From Krakow To Katowice
This was an early leg, as I wanted to get to Katowice in time to have a look round before my train left at 12:22 for Prague.
The journey was pleasant enough in an electric suburban train.
Off To Krakow
I’m leaving for Krakow in a few minutes on easyJet from Gatwick
My overnight schedule is as follows ;-
Wednesday, June 10th – Krakow
Thursday, June 10th – Krakow
Friday, June 12th – Prague
Saturday, June 13th – Dresden
Sunday, June 14th – Dresden
Monday, June 15th – Osnabruck
I’ll be on the last Eurostar out of Brussels on the 16th
Obviously, all of the trips in the middle will be by train.
If you want to get in touch, text me on 07860-243707 starting the message with Krakow.
Walking The Proposed Route Of The Windsor Link Railway
There is a proposal called the Windsor Link Railway to link the two railway lines running into Windsor end-to-end and put a new station in the Goswells area of the town. This is the schematic of the route through Windsor clipped from Wikipedia.
Windsor LinkRailway
Wikipedia also says this about Phase 1 of the project.
Phase 1 of the scheme would run from Slough to Staines, via Chalvey, Windsor, Datchet, Wraysbury and Sunnymeads.
A new all-in-one station in the Windsor Goswells (Windsor Royal) would replace the existing two nearby stations (Riverside and Central).
I took a train to Windsor & Eton Riverside station and then walked across the town vaguely following the route of the proposed cut-and-cover tunnel to Windsor & Eton Central station, where I got a train to Slough to change for London.
These pictures document the walk.
This is a Google Map of the area.
Windsor Stations
You can pick out the two stations, the coach and car parks and the tennis courts, with the Windsor and Slough Rail Line curving away to the North.
If you follow the proposed route from the Riverside station, it would be in a cut-and-cover tunnel passing in front of the Bel And The Dragon and probably through the car park and gardens to cross Goswell Road and then go through the coach and car park.
The building of the tunnel, looks like it would not require the demolition of any buildings, although it is likely that the gardens, the tennis courts and the bowling green would probably have to be relaid. The degree of difficulty of such a construction would probably be similar to that for the new tram/train tunnel being constructed in Karlsruhe, that I wrote about in this post. One of the important Crossrail projects, the Acton Dive Under would probably have used similar skills to those needed to construct the proposed tunnel under the streets of Windsor. Except that the Acton Dive Under is being built in a the middle of a busy four track railway and the Windsor Tunnel will be built in a busy town-centre road.
In everything written about the Windsor Link Railway, I can’t find any statement as whether the tunnel will be single or double track. When you bear in mind that the Windsor and Slough Rail Line is single track, I would not be surprised if the tunnel was also designed the same way, with perhaps a station with two platforms. The reason it’s not been stated, could be they’re keeping their options open.
I think that as the Windsor Tunnel will probably be not much more than five hundred metres in length and as it will only be used by electric trains, that it could be a simple design with a built in walkway like the Docklands Light Railway tunnels or the Canal Tunnels at Kings Cross. This would mean that large ventilation and evacuation shafts probably will not be needed. This would of course cut the cost of building the Windsor Tunnel.
Once at the viaduct, the track or tracks would have to climb onto the viaduct. The viaduct is surprisingly wide and is surrounded on both sides by car and coach parks, as is shown in this Google Map.
Windsor Viaduct And Car Parks
,I think that modifying the viaduct to connect the two lines would probably not be as difficult as the creation of the Bermondsey Dive Under, where space was at a premium and they wanted to thread a double up-and-down, between three other lines.
If you look at the schematic map of this line through Windsor, at the top of this page, you’ll see they have put a station called Windsor Royal in the middle of the Windsor Tunnel. And by it in the diagram is a big blue P, which probably signifies parking.
So will the proposed Windsor Royal station be either in on under the car and coach parks by the side of the viaduct?
As to its final design, that depends on the type and number of tracks and the skill of the architect and engineers.
