 2) for all other services.
Note.
- The two cross-overs to the West of Abbey Wood station to get the Crossrail trains to and from the right platforms.
- The station building and the two footbridges over the lines.
- The solid wooden fence between the two pairs of lines.
- The robust nature of the overhead wiring.
I suspect, that if they had wanted to have Eastbound and Westbound lines each share an island platform, it would have required a flyover, which would have been a large expense.
But at least with this layout, Crossrail trains can have their own pair of lines to the East, running to the North of the current tracks. The Modern Railways article says this.
Mindful of this, the working group is proposing two new dedicated tracks for the extension, running alongside the line through Slade Green and Dartford, with platforms serving the existing stations.
This Google Map shows the route through Dartford.
In some places putting in two extra tracks would be very difficult and extremely expensive and very disruptive to local residents.
Given the capabilities of modern signalling, now being demonstrated on Thameslink in Central London, I believe that something practical for the train companies and friendly for the passengers will emerge.
But one thing is certain. There will not be cross-platform interchange between Crossrail and other services at Abbey Wood station.
Interchange Between North Kent Services And Crossrail
I have a feeling, that this will come down to personal preferences.
After the opening of Crossrail to Abbey Wood in 2018 and the opening of Thameslink to Rainham, passengers will probably have to use Abbey Wood, where it will be an up-and-over via escalators, lifts or stairs.
If and when Crossrail is extended to Gravesend, any of Abbey Wood, Dartford and Gravesend, could be used as a same-platform interchange.
It would also be possible to take a Highspeed service from Ramsgate and change to Crossrail at Gravesend. Would this avoid the extra charge for High Speed One?
I think that Gravesend could become the interchange of choice, as it could have the following London-bound trains, if Crossrail is extended.
- 2 tph – Thameslink to Luton
- 2 tph – Southeastern to Charing Cross
- 2 tph – Highspeed to Ebbsfleet International, Stratford international and St. Pancras.
- 4 tph – Crossrail
There could be a need to improve the platforms to cope with the increase of passenger numbers.
Conclusion
Crossrail will get very involved with the new Southeastern franchise.
See Also
These are related posts.
- Abbey Wood Station
- Ashford Spurs
- Elimination Of Slow Trains
- Fawkham Junction Link
- Highspeed Routes
- High Speed To Hastings
- Historic Routes
- Longfield Station
- Maidstone
- Reading To Tonbridge
- Thameslink
- Thanet Parkway Station
- Track Improvements
- Ultimate Class 395 Train
- Victoria As A Highspeed Terminal
To know more read Kent On The Cusp Of Change in the July 2017 Edition of Modern Railways.
The Changing Face Of Cambridge
I took these pictures, as my train to Cambridge North station, made a stop at Cambridge station.
There’s certainly been a lot of new building.
Over the years, I’ve seen Cambridge station change from a simple station, where staff had to work hard to juggle terminating and through trains to maintain a decent service into a major rail interchange with the following platforms.
- Two very long through platforms; 1 and 7, capable of taking the longest trains on the UK rail network.
- Platform 1 is actually bi-directional and can be used as two shorter platforms; 1 and 4.
- Two London-facing bay platforms; 2 and 3 capable of taking eight-car trains.
- Two North-facing bay platforms; 5 and 6, capable of taking six-car trains from Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough and the North.
- A twelve-car platform; 8, that can be used as either a through or a bay platform.
Is there another regional station in the UK with such a comprehensive layout?
Cambridge station and its new sibling a few miles to the North are certainly ready for all the rail developments planned to happen in the next few years.
- Thameslink arrives in 2018
- Greater Anglia’s new trains arrive in 2019.
- The East-West Rail Link could arrive in the mid-2020s.
I would not be surprised if Cambridge created the Trinity by starting the proposed new Cambridge South station at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the next couple of years.
After all, a third station, will give Cambridge one more station than Oxford.
Connecting Ebbsfleet International To South London
In the May 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Kent Capacity Constraints Highlighted.
