Did Plans For Crossrail Ever Include A Station At Holborn?
I have only one North-South bus route, where I live.
The 141 bus connects Palmers Green and London Bridge station.
- The 141 bus was the replacement for the 641 trolley bus, which was the main link between Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and Harringay, and the City of London, when I was a child.
- The vehicles are up to ten years old Wrightbus diesel hybrids.
- The route suffers badly from overcrowding as it connects, Bank and Moorgate stations in the City of London, with the outer reaches of the Piccadilly Line.
The overcrowding on the 141 bus route has got worse in the last couple of years because of the following.
- The rebuilding of London Bridge station brought more passengers to the 141 bus route.
- The opening of the new London Bridge bus station at London Bridge station has improved access to the buses at London Bridge station.
- The improvement of the connection of the buses to the Docklands Light Railway, Central Line and Northern Line at Bank station.
- The opening of the Battersea branch of the Northern Line, which brings more passengers to Bank station.
- The opening of the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank Underground station.
- The opening of the Elizabeth Line through Moorgate station.
- Recently, a new walking route between Moorgate and Liverpool Street was opened, which will bring more passengers to the buses on Moorgate.
- The rebuilding of Old Street station brought more passengers to the 141 bus route.
So what was the response of the Mayor and Transport for London, to all this increase of passenger numbers?
The 21 bus, which shadowed the 141 route, and doubled the number of buses through where I live, was moved to serve Holloway.
It was a big crime against mathematics and the wishes of our long-serving Labour MP; Meg Hillier.
So to handle many more passengers between London Bridge station and Newington Green through the City of London, the number of buses was halved.
I believe that the overcrowding will get worse because of the improvements, that Transport for London have planned.
- The Piccadilly Line will be getting new air-conditioned trains within a couple of years and these will inevitably attract more passengers to the line.
- On the other hand the air-conditioning may persuade passengers to use the Piccadilly Line more than they do now. Instead of changing to the 141 bus at Manor House station, passengers could change at Finsbury Park, King’s Cross St. Pancras or Holborn stations for other routes to the City of London.
- The third line to receive the new air-conditioned trains will probably be the Central Line, which would create another East-West air-conditioned line and bring more passengers to Bank station.
- The Central Line could give some relief for the buses through Bank, if an extra station was built on the Central Line to interchange with Shoreditch High Street station on the East London Line of the London Overground.
- The fourth line to receive the new air-conditioned trains will probably be the Waterloo and City Line, which would create another air-conditioned line and bring more passengers to Bank station.
- It is likely, that more services will be added to the Elizabeth Line, which will bring more passengers to Moorgate station.
- It is likely, that more services will be added to the Northern City Line, which will bring more passengers to Moorgate station.
- The Mayor is also planning to pedestrianise Oxford Street, which may fill up the Central Line with extra passengers.
It looks to me, that there will be a need for a large increase of bus capacity through the City of London on a North-South axis.
On the other hand, the City of London have stated that they will pedestrianise many of their streets.
So what can be done to avoid gridlock in the City of London?
Develop The Northern City Line At Moorgate
I use this route regularly to and from Moorgate station.
- It already has new Class 717 air-conditioned trains.
- The route is already digitally signalled in conjunction with the East Coast Digital Programme.
- It has two platforms at Moorgate station.
- Highbury & Islington station has interchanges with the Victoria Line and the North and East London Lines of the London Overground.
- Finsbury Park station has interchanges with the Victoria Line and National Rail services.
- Bowes Park station has an out of station interchange with Bounds Green station on the Piccadilly Line.
- Step-free access needs improving.
- The Victorians had plans to extend the line to Lothbury near Bank station.
If the Northern City Line could handle more passengers, would passengers get to all parts of the City of London by changing at Finsbury Park and walking from Moorgate or Old Street stations?
I regularly go between my house and Moorgate, by taking a bus to Essex Road station and using the Northern City Line.
I believe that with improvements on the Northern City Line, the line could be turned into a very valuable part of London’s rail infrastructure.
Connect The Central Line And The East London Line At Shoreditch High Street Station
I wrote about this proposal in Will Shoreditch High Street Be Connected To The Central Line?
The Elizabeth Line needed to be completed before this could be started.
Build The Western Extension Of The Docklands Light Railway
I wrote about this proposal in The Bank Station Upgrade And The Western Extension Of The DLR.
Rebuild Holborn Station
The interchange between Piccadilly and Central Line at Holborn station is difficult to say the least.