One of the early things that must be decided, as it effects the design of Windsor Tunnel, Windsor Royal station and the line to Slough, is whether the line will be electrified to 25 kVAC overhead or 750VDC third rail, as Slough will soon be electrified to the former standard and Windsor and Eton Riverside is electrified to the latter. If the trains are going to go past Slough, perhaps to Reading or Oxford, and still run into Waterloo, the trains will have to be capable of handling both voltages, so something like the new Class 700 trains, that are being purchased for Thameslink, or something similar would fit the bill.
As the tunnel size required for a train using third-rail electrification is smaller, as you don’t have to accommodate the overhead wires, I would suspect that like on Thameslink, where the voltage changeover is at Farringdon station, that the pantograph will go up and down at Windsor Royal station.
As only one track is needed on the viaduct and it would obviously be easier and more affordable to only have one track leading to the viaduct, the line from Windsor Royal station to the viaduct will probably be single track, perhaps splitting just to the North of the station to allow a two platform station in between the tracks. After the Windsor Royal station, the tracks might combine again to allow a simple single-track tunnel to connect to the line for Datchet and beyond.
Wikipedia says that the two existing stations will be replaced by the new Windsor Royal, but the schematic at the top of this page, shows short spurs into the two existing stations. Is this a clue as to how the line will be built, whilst maintaining a train service that is essential to the lifeblood of Windsor and its residents, businesses and visitors?
I believe with good project management that virtually a full train service could be provided nearly all of the time, until a full connection is made through the Windsor Tunnel, at which point the existing stations can be closed.
I don’t know what those that are behind this project are thinking, but it has the air of a project that like all good projects has been designed in the garden or bar of a pub, whilst copious amounts of beer and other legal substances have been consumed.
A Circular Tour Round Richmond, Twickenham And Vauxhall
In my post entitled Where Next For The Overground?, I received a comment suggesting that some services on the North London Line be extended to Twickenham. The guy who commented said this.
Currently 4 Overground services per hour terminate/start at Richmond. Extending even 2 of these to Twickenham using the existing SWT railway network, also calling at St Margarets, would provide numerous benefits for local commuters and businesses.
The reasons he gave about better connectivity to less obvious places than Vauxhall and Waterloo, didn’t seem much different to the statements you get here in Hackney about getting anywhere not reached by the North and East London Lines or the 38 bus.
So I just had to go and take a look and take a few pictures, as I travelled from Richmond to Twickenham and then on to Vauxhall.
I could also have a pit-stop at the Carluccio’s opposite Richmond station.
Richmond
I know Richmond quite well having used it several times since I moved back to London, as it’s a good place to go for a walk by the river. And of course I do like the train ride across London on the North London Line, which is so much more pleasant than the District Line or the trains out of Waterloo. This Google Map image of the station shows the station’s main problem, which is also apparent in the photos.
Richmond Station
The station is just too busy, in terms of passengers inside the station, people walking up and down the pavement and the innumerable cars, taxis and buses in the road outside. I travelled to Richmond in a very full four-car Class 378 train from Highbury and Islington. As I got out, the crowds of people trying to get into the train, almost pushed me under it. Someone has done a very good job in selling Richmond to visitors. With the Overground now going to 5-car and possibly 6-car trains, the District Line going to the new larger S7 Stock and South West Trains going to a 10-car railway, coupled with increased frequencies, the overcrowding at Richmond station can only get worse.
Reading the history in Wikipedia, you feel a bit sad, that when the station was rebuilt in 1937, that Southern Railway didn’t have 20/20 foresight. But then, if you’d rebuilt this station in say 1980, you wouldn’t have correctly predicted the increase in passenger numbers everywhere on the UK Rail network.
Richmond station would appear to be one of the worst victims of overcrowding, I’ve seen recently, where there is no obvious resolution.
Platforms 1 and 2, which are the through platforms have eight 10-car trains an hour each way and the shear numbers of passengers these trains generate totally overwhelms the station. So for a start these platforms, which have a separate passage from the main entrance, needs to be rebuilt to modern standards with escalators and lifts. Looking at the overhead image of the station, there is actually plenty of space at the London end of the station by the Church Road bridge. Perhaps as people now increasingly use contactless ticketing, a simple bridge and exit could be made here to ease the overcrowding I saw.
The suggestion in the comment to my post, Where Next For The Overground, says that the following should be done.