The article says this.
The provision of a direct connection from Ebbsfleet to South London is proposed using the route from Swanley to Fawkham Junction, which was used by Eurostar services to Waterloo. Options include providing a new terminal platform at Ebbsfleet adjacent to the existing lines or a connection into the existing domestic platforms.
This Google Map shows the Chatham Main Line between Farningham Road and Longfield stations.
Note.
- The Chatham Main Line goes from West to East across the map.
- Fawkham Junction to the West of Longfield station.
- The rail line curves away North-Easterly to Ebbsfleet International station, using the same track-bed as the former Gravesend West Line.
This Google Map shows Ebbsfleet International station.
Note.
- HS1 runs North-South through the station.
- HighSpeed services to Thanet destinations use the line that runs across the map from North-West to East.
- HighSpeed services to Ashford Internationl station have their own separate platforms on HS1.
The local line into Ebbsfleet International station can be as simple or complicated as the budget will allow.
The simplest arrangement would be where a single track chord connects the Gravesend West Line into the space between the stations and its Eastern car parks.
This Google Map shows the station and the Gravesend West Line.
It almost looks like a good bit of space was left to connect Ebbsfleet International station to Fawkham Junction.
Train Services To Ebbsfleet
Southeastern and Thamesline are probably in pole position to provide services, as their services call at Swanley station which would be directly connected to Ebbsfleet International by the new link.
The most efficient solution would be a shuttle train or even a tram-train, at a frequency of four trains per hour.
But we shouldn’t forget Crossrail, that could be extended to Gravesend.
Has Thameslink Got The Wrong Length Of Train?
The Train And Half-Train Philosophy
If you look at some recent train orders and one successful old one, they seem to suggest a train and half-train philosophy.
- Great Western Railway’s order for Class 80x trains.
- Virgin Trains East Coast’s order for Class 80x trains.
- Greater Anglia’s order for Aventras.
- South Western Railway’s order for Aventras.
- Southeastern’s Highspeed Class 395 trains.
In all these fleets, it would appear that two half-trains can be used to create a full length train, when needed. This coupling and uncoupling is done throughout the day and often on an automatic basis in around a couple of minutes.
This video shows Javelins at it.
Impressive isn’t it? The second train left Ashford station thirty seconds after the first.
In a few years time, all trains will be able to couple and uncouple automatically like this.
Thameslink’s Class 700 Trains
Thameslink’s Class 700 trains only come in lengths of eight and twelve cars.
The eight-car train is needed for short platforms on the Sutton Loop Line.
But eight-car trains have disadvantages compared to say a six-car train.
- Two trains can’t be joined together to make a full-length train.
- Sixteen-car trains would be just too long for operational reasons.
- An eight-car train uses one of the valuable twenty-four hourly paths through the central core of Thameslink, just as a twelve-car train does.
The train length seems to be inefficient.
I can’t think of a train operator, who has two similar train fleets longer than five-cars, where one fleet is not half the length of the other.
Maximising Capacity In The Core
The capacity of the central core of Thameslink, depends on how many trains go through in an hour.
Current proposals given in Wikipedia are as follows.
- 14 x 12-car trains
- 10 x 8-car trains
If the 8-car trains were replaced with 12-cars, this would give a sixteen percent increase in capacity in the central core.
The Sutton Loop Line
The Sutton Loop Line could be run by using six-car trains that split and join in the area of Streatham station.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout at Streatham, at the start of the loop.
Note.
- Streatham South Junction is the gateway to the Sutton Loop, with the tracks to the West going via Tooting station and those to the South via Mitcham Eastfields station.
- There is a lot of spare land in this area.
- Transport for London keep talking about creating an interchange at this point.
I think, if and when the interchange is built, it could be designed, so that it increased traffic around the Sutton Loop Line.
- Two six-car trains running as a twelve-car could split at the interchange.
- One train would go round the loop clockwise and the other anti-clockwise.