Holborn station is being extended with a new entrance. As with Euston, I suspect it has been designed with a feasible place for DLR platforms to be added.
This document on the TfL web site, gives more details of what is proposed at Holborn station.
I extracted this visualisation of the proposed station.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines in the through and around the station.
.Note, the Elizabeth Line, which is shown by dotted lines passes to the North of the station.
Conclusion
Not all these improvements need to be done, but each would improve transport in the City of London.
Show Me The Way To Motspur Park
A few days ago, I saw on a web site, that Motspur Park station had been made step-free.
I tried to go yesterday, but I made a big mistake – I started from Moorgate station and intended to use the Waterloo and City Line to get to Waterloo station, from where I could get a direct train.
But after taking forever to walk between the Northern and Waterloo and City Line at Bank station, I arrived at Waterloo station, too late to get to Motspur Park station before dark.
Today, I looked up Transport for London’s Journey Planner and it told me to do the following.
- Walk to Newington Green Road, which is rather a long walk for my 77-year-old legs.
- Get a 341 bus to Manor House Station.
- Get a Piccadilly Line train to Finsbury Park station.
- Get a Victoria Line train to Vauxall station. This is a cross-platform interchange.
- Walk to Vauxall National Rail station.
- Get a South Western Railway train to Motspur Park station.
Note.
- Normally, I would use a variation of this route and take a 141 bus from the corner of my road to Manor House station.
- But due to road works, the 141 is not stopping near my house, so I have no easy way to get to Manor House station.
- But in some ways to start a journey to the South-West, by going North to Manor House station is a bit silly.
- This detour is caused because neither the Victoria or Piccadilly Lines have an exchange station with the Lizzie Line.
If the 141 bus were running, I’d take that to Moorgate, then take Lizzie to Bond Street and the Jubilee Line to Waterloo for a train to Motspur Park.
I would have taken this route yesterday from Moorgate, but I was advised otherwise by a station guy at Moorgate.
In the end today, I took a bus to King’s Cross and got the Victoria Line from there.
I took these pictures of the elderly Class 455 train en route.
Although at forty, it was still in good condition.
I took these pictures of the new bridge at Motspur Park station.
Note.
- The two-button lift controls. Would they be faster if single-button?
- I am surprised that solar roofs weren’t fitted as at Denmark Hill station.
- The station must be the only station in London with an island platform and three lifts. See Picture 6.
- PPicture 6 also clearly shows a ticket machine on the platform, which serves both entrances.
It certainly looks to be a comprehensive job well done.
London Overground Lines To Be Given Unique Names
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Six London Overground lines are to be given unique names.
These three paragraphs explain it all.
Routes to be named include Euston to Watford Junction, Romford to Upminster and Gospel Oak to Barking, City Hall confirmed.
Seb Dance, deputy mayor for transport, said posters had been put up in stations informing people of the plans and encouraging them to get involved.
London Overground will remain as the umbrella brand, according to transport bosses.
It will cost £6.3 million.
What a waste of money!
I suppose they will all be given nice politically correct names, that no-one will use and those on thee far-right will cover with graffiti.
Yesterday, I needed to use The Drain, so I asked if it was open at Waterloo. Perhaps the first thing, that they ought to do, is teach staff all the colloquial names that my parents’ generation used.
The sooner the good voters of London give SadIQ his marching orders the better.
Khan’s Stupid Plan To Rename The Overground Lines
renamThis page on the TfL web site is entitled Naming London Overground Lines.
This is the first paragraph.
London Overground lines are to be named to make the network easier to navigate and ensure the Capital’s transport system reflects its rich and diverse history. We aim to make the changes by the end of 2024.
So why do I feel it is a stupid plan?
London Wouldn’t Stomach A Load Of Woke Names
When Khan and his fellow politicians choose the names, they will probably be a load of woke rubbish and this could cause problems with some political groups.
When The Lines Are Renamed, Will They Then Start On Station Names?
This could open a real can of worms, as some station names are totally unacceptable to some groups of people.
When Arsenal moved from Highbury, Spurs fans mounted a campaign to get Arsenal tube station renamed to its original name of Gillespie Road.
Londoners Use Their Geographic Names
I use the Overground regularly and use their geographic names like.
- Cheshunt Line
- Chingford Line
- East London Line
- Enfield Town Line
- Gospel Oak and Barking Line
- North London Line
- Romford and Upminster Line
- South London Line
- Watford DC Line
- West London Line
I also use The Drain for the Waterloo and City Line.