Remodelling track between Kew & Richmond to allow Overground trains to access the Richmond currently used by South West trains,
That may sound easy, but it would mean a flat junction, where trains coming from Kew had to cross the busy main line to London. Putting in such a junction would probably mean the lines to and through Richmond had to be closed for a few months, so even if it is feasible in an engineering way, the disruption would be unacceptable to regular users of the line.
It adds to the case for doing some or all of these things.
1. Make the station fully step-free, with escalators and lifts.
2. Put a footbridge and an exit on the London end of the station. The exit may be problematical, as the bridge might be architecturally important. I forgot to take a photo. Could this bridge be the tail that is wagging the dog? If it has to be rebuilt, to solve the problems of Richmond station, then so be it.
3. It is a real pity that the rebuilding in 1937, didn’t put an entrance to Platforms 1 and 2 on the other side of Kew Road, as this would have helped. But they didn’t although the two platforms are being extended in that direction, to accept the 10-car trains. This Google Map shows how the trains pass under Kew Road.
Richmond Station And Kew Road
4. At Liverpool Street a few weeks ago, they replaced a constricted gate line in the Underground station with a much wider one and this opened up the station considerably. It might be possible to do something of a similar nature at Richmond to free up the crush I experienced at the gate, which will only get worse.
If the passenger routes were freed up and especially, if a second footbridge was added, then passengers wanting to go to Twickenham from the North London and District Lines, would walk to the back of the train, go to the footbridge and walk across to Platform 1 to get any of the numerous trains. Remember that both the Class 378 trains and the S7 Stock are walk-through trains and many passengers now regularly position themselves for their destination.
In addition at Richmond something must be done to reduce the flow of people and vehicles in front of the station. For instance, there are more taxis at the station, than I’ve ever seen at a suburban station. But then it is an upmarket area, where only losers walk or use buses.
Waterloo To Reading via Richmond
There is another factor that will put pressure on Richmond in the future and that is the two trains an hour link to Reading. By the end of the decade Reading will have developed into one of the most important stations in the South East to the West of London. Richmond has good connections to a lot of South and South West London, so will passengers to and from the West change at Reading and go via Richmond. They probably wouldn’t now, but as the network develops and Crossrail doesn’t go anywhere near the South West of London, until Crossrail 2 is built, Richmond will get more overloaded, so some easy interchange between the lines at the station is essential.
Twickenham
Twickenham has two major problems.
It is obviously the station of choice for rugby at Twickenham and this Google Map shows that they are fairly, but not that close.
Twickenham Stadium And Station
If you read the history of the station in Wikipedia, you’ll see that the station is a bad sufferer of both wartime problems and advanced Topsy-syndrome, as is my local station at Highbury and Islington.
But even sorting the station for this year’s Rugby World Cup has been a planning obstacle race as this Future section in the Wikipedia entry says.
The RFU has petitioned the government to improve the station to be ready to handle the increased use during the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Network Rail has consented to a plan to improve the station and the rolling stock, but progress has stalled because of disagreement between the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames council and some local residents. A judicial review was carried out in December 2012 of the planning permissions that had been granted. These reviews are now complete and construction will start in 2014.
My pictures show, that Twickenham station appears to be being rebuilt. It doesn’t look to me that everything will be finished for the start of the tournament on September the 18th.
Waterloo To Reading Via Richmond And Twickenham
There is another factor that will put pressure on Richmond in the future and that is the two trains an hour link to Reading. By the end of the decade Reading will have developed into one of the most important stations in the South East to the West of London. Richmond has good connections to a lot of South and South West London, so will passengers to and from the West change at Reading and go via Richmond. They probably wouldn’t now, but as the network develops and Crossrail doesn’t go anywhere near the South West of London, until Crossrail 2 is built, Richmond will get more overloaded, so some easy interchange between the lines at the station is essential.
Heathrow
It is no secret that many parties would like to see rail links from the West and/or Waterloo into Heathrow, whether or not the airport is the chosen airport to be expanded in the South East.
We’ve had Heathrow Airtrack, Airtrack-Lite and now we’ve got the Windsor Link Railway, with perhaps only the last one still in existence.