- The trains would rejoin together at the interchange.
The same procedure could be done at Streatham, without creating the interchange, but it would block the station, if trains got delayed on the loop.
Currently, two trains per hour (tph) are proposed to run in both directions on the Sutton Loop Line.
This requires four eight-car trains and four paths through the central core.
If four six-car trains were to be used, running in pairs splitting at Streatham or a new Streatham Common interchange, there would still be two tph in both directions round the Sutton Loop, but only two paths would be needed in the central core.
Travellers to and from stations on the loop would see six-car, rather than the proposed eight-car.
If the number of six-car trains were to be doubled and four paths used in the central core, the Sutton Loop Line would see four tph in both directions.
But this might be two much traffic for Platform 9 at Wimbledon station.
Splitting Trains At The End Of A Route
It is not beyond the bounds of possibility for two six-car trains to do the following.
- Start independently in the North.
- Join at a convenient station.
- Pass through the Snow Hill Tunnel as a twelve-car train.
- Split at a convenient station.
The two six-car trains would then continue to two separate destinations.
One possibility would be to do the following.
- Start at Peterborough and Cambridge.
- Join at Hitchin.
- Split at Three Bridges
- Finish at Horsham and Brighton.
Between Hitchin and Three Bridges, the train is twelve-cars, whereas at other times they are six-cars.
Hopefully train length could be geared to passenger traffic.
I don’t think there are many opportunities at the current time.but as Thameslink develops, with perhaps more stations and electrification, the use of this technique might increase.
Although, It should be noted that the current eight-car trains are not suitable.
Eight-Car Trains Across The City
Three of the services through the core are as follows.
- Cambridge North and Maidstone East.
- /Luton(Peak)/Kentish Town(Off Peak) and Orpington
- Welwyn Garden City and Sevenoaks
All services are served by eight-car trains, with the first two services running all day.
In the May 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Kent Capacity Constraints Highlighted.
Reading this article, gives the impression that several stations served by Thameslink in the Southeastern area have platforms that are a tad short.
So perhaps this is the reason for the short trains.
But would using two six-car trains joining at a station like Bromley South, enable another twelve-car train to go through the central core.
Conclusion
Six-car trains instead of eight-car trains on Thameslink, may increase capacity.
According to Wikipedia, the formation of the two trains are as follows.
- Class 700/0 – DMCO-PTSO-MSO-TSO-TSO-MSO-PTSO-DMCO
- Class 700/1 – DMCO-PTSO-MSO-MSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-MSO-MSO-PTSO-DMCO
It would appear that the 12-car trains have two extra MSO cars and two extra TSO cars.
If all the TSO and MSO cars are identical, I wouldn’t be surprised that to lengthen the trains from eight to 12 cars, is just a cut-and-shut job, as it is with the London Overground’s Class 378 trains and Crossrail’s Class 345 trains.
With sixteen percent extra capacity by lengthening all trains to twelve cars, I would expect that this capacity will be claimed when needed.
An alternative could be to shorten the sixty eight-car trains to six-cars, which would release sixty each of MSO and TSO cars. Sixty new PTSO and DMCO car could be added and there would be another thirty six-car trains, making ninety in total.
I suspect Siemens could add automatic coupling and uncoupling.
These six-car trains would give the following.
- Twelve-car trains through the core.
- Better use of valuable paths through the core.
- Six-car trains on the Sutton Loop Line, by splitting and joining in the Stratham area.
- The ability to split and join trains to serve new destinations.
Thameslink’s train problem is not insoluble.
Reverse Commuting To Cambridge North Station
Cambridge North station opens on the 21st May 2017.
Around 1070, I commuted from London to Welwyn Garden City. It was much more relaxing than sharing the busy trains into London and on early trips to Cambridge in the last few years, I’ve noticed that quite a few people commute from London to Cambridge.
So given the proximity of the new Cambridge North station to the Cambridge Science Park, I wonder how many will use the service to get to and from their place of work?