Thameslink And Moorgate Services
It is likely, that some or all of the Thameslink and Moorgate routes will go to Transport for London.
These would need more names.
Cost
Transport for London (TfL) have a financial crisis and I believe, that the money spent on signage and branding could be better spent on other projects like hydrogen buses or creating the West London Orbital Railway.
If Another Political Party Took Power Would They Rename Everything?
Probably! And this would be more cost!
Conclusion
Sadiq Khan is a vain and stubborn man. Renaming lines will open a nest of vipers.
With the mess Khan has got in over ULEZ, this could be another problem caused by his bad judgment.
HS2 Completes First Tunnel Cross Passages
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from High Speed Two.
This is the first paragraph.
As the tunnelling machines under the Chilterns approach the four-mile mark, HS2 completes the first of thirty-eight underground connections between the northbound and southbound tunnels.
This video from High Speed Two, shows the construction of the cross tunnels.
There appears to have been a resurgence of traditional tunneling methods, albeit it with the assistance of modern mechanised tools.
In London recently, these tunnels have been dug without the use of expensive tunnel boring machines.
- The running and station tunnels for the Bank Station Upgrade.
- The tunnel for the Paddington Bakerloo Line Link.
I suspect there will a lot more dug traditionally in the future.
Bank And Moorgate
The map from cartometro.com shows the plethora of lines at Moorgate and Bank stations.
Note.
- Moorgate station is served by the Circle, Elizabeth, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern and Northern City Lines.
- Bank station is served by the Central, Circle, District, Northern and Waterloo & City Lines.
- Bank station is also one terminus of the DLR.
I believe it would be possible to dig a long pedestrian tunnel with a travelator, between Moorgate and Bank stations under Moorgate, which connects the two stations.
City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s
I discussed this in A Pedestrian Connection Between City Thameslink Station And St. Paul’s Tube Station.
A Last Look At Bank Station Before Shutdown
On Sunday, I took a last look at the Northern Line before its closure on January 15th until mid-May 2022.
Note.
- The tunnel without cladding on the wall is the Southbound tunnel.
- The Southern tunnel will be opened up and will become a platform for the Northern tunnel.
- The doors in the Southern tunnel will lead to the new Southern tunnel, which is a number of metres to the West.
- The last two pictures are on the Central Line.
I had a brief chat with staff and they are not sure yet, if the Waterloo and City Line will be open during the closure.
London Gets A New Bus Route
During the Bank Station Upgrade in the New Year, London will gain a new bus route.
It is described like this on New Civil Engineer.
A temporary new bus route, the 733 from Oval into the City (Finsbury Square), will also be introduced on weekdays. It will run every 7-8 minutes to help affected customers reach their destinations.
I use the to-be-closed section of the Northern Line regularly and not just on weekdays.
Yet again, the good citizens of East London have been ignored or short-changed by transport planners in City Hall.
We have endured no Waterloo and City Line for months. Although, that does seem to be opening, as I wrote in Waterloo & City line To Operate All Day By The End Of November.
Waterloo & City line To Operate All Day By The End Of November
The title of this post, is the same as this article on City AM.
Hallelujah!
Here in Hackney, it’s our best route to Waterloo, as we have several buses to Bank. I have two; the 21 and 141.
Let’s hope the Drain continues to work during the Great Blockade in the New Year, whilst the Northern Line is connected to the new tunnel at Bank.
Thoughts On The Closure Of The Northern Line At Bank To Complete The Upgrade To Bank Station
The Bank Station Upgrade is a major project that will increase the capacity of Bank station by forty percent.
This document on the Transport for London web site gives details of the project.
It was originally planned that sometime in late 2021, the Northern Line will be closed through Bank station.
The document says this.
We will need to close part of the Northern line Bank branch in 2021, between Kennington and Moorgate, to connect new and existing sections of tunnel safely. Trains will run less frequently on those sections of the Bank branch that are still open. Check back here for details.
This would mean that Bank, London Bridge, Borough and Elephant & Castle stations will be closed on the Northern Line.
To help passengers, TfL say, they will do the following.
- Run 33% more trains on the Northern line Charing Cross branch
- Review bus use and consider enhancing services where necessary
- Investigate scope for passengers to use alternative National Rail services, such as Waterloo to London Bridge, and London Bridge to Cannon Street
- Review available walking space on the Moorgate to London Bridge pedestrian corridor.
These are my thoughts.