The Windsor Link Railway is a very innovative project, which initially links the two rail lines to Windsor with a cut-and-cover tunnel and a new station called Windsor Royal.
The two current stations of Windsor & Eton Riverside and Windsor & Eton Central, would be closed and I doubt there would be any problems finding profitable uses for the sites. Since I wrote the original version of this post, I’ve been to Windsor and walked the route of the Windsor Link Railway through the town.
Further phases of the project would create a link into Heathrow, that would be accessible to both trains from the West and Waterloo.
Even if the link isn’t built in the form proposed by the Windsor Link Railway, there is a high chance that a link that connects both West and Waterloo is built.
I like this project, as I think it has some very big advantages.
1. Not many serious engineers would propose to build a tunnel in the middle of an historic town, up close to one of Her Majesty’s most iconic residences, unless they were absolutely sure that it would work. But look at this Google Map of Central Windsor and the two stations.
Central Windsor And Stations
For a start, it looks like the position and alignment of the two stations is in favour of their plan, to build a cut-and-cover tunnel between them, with the proposed Windsor Royal station perhaps, where what looks to be a coach park is located.
2. The space is sufficient to have a station big enough for the ten-car trains on the line.
3. The plan doesn’t say whether the tunnel will be single-track or double-track. Obviously, costs and space will decide the design.
4. There doesn’t appear to be many properties in the way of the tunnelling, as most of the route is either vehicle parks, public gardens or roads.
5. When fully realised the project connects both the West and Waterloo into Terminal 5 at Heathrow between Sunnymeads and Wraysbury stations. This Google Map shows the location of the stations in relation to Terminal 5.
Into Terminal 5
The stations are on the line running to the North-West to the left of the reservoir.
6. Compared to other proposals, this scheme doesn’t need as much tunnelling to link up to the existing stations at Heathrow, being able to use a bridge over the M25.
7. In addition with a reinstated curve at Frimley, trains from Basingstoke and Ascot could have access to the airport. But that is just a couple of many places, who would find they are just a single change away from Heathrow.
Crossrail 2
If Twickenham Stadium and Heathrow are two elephants rampaging through the transport system of South West London, then Crossrail 2 is a third.
According to the current plan, Twickenham Station will be a terminus for Crossrail 2. The route to the proposed tunnel portal at Wimbledon, will be by way of these stations.
- Strawberry Hill
- Teddington
- Hampton Wick
- Kingston
- Norbiton
- New Malden
- Raynes Park
It follows quite a bit of the route of the Kingston Loop Line, which along with other lines in South West London will become part of Crpssrail 2.
If we look at Abbey Wood and Shenfield stations on Crossrail, Twickenham and the other termini of Crossrail 2, will probably need two platforms, which shouldn’t be a problem.
With my Project Management hat on, I think that any serious construction program for Crossrail 2 will see the suburban sections South of Wimbledon and North of Tottenham Hale brought up to Crossrail standard , before the serious work of the central tunnel. In my view not starting some of the update of the surface sections to Abbey Wood, Heathrow, Reading and Shenfield on Crossrail until the tunnelling was well underway, may have created problems. At least I’ve not seen any good reason for not starting at some of the stations, which are in desperate need of improvement, repair or full step-free access.
The question also has to be asked is what effect does the thoughts behind the Windsor Link Railway have on the layout of the Crossrail 2 branches South of Twickenham?
Surely, if Heathrow is a sensible terminal for Crossrail, then there are good reasons to think that it could be a sensible terminal for Crossrail 2. This would link Heathrow directly to St. Pancras International, Kings Cross, Euston, Victoria, Clapham Junction and Tottenham Hale for ongoing travel. Most London terminals and major interchange stations, like Clapham Junction, Old Oak Common and Stratford would be directly linked to Heathrow by either Crossrail or Crossrail 2. The other terminals that miss out are.
Cannon Street – Avoid by using Crossrail 2 to Victoria or Crossrail/Thameslink to London Bridge
Charing Cross – Avoid by using Crossrail 2 to Victoria or Crossrail/Thameslink to London Bridge
Fenchurch Street – Avoid by using Crossrail to Liverpool Street, Stratford or Shenfield and then another route.