The Service On Sunday, 21st May 2017
Trains would appear to be every hour at XX:42 taking about ten minutes under two hours.
The Service On Monday, 22nd May 2017
The weekday service would appear to be more comprehensive.
- 06:08 KX 1:02
- 06:44 KX 0:53
- 06:52 KX 1.14
- 07:04 KX 1:32
- 07:28 LS 1:32
- 08:04 KX 1:29
- 08:14 KX 1:00
- 08:28 LS 1:33
Note that KX is Kings Cross and LS is Liverpool Street.
All the trains shown arrive before 10:00 or a few minutes after.
Given that Thameslink will improve this service in May 2018, by adding another two trains per hour, it is certainly a good start.
Last ‘319s’ On Thameslink This Summer
The title of this post is the title of an article in the May 2017 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph of the article.
Govia Thameslink Railway plans to withdraw its last Class 319s by the end of June, allowing it to operate a full Class 700 service on Thameslink this summer.
According to Wikipedia on the 28th April 2017, Thameslink still have thirty-five examples (319/0 – 13 and 319/4 – 22) and there are twelve examples Off Lease (319/2 – 1,319/3- 6 and 319/4 – 5)
So it looks like there could be a maximum of forty-seven trains released, of the following types.
In Riding In A Clean Class 319/4 Train, I wrote about riding in a particularly nice Class 319/4 train. If any of the other twenty-six are in as good a condition, operators will want to take them over.
There’s certainly enough trains to keep the refurbishment line busy for four or five years.
There is also plenty of scope for speculation about the specification of the refurbished trains and where the trains will see service.
- How many will end up as bi-mode Class 319 Flex trains?
- How many will retain their third rail capability?
- How many will retain their First Class seats?
- How many will get wi-fi?
- How many will end up in a reserve fleet to cover for train shortages? Think level crossing accidents!
- Will any have a luxury interior, so they can be used as special event trains and shuttles? Think Edinburgh to St. Andrews for the Open or Manchester to Aintree for the Grand National!
- Will any be bought for use in non-passenger roles? Think 100 mph parcel carriers bringing goods into and out of big city stations at three in the morning!
- Will any be bought by Network Rail for engineering purposes? Think testing and checking overhead and third-rail electrification!
Uses will be demand-led and I suspect some will be very surprising.
Operators have never had a train that is both a 100 mph electric train and a 90 mph diesel train, which is available, affordable and proven.
I shall discuss a few of the ideas in detail.
Parcels Trains
Currently, Royal Mail uses the closely-related Class 325 trains to move parcels traffic around the country. These trains have the following specification.
- They are four-car electric units.
- They can run as four, eight and twelve car units.
- They are 100 mph dual-voltage trains.
- Each car can carry twelve tonnes.
- They use the same running gear as the Class 319 trains.
If they have a problem it is that they can only run on electrified lines, so they seem to be confined to the West and East Coast Main Lines.
Royal Mail and their train operator DB Cargo UK, might be interested in some more trains. They might even have use for some Class 319 Flex trains for routes with no or partial electrification.
In A Station At Doncaster Sheffield Airport, I talked of Peel Group’s plans to develop the Airport.
I said this.
It should also be stated that Doncaster Sheffield Airport has air cargo ambitions.
Consider.
- It has a massive runway, that was able to accept the Space Shuttle in an emergency.
- The airport has lots of space for cargo terminals.
- The largest cargo planes, that exist only in the minds of Airbus and Boeing engineers would be welcome.
- The Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway, which is a major freight route between the South East and the North passes the airport.
- Plans exist to create a network of high speed package carrying trains. I’d use Doncaster Shjeffield Airport as a hub.
- Amazon already fly freight to and from the Airport. Deliveries could leave the United States in the evening and be in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Manchester for a morning delivery.
It looks like the Peel Group have a plan to create a transport interchange for both passengers and freight for a cost of millions, not billions. But it were to be worth spending billions, I’m certain that they can obtain it.