The New Cannon Street Entrance To Bank Station
This visualisation shows the new Cannon Street entrance to Bank station.
Note.
- South is to the right and we’re looking from roughly the North-West.
- The existing twin bores of the Northern Line on the far side of the visualisation.
- The escalator connection to the District and Circle Lines at Monument station Starts at the Southern end of these two narrow platforms.
- The new single bore of the new Southbound tunnel on the near side of the visualisation.
- The triple escalators descending from the new Cannon Street entrance to one of the four cross-walks between the Northern Line platforms.
- The current Eastern ends of these cross-walks are shown in The Southbound Northern Line Platform At Bank Station.
But where is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR)?
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Bank station.
Note.
- The two existing Northern Line Platforms 3 and 4 are shown in black.
- The Central Line is shown in red.
- The DLR is shown in turquoise and sneaks under the Northern Line into Platforms 9 and 10.
- Platforms 7 and 8 are the platforms of the Waterloo and City Line.
- It would appear that the escalator connection between Bank and Monument stations goes between the existing tracks of the Northern Line.
So where is the Docklands Light Railway?
- As Platforms 3 and 9 appear to be close together with Platform 9, the deeper of the two, I suspect we can’t see the Docklands Light Railway in the visualisation, as it is hidden behind and underneath everything else.
- I also suspect that the triple escalators between the new Northern Line cross-walks descend in the space at the Southern ends of Platforms 9 and 10.
This is the Northern end of the visualisation I showed earlier
Note.
- North is to the left.
- The two tracks and the narrow island platform of the current Northern Line on the far side of the visualisation.
- The two staircases leading up from Northern Line to a lobby, where passengers can walk North to the Central Line.
- The double escalator barrel going down to the DLR.
- The travelator that will connect the Northern and Central Lines
- The three cross passages linking the DLR escalators to the lobby between the Central and Northern Lines.
- The most Southerly of these cross passages has a lift to the DLR.
The new Southbound platform of the Northern Line, would appear to be to the West of the Docklands Light Railway.
It appears to be a very tight fit.
These pictures show the current status of the new entrance.
There would appear to be still a lot to be done.
This TfL image shows how it will look in 2022.
Ducking And Diving
No-one ducks and dives like Londoners. So rest assured, that if someone needs to get from A to B and the obvious route is blocked, Londoners will always get through. And if all else fails, a black cab will find a way, usually driven by a Londoner or someone infected with the ducking and diving virus.
Crossrail
As ever Crossrail is the herd of elephants in the London railway system.
The Northern Line is possibly the most important North-South route across Central London with two branches through the centre; Bank and Charing Cross.
But Crossrail connects to these North-South routes.
- Lea Valley Lines at Stratford
- East London Line at Whitechapel
- Lea Valley and West Anglia Lines at Stratford
- Northern Line Bank Branch at Moorgate/Liverpool Street
- Northern and City Line at Moorgate/Liverpool Street
- Thameslink at Farringdon
- Northern Line Charing Cross Branch at Tottenham Court Road
- Jubilee Line at Bond Street
- Bakerloo Line at Paddington
Crossrail will give a lot of opportunities for ducking and diving.
Under original plans Crossrail was supposed to open in 2019, with the Bank station closure for the upgrade in 2021.
This phasing certainly seemed a good idea at the time.
- Crossrail will be able to offer alternative routes during the closure.
- If the Crossrail stations are substantially complete, they can release workers to finish Bank station.
I wonder, if it would be sensible to not upgrade the tracks through Bank station until Crossrail opens through Moorgate/Liverpool Street.
As I wrote in Your First Crossrail Service May Arrive In Time For Christmas, Crossrail could open this year.
So are we being prepared for the mother of all cunning plans?
- Crossrail between Paddington and Abbey Wood opens before Christmas.
- The closure of the Bank branch to allow the Bank station upgrade happens at a convenient time after the opening of Crossrail through Moorgate/Liverpool Street.
- Moorgate continues to have a limited Northern Line service to the North.
- Crossrail continues work on the other branches.
Note.
- There is a crossover to the North of Moorgate station, which might allow Moorgate to work as a two-platform terminal station handling up to 4 or 6 trains per hour (tph).
- If Crossrail is running at Moorgate, the station should be step-free to and from the deep-level platforms.
- Transport for London are looking at walking routes on the Moorgate and London Bridge route.
- During the closure of the Northern Line through Bank, passengers for the City will go to Moorgate and walk or perhaps take a bus.