London Bridge – Crossrail or Crossrail 2 to Farringdon then Thameslink.
Marylebone – Crossrail to Paddington and Bakerloo.
Waterloo – Avoid by using Clapham Junction or Crossrail to Paddington and Bakerloo.
It does seem to me that our Victorian railway planners didn’t future-proof their London terminals very well.
Vauxhall
I came home via Vauxhall station and the Victoria Line.
The interchange is being upgraded, with lifts in the rail station leading to the subway and improvements in the tube station.
When the upgrade is finished, it will make things a lot easier for those like me, who live near the Northern section of the Victoria Line, to get to places in South West London.
Using Waterloo is difficult, as we live on the wrong branch of the Northern Line, and all other lines that serve the station don’t go near Islington, Hackney, Harringey or Waltham Forest. The only easier way to get to Waterloo is to use the Waterloo and City Line, unless it’s the rush hour or the weekend.
Clapham Junction is a simple journey, but it takes forever on the Overground.
Conclusion
This line can be improved to be a more useful part of London’s rail infrastructure.
But it won’t really be sorted until Crossrail 2 is completed.
The Problems Of Upgrading Railways
The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Newcastle and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster and York may be a High Speed Line that allows trains to run at 200 kph. The trouble with the line is that it doesn’t have enough capacity for all the passenger and freight trains that want to use the line.
The French or Spanish would have probably built a new line, but we don’t have the space they do, and it is questionable in this country, if high speed trains are popular with the general public.
But on the East Coast Main Line, there was already a decrepit bypass called the Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line from Peterborough to Doncaster. I’ve talked about this line before in Project Managers Have Fun In The East.
This article in the Rail Engineer is the story of upgrading that line, so that in particular freight trains can be diverted to free up space on the East Coast Main Line.
The line has been virtually rebuilt, resignalled, level crossing have been removed and stations have been improved, at a cost of around three hundred million pounds.
There is still work to do and in a few years time, the following could have happened.
1. A better connection at the Northern end at Doncaster.
2. A diveunder or flyover at Werrington Junction near Peterborough, to remove a bottleneck.
3. There might even be a direct link across the Fens from Spalding to March. This would allow freight trains between Felixstowe and the North to join or cross the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster.
4. The line might even be electrified, in part to cut the noise of the dreaded Class 66 diesel locomotives.
Freight At Maryland Station
I had to catch a train from that ruin in the East, Maryland, this afternoon. When I took pictures of all the stations before they are taken over by Crossrail, I gave Maryland a score of 2/10. As these pictures I took today, show of a freight train passing through, I think I was generous.
Sorting this dump out will need a real top quality architect with imagination. This Google Earth image shows the station and the roads around it.
Maryland Station
The following problems will challenge the design team.
1. The site is cramped and surrounded by busy roads.
2. The access to the station is along narrow pavements, even if they opened up the entrance on the South side.
3. The Crossrail platforms on the South side of the station are too short for the new trains and selective door opening will have to be used.
4. There would also appear to be few redeeming features in the current station. There isn’t any Victorian ironwork to preserve.
This is what is shown at present on the Crossrail web site.
Proposed Design
At least the number of trees has been increased!
I wish the architects the best of luck, but I sometimes feel that the only way to improve the station, would be to put a concrete raft over the whole area and build some tower blocks on top. At least they’d have good access to the rail system.
But then what do I know about architecture?
More Electric Multiple Unit Refurbishment
I am not a great fan of the Class 321 electric multiple units, that I seem to use, when I travel all over Essex and Suffolk.
On my regular trips to Ipswich, I much prefer to take the trains formed of a rake of Mark 3 coaches hauled by a Class 90 electric locomotive.
However like many of the UKs electric multiple units, the Class 321 are based on the smooth-riding Mark 3 coach.
As in recent years, a some of these like the Class 319 and 455 have been refurbished, it is no surprise that Eversholt Leasing has decided to update its fleet of thirty Class 321 trains, to make them more attractive to train operating companies.
This article in the Railway Gazette describes the project to upgrade these trains, into a new variant called the Class 321 Renatus.