Could Class 319 trains be the trains delivering the parcels to main-line stations all over the country for onward distribution?
There must also be specialist and possibly perishable cargoes like fish and flowers, perhaps between Cornwall and London. Some of the cargoes now go in the large space in the locomotives of the InterCity 125s , but these trains are being phased out.
Could a Class 319 Flex train substitue with honour?
The Luxury Go-Anywhere Shuttle Train
Look at the venues for the Open Championship and they seem to be tucked away. But supposing there was an all Class 319 Flex train fitted with all First Class seating and a bar, it would make a very good alternative to get spectators to the venue in style.
Other venues within the trains range would include.
- Aintree, Ascvot, Chelternham, Doncaster, Epsom, Goodwood, Haydock Park, Newbury, Newmarket, Sandown Park and York racecourses.
- Glastonbury for the Festival
- Henley for the Regatta.
- Important football and rugby matches.
Travel First Class in any InterCity 125 and you realise the standard that can be applied to a Mark 3 coach.
Reserve Trains
Greater Anglia are often short of a train or two, with the cause often being a level crossing accident.
Their way round the problem is to hire in two Class 68 locomotives and some elderly coaches.
But surely, a better way, would be to have an appropriate number of Class 319 Flex trains available for hire with a driver!
They could deputise for a 100 mph electric train and an up to 90 mph diesel train.
Network Rail Use
Network Rail have a highly-instrumented InterCity 125 called the New Measurement Train, which is used to test the condition of the tracks all over the UK.
But it can only test those tracks where an InterCity 125 train is allowed.
If Network Rail ever need to create a smaller version of the train and especially one to test both overhead and third-rail electrification systems, a Class 319 train would be a candidate.
Conclusion
Porterbrook’s Sales and Marketing Department are going to have fun!
Passengers At Cambridge Station
I found a reference to the passenger growth at Cambridge station, which is confirmed in Wikipedia.
In 2011/12 passengers at the station were around 9 million and in 2015/16 that had grown to around 11 million.
Consider.
- Cambridge North station opens in May this year.
- Thameslink will start services to Cambridge from all over London in 2018.
- Greater Anglia will be increasing capacity and frequency to Bury St. Edmunds, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough and Stansted Airport.
So what will be the traffic in say 2020?
Will DOO Mean DOO on Thameslink?
On Thursday I took a Thameslink Class 700 train from St. Pancras to Blackfriars.
A Class 700 At Blackfriars
At Blackfriars an announcement said that the doors would open automatically.
Which they did without any of the usual intervention from passengers after the driver had released the doors.
This is how DOO works on the London Underground.
It is surely better, especially if you are getting off and your hands are otherwise engaged.
Has Sadiq Khan Got His Sums Right?
This article on the Rail Technology web site, which is entitled Underground set to undergo biggest capacity expansion ever, is a good summary of Sadiq Khan’s plans for Transport for London.
It’s All About Cash Flow
I am unsure about the plans, as it seems to me that a there is a lot of money to find in two years less to fund the building of the Bakerloo Line Extension.
So there is the double whammy of the fare freeze and accelerated construction!
Crossrail And Thameslink
I also think that Crossrail will contribute some of this money and because it is properly designed, it will stimulate growth in areas like Canary Wharf, Farringdon, Old Oak Common, Paddington, Romford and West Drayton, to name a few places.
The same however, can’t be said for Thameslink.
- It doesn’t serve many areas ripe for development.
- As it is not a TfL route like Crossrail, it won’t generate anything like the same fare revenue.
- Thameslink could turn out to be too much of a long-distance commuter line.
- Govia Thameslink Railway’s first loyalty is not to London.
On the whole, I don’t think it will benefit London as much as Crossrail will.
The Underground
Until I learn otherwise, I do think that the engineers of the Underground, may have thrown the Mayor a few lifelines.
- It would appear that the Victoria and Jubilee Lines can go to 36 trains per hour (tph).