It is my view, that Crossrail must be open, before the Northern Line through Bank station is closed to allow work to be completed.
A Demonstration of the Northern Line Capacity At Moorgate When Working As A Terminal Station
Yesterday, which was a Sunday, the Northern Line was closed between Moorgate and London Bridge stations.
- After a walk, I returned home from Moorgate station via Angel station, where I got a 38 bus.
- I was surprised to find that trains on the Northern Line were leaving Moorgate station for the North every four to five minutes.
This would seem to indicate that frequencies of between 12 and 15 tph are possible.
Current frequencies through Bank station are 24 tph in the Peak and 20 tph in the Off Peak, so it will be a substantial reduction. But it is better, than my original estimate earlier in this section.
33% More Trains on the Northern Line Charing Cross Branch
Currently, the Charing Cross branch has a capacity of twenty-four tph and handles the following services in the Peak.
- 10 tph between Edgware and Kennington
- 2 tph between Edgware and Morden
- 10 tph between High Barnet and Kennington
- 2 tph between High Barnet and Morden
And these services in the Off Peak.
- 10 tph between Edgware and Kennington
- 10 tph between High Barnet and Kennington
Note.
- Extra trains go between the two Northern branches and Morden via the Bank branch.
- Kennington and Morden can handle 28 tph and regularly does.
- The loop at Kennington turns twenty trains per hour in both the Peak and the Off Peak
If there is an increase of 33 % in the number of trains, this must mean that 32 tph will run through Charing Cross in the Peak and 28 tph in the Off Peak.
- The signalling system on the Northern Line is the same as that on the Jubilee Line, where it handles 30 tph.
- It also can handle up to 30 tph between Kennington and Morden on the Northern Line.
- Perhaps it can be stretched to 32 tph through Charing Cross in the Peak.
If the Charing Cross branch can only be uprated to 30 tph, that is still an increase of 25 % in the number of trains.
The Kennington Loop
I mentioned the Kennington Loop and this beautiful old drawing shows its layout.
Note.
- South is at the top of the drawing.
- At present, as I said, the loop turns twenty tph all day.
- The extension to Battersea connects to the loop.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows a map of the loop.
Note.
- The Charing Cross branch goes to the North-West from Kennington.
- The Bank branch goes to the North-East from Kennington.
- ,The lines to Battersea are shown dotted.
- Trains using the extension to Battersea can only use the Charing Cross branch.
I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised, if the line speed to and from Battersea, is faster than it is round the loop.
It’s just that the lines to Battersea are not such a sharp curve and they have been recently designed and built.
As the Modern branch can handle 30 tph, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the Battersea extension has been designed to handle this frequency.
The Northern Line Extension To Battersea
This document on the Transport for London web site gives details of the Northern Line Extension To Battersea.
This paragraph introduces the project.
The Northern line extension (NLE) between Kennington and Battersea will help regenerate the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas by supporting new jobs and homes. The extension is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2021.
The opening of the extension could offer benefits to the existing Northern Line.
As I said in the previous section, twenty tph are turned at Kennington using the loop.
Will all these trains now use the new Battersea extension, when it opens?
- The Battersea extension is fully double-track.
- Battersea Power Station station has two platforms and a cross-over, so if Brixton and Walthamstow Central stations can handle in excess of 30 tph, I suspect London’s newest terminal station can too!
If the Battersea extension has a design capacity of 30 tph, it would certainly be able to handle 20 tph.
So I wouldn’t be surprised to see all trains that currently turn at Kennington will take the Battersea extension, when it opens.
There must surely be the interesting possibility of before the Battersea extension opens to passengers, using it to turn the trains that would otherwise use the loop at Kennington. It would certainly be a very thorough test, of track and signalling.
I am fairly certain, there would be advantages in having the Battersea extension open before the Bank branch is upgraded.
- Running trains to Battersea could be more efficient than using the Kennington Loop.
- Opening the Battersea extension would need the signalling at Kennington to be upgraded and fully tested, so any changes needed for increased frequencies on the Charing Cross branch could be performed at the same time.
- All the residents of the new housing in Battersea. would have an Underground connection.
Opening the Battersea extension will change passenger patterns on the Northern Line and as the changes will be difficult to predict, it would surely be better to upgrade Bank station, after the opening of the Battersea extension.
Thameslink
Thameslink is not mentioned in any of the Transport for London documents, but surely it has a big part to play.