It would appear to me, that these 100 mph trains will find gainful employment all over the UK Rail network, as more lines are electrified.
The Todmorden Curve Has Helped A Campaign For More
The opening of the Todmorden Curve seems to have been a success according to press reports I’ve found, but this article from the Lancashire Telegraph, entitled New hope for campaigners looking to re-establish link between East Lancashire and North Yorkshire, shows that the opening is having other effects. This is the first paragraph.
A NEW hope has emerged for campaigners looking to re-establish a link between East Lancashire and North Yorkshire after a transport chief signalled concerns about possible logjams in Calderdale and Leeds.
The link between Colne and Skipton, which is mentioned in the article is shown in this map.
Skipton To Colne
It is being promoted by the Colne-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership.
Having explored the area a lot in the last couple of years. I feel very much that tram-trains perhaps linked to Blackpool and/or Manchester have a lot of possibilities. I said as much in Could Tram-Trains Be Used To Advantage In Blackpool? It may sound fanciful and ambitious, but a single track tram-train link from Colne to Skipton, would have a high passenger capacity and wouldn’t require the infrastructure of heavy rail.
Things seem to be moving fast in East Lancashire.
In North London, there has been strong enthusiasm for the recent extension of the Overground. I now perceive a wanting for more of the same.
So are the good citizens of East Lancashire behaving in the same way?
The M25 South Of Waltham Cross
If you travel along the M25 between junctions 25 (A10) and 26 (A121), you pass south of an area which I know well from my teens. Obviously the motorway wasn’t there in those days and a lot of the area was closed off as it was the Royal Gunpowder Mills. Some of the area has been developed, but a lot is still pretty much undeveloped or farmland, as this Google Earth image of the area shows.
M25 South Of Waltham Abbey
Note how two of the Lea Valley Lines pass North-South through the area.
The line between Turkey Street and Theobalds Grove, known as the Southbury Loop, crosses the motorway on its way to its terminus at Cheshunt, just to the East of the large factory, which is News International’s Print Works at the top left of the image.
Further to the East is the West Anglia Main Line between Enfield Lock and Waltham Cross, which is just to the west of the collection of large distribution depots.
So you have a large area of relatively undeveloped land with four stations at the corners. Turkey Street and Theobalds Grove are now part of the London Overground and Enfield Lock and Waltham Cross are proposed to be on Crossrail 2.
So although the connections to London aren’t bad they are going to get a lot better.
Surely, with these rail connections this area could be developed sensibly.
I’ve always felt that London needs more Park-and-Ride sites. In fact there isn’t one rail station, where you can come off the M25 drive a kilometre or so, perhaps pick-up or drop-off a passenger, and return easily to the motorway.
As to being able to park all day or just an evening, whilst you do business or visit a friend relative, then you can just about forget it. Especially, as those stations with parking never have enough of it.
A couple of times, since I’ve stopped driving, I’ve needed to be picked up near the M25, either to guide someone to my house or perhaps go to a football match with a fellow sufferer. There are few suitable places, so we generally end up using eithe Cockfosters or Newbury Park Tube Stations.
What is needed is a series of rail/car/bus interfaces all along the motorways and not just on the M25.
I took these pictures from a train going between Turkey Street and Theobalds Grove stations.
The M25 dominates and there is a few large developments, like the News International Print Works and lots of undeveloped green space.
,So could such an interchange be developed somewhere on this section of the M25 near Waltham Cross, perhaps with a Service Area and a Park-and-Ride. It would certainly ease transport difficulties for many.
Green Scars Across East London
When the Lea Valley Lines were built across East London in the 1800s, they didn’t seem to box them in with houses, like they did elsewhere in the capital.
This Google Earth image shows several stations between Bruce Grove in the North, Harringay Green Lanes in the West and Stoke Newington in the South.
Green Scars Across East London
Note the green scars between the stations, where the lines often take up quite a small part of the available land. Look at this Google Earth image of the area between Seven Sisters station and South Tottenham station.
Seven Sisters
Surely, the development possibilities for this space, when linked to a new station are endless, even if you just develop a park.
The Anonymous Widower 