- By raising the voltage and installing automatic train control on the sub-surface lines, there can be a 33 % increase in capacity.
- New Piccadilly Line trains will be ordered in 2017.
One and two, should happen easily and if the design is right, three could be a big game-changer.
But the problem, is that although these will generate cash flow in the long term, only 36 tph on the Victoria Line will happen in the near future.
I also feel, that although the capacity of the Victoria Line can easily be increased, will the stations be able to cope. Highbury and Islington, Oxford Circus and Victoria are not mentioned in the article.
All of these trains and passengers will also generate lots of heat and although Crossrail is designed to handle the watts, the deep-level Underground trains and stations were not.
This might mean a route change by passengers from older lines to Crossrail, which could have various effects.
The Non-Devolution Of Rail Lines To TfL
I have a feeling that the figures show that this is very much neutral to TfL’s finances, as some of the routes need a lot of money spent on stations and new trains. But under the new arrangement, TfL will probably have more say in service quality on the lines, than they do now.
Good Design Of The Bakerloo Line Extension
There must surely be scope to save more money in the design of the Bakerloo Line Extension. But I suspect that most of the easy savings have already been found.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a radical design for the extension come out at a late stage. But this is less likely, as because the line is an extension, it must be compatible with the existing line.
The Petty Cash
I think that where the Mayor might make up the shortfall is in the smaller things, that people forget.
For example.
- Expansion of the Night Tube to all lines, the Drain and the Overground.
- Tactical and expanded contactless ticketing.
- Better train scheduling.
- Expansion of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line and the Barking Riverside Extension.
- Expansion of the East London and Lea Valley Lines.
- Extra stations and station entrances.
- Development of Old Oak Common.
But some things already proposed will be tricky.
- I don’t think that he’ll save the money he wants on staff.
- Politicians always overestimate what they’ll earn from property development.
- You can only build so much affordable housing.
- Developers might find building housing just outside London is more profitable.
- The Mayor could have Union trouble.
There are probably a lot more where these came from.
Conclusion
With Brexit and Trump, there is a possibility of a drop in passenger numbers and income, which could derail everything.
It will be a close run thing.
The Natives Are Getting Restless In Crofton Park
One of my Google Alerts picked up this article on Brockley Central, which is entitled You Shall Go To Blackfriars – Join The Campaign For Crofton Park Trains Every Fifteen Minutes.
This is said.
Local action groups aren’t supposed to be this successful. The Cinderella Line is a campaign to improve the frequency and quality of services that run through Crofton Park Station.
The group has had a recent success, in that there are now four more trains stopping at the station in the peak.
So I thought I’d go and have a look, getting my paper and some bits of shopping I need on the way.
I had started out, just before 0900, with the aim of getting the 0930 Thameslink train to Crofton Park station. Hopefully, it would have been running a bit late, so I could use my Freedom Pass.
But it was worse than that, as the train had been cancelled, so in the end, I had to take a train to Catford station and then come back a station to get to Crofton Park. As I couldn’t afford to wait, I had to pay for the ticket myself.
Not that I’m bothered!
But did Thameslink cancel the first train after 0930, to force people to catch an earlier train at full price, if they wanted to get to work on time?
Am I being cynical?
These pictures tell the story of my journey to Crofton Park and back via Peckham Rye station to Haggerston station, from where I walked home.
A few points.
Overcrowding
I took three Thameslink trains and one London Overground train this morning.
- St. Pancras to Catford – 8-cars and overcrowded until Farringdon.
- Catford to Crofton Park – 4-cars and crowded.
- Crofton Park to Peckham Rye – 4-cars and overcrowded
- Peckham Rye to Haggerston – 5-cars and plenty of space, with seats for those who wanted them.
Considering, that all these journeys were in the Off Peak, except for the last Overground train, it is just not good enough.
Crofton Park Station
Crofton Park station, is typical of many stations, that are South of the Thames.
- It is certainly scruffy.
- The main entrance is not step-free and the stairs are steep.