- Thameslink serves a lot of stations in South and South East London and beyond, including Brighton, East Croydon, Orpington, Sevenoaks and Woolwich Arsenal.
- Thameslink has an interchange with the Circle and District Lines at Blackfriars.
- Thameslink has an interchange with the Metropolitan and Circle Lines at Farringdon.
- Thameslink will have an interchange with Crossrail at Farringdon.
- Blackfriars and City Thameslink stations have good walking routes along the River and to the City.
Thameslink should be appearing on the Tube Map any time soon.
Waterloo And City Line
I am missing the Drain, as it is the easiest way for people in the area, where I live to get to Waterloo station.
I just take a bus to Bank and then walk underground to London’s shortest Underground line.
According to this article on London SE1, it is closed because of the covids, but should reopen in April 2021.
Surely, Transport for London could reopen the line, if they vaccinated all the drivers.
As the Waterloo and City Line has an independent new entrance on Wallbrook, there should be no reason, why it couldn’t reopen before the Northern Line through bank is upgraded.
The Central Line At Bank Station
Nothing has been said, about whether the Central Line will be closed through Bank station, during the upgrade.
I don’t think it will be continuously closed, although access to some parts may be restricted.
There could be partial closures at weekends or in the evenings.
So for commuters and other must-travellers, I suspect the Central Line will get through.
The Circle And District Lines At Monument Station
My thoughts about the Circle and District Line would be similar to the Central Line.
But these lines with their connections at Westminster, Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Tower Hill and Whitechapel could prove important during the works.
The Docklands Light Railway At Bank Station
Again my thoughts about the Docklands Light Railway would be similar to the Central Line.
But there is a lot of work going on to improve access to the Docklands Light Railway, and this could result in a closure to allow completion.
Review Bus Use
When I come into London Bridge station, I usually go to the bus station and get a bus, which stops within fifty metres of my front door. Going to London Bridge isn’t as convenient and I take a variety of routes.
But the corridor between London Bridge and Old Street via Bank and Moorgate has three bus routes; 21, 43 and 141, the last two of which terminate in the bus station at London Bridge. I suspect that the frequency of the last two buses could be increased, if they had a few more buses and drivers, and turned them faster at London Bridge.
I also feel there is scope to run a shuttle between Finsbury Square and London Bridge station.
- It would loop round Finsbury Square at the Northern end.
- It would loop through London Bridge station, as the 43 and 141 buses currently do.
- They would serve Moorgate and Bank.
- As it will be running through a busy part of the City with lots of pedestrians, these buses should be either battery or hydrogen.
- But as they should be high-capacity double-deckers, battery probably wouldn’t have enough power.
What better way would there be, to showcase London’s new hydrogen buses?
And I’m sure Jo Bamford, would make sure that London had enough new Wrightbus hydrogen buses to provide the service.
National Rail Between Charing Cross/Waterloo And London Bridge
I am probably not alone in using this route in preference to the Jubilee Line to travel between Westminster and London Bridge, as where there is an alternative to the deep-level Underground, I will often use it.
In my case coming home from Waterloo, I’ll often hop to London Bridge on National Rail and then get a 141 bus home.
This is classic ducking and diving on my part.
I’m sure others will do the same during the Bank branch closure.
I would also hope, that season tickets would allow passengers to swap terminals without too much trouble and any expense.
National Rail Between Cannon Street And London Bridge
Using Cannon Street instead of London Bridge could be an relatively easy alternative for many passengers.
- It connects to the Circle and District Lines.
- There are East-West buses outside the station.
This Google Map shows the location of the station.
There are a number of useful walking routes from the station, which is towards the bottom of the image slightly towards the right.
- Bank station is about 300 metres and six minutes away.
- The North-South buses between Moorgate and London Bridge on King William Street are 200 metres and three minutes away.
- St. Paul’s is a bit further but it does have the Central Line and lots of buses including the 76 to Moorgate and Old Street stations.
At seventy-three, I can still walk between Cannon Street and Moorgate stations in 15 minutes.
Walking Between London Bridge and Moorgate
Transport for London have said they will review this.
It is not a difficult walk and it has improved since traffic was reduced at Bank.
Conclusion
As originally planned, the timings of the various projects were such that these projects would be more of less completed before the upgrade of the tracks at Bank station was to be performed.
- Crossrail
- The Northern Line Extension to Battersea.
- The new Wallbrook entrance to Bank station.
But no-one had foreseen Covid-19.
So I would plan the date of the Northern Line closure with the utmost care.
The Anonymous Widower 