- The platforms are ready for twelve-car trains.
- There was a bad gap to mind, between train and platform.
- Staff were only noticeable by their absence.
- A fellow passenger said that announcements were unreliable.
- The information displays were not of the best.
- Typical Off peak services are 2 trains per hour (tph)
But it was certainly a station, that with the spending of some money to add lifts, could be a station of high quality and a modicum of quality.
The New Class 700 Trains
Hopefully, the new eight-car Class 700 trains will improve matters at Crofton Park, as they are better designed than the overcrowded four-car Class 319 trains, that I had to endure this morning.
This report on Brockley Central, says this about the new trains.
“We have also been pushing Thameslink to introduce new Class 700 trains, with 30% more capacity than the trains we currently have. The first of these will appear from the end of November and then replace our current trains at the rate of one per week.
So that is good news.
Extra Services To Victoria And Blackfriars
The report on Brockley Central, says this about the new services.
“From December 12th, four new trains will stop at Crofton Park between 7-9am . Three will go on to Denmark Hill and Victoria and one to Elephant & Castle and Blackfriars.
“The Victoria services currently pass through Crofton Park but don’t stop there, so they will now make the additional stop at Crofton Park.
So that is good news as well.
The interesting thing about these new train services, is that no new services are actually being introduced, but the extra service at Crofton Park is being created by getting a train that normally goes straight through to stop at Crofton Park.
The latest generation of trains, are designed to execute a stop and start in a minimum time, so I think we’ll see extra stops added on more than a few services.
This quick stop feature is achieved by several things.
- Powerful braking and acceleration.
- Wide doors.
- Level step between train and platform.
- Good information, so passengers getting on can find space.
- Good coordination between the driver and staff on the platform.
Increasingly, for some operators, a fast dwell time will be an important factor in choosing the trains to procure and providing a better service.
Here at Crofton Park station, it is being used to get extra trains to stop at the station.
Increasing Thsmeslink Frequency From 2 tph To 4 tph At Crofton Park Station
This is an aspiration for Crofton Park, but I suspect that this cannot be done at present, as there are not enough paths through the core Thameslink tunnel.
So until Thameslink is fully open in 2018, Crofton Park will probably get 2 tph.
Thameslink is consulting on the service when the full service opens.
This document on the Thameslink web site, shows two different services calling at Crofton Park.
- TL8 from Blackfriars (Welwyn Garden City in the Peaks) to Sevenoaks
- TL9 from Kentish Town (Luton in the Peaks) to Orpington.
Both have a frequency of 2 tph at all times,so this gives 4 tph through Crofton Park.
Thameslink put it like this in their proposal.
Thameslink Metro Routes TL8 and TL9 combine to provide four trains per hour (daily) between Central London, Catford, Bromley South and Bickley. During peak times these services may be supplemented by Southeastern Metro services providing six trains per hour.
That’s a well-thought out service, by any standards.
The Catford Metro
I always like calling lines like this a Metro.
As Govia Thameslink Railway have just given the name of the Great Northern Metro to the services out of Moorgate, why not call this line the Catford Metro?
It would call at the following stations.
- London Blackfriars
- Elephant & Castle
- Camberwell (if added)
- Denmark Hill
- Peckham Rye
- Nunhead
- Crofton Park
- Catford
- Bellingham
- Beckenham Hill
- Ravensbourne
- Shortlands
- Bromley South
So it looks like Crofton Park could be in the middle of a Catford Metro.
- It would have a frequency of at least 4 tph.
- It would be running new eight-car Class 700 trains.
- 2 tph would go North to each of Welwyn Garden City and Luton in the Peak
- 2 tph would go North to each of Blackfriars and Kentish Town in the Off Peak
- 2 tph would go South to each of Orpington and Sevenoaks.
- It would have a good connection to the 4 tph South London Line at Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye.
It’s a lot better than Crofton Park has at the present time!
Conclusion
Crofton Park has a big future.
The Anonymous Widower 