Strong Business Case For Proposed West London Orbital Overground, TfL Says
The title of this post is the same as that on this article on the Finchley Times.
This is the first two paragraphs.
West London is one step closer to a new train line which will connect the outer boroughs and relieve pressure on existing transport infrastructure.
The proposed West London Orbital would run from Hendon or West Hampstead through Acton to Hounslow.
It is my view, that now TfL have got a strong business case, they should get this project started.
- The only problem is money and that could be raised by abandoning the fare freeze.
- Or increasing the size of the Congestion Charge Zone.
- Hard on some, but we should be less selfish.
- I would accept a few restrictions on my Freedom Pass.
There has been too much waffling and it is now time for action.
What Is The Kinetic Energy Of A Class 710 Train?
I finally got a good look at a Class 710 train at Gospel Oak station this morning.
The picture shows the plate on the end of a DMS car.
- The weight of the train is 157.8 tonnes. Note that the four-car Class 378 trains weigh 172.1 tonnes.
- 700 passengers at 90 Kg each with baggage, bikes and buggies would be 63 tonnes.
- That would be a total weight of 220.8 tonnes.
- The operating speed is shown as 75 mph., which is the same as the Class 315 train, that many Class 710 trains will replace.
Using the Omni Kinetic Energy Calculator gives a kinetic energy of 34.5 kWh.
For completeness these are the figures for different speeds.
- 90 mph – 49.4 kWh – Operating speed of a Crossrail Class 345 train.
- 100 mph – 61.3 kWh – Operating speed of many electric multiple units.
Note that the amount of energy is proportional to the square of the speed.
What Do The Kinetic Energy Figures Show?
These are a few of my thoughts.
What Is Regenerative Braking?
A full Class 710 is travelling along at 75 mph, ihas 34.5 kWh of kinetic energy. Whenit needs to stop at a station, this energy has to be dissipated.
With normal friction brakes, the energy will be converted into heat and wasted.
But with regenerative braking, the traction motors are used in reverse to generate electricity.
This electricity is generally handled in one of three ways.
- It is passed through resistors on the roof of the train and turned into heat and wasted.
- It is fed back into the electrification and used by nearby trains. This needs special transformers feeding the electrification.
- It is stored in a battery or other energy storage device on the train.
The last method is the most efficient, as the stored energy can be used to help restart the train and regain line speed.
Can The Lea Valley Lines Electrification Handle Regenerative Braking?
This question must be asked, as if the lines can’t then running trains with batteries could be the best way to handle regenerative braking and improve efficiency and reduce the electricity bill.
It should be noted, that the Chingford and Enfield Town routes are not shared with any other trains, so running Class 710 trains on these routes may have advatages in the maintenance of the electrification, if the trains handle the regenerative braking.
On the Cheshunt route, there are also some Greater Anglia services, but these will generally be run by Class 720 trains, which are also Aventras.
On the other hand, the electrification on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line has probably been installed to handle the reverse currents.
Do Class 710 Trains Have Regenerative Braking?
Search the Internet for “Class 710 train regenerative braking” and you find little in addition to my ramblings.
But other Aventras, like Crossrail’s Class 345 trains have been stated to have regenerative braking.
I also repeated my views in an article in Rail Magazine, which I described in I’ve Been Published In Rail Magazine.
No-one has told me that they disagree with my views and I was talking rubbish!
So I will assume that Class 710 trains do have regenerative braking!
The Aventra’s Electrical Systems
In this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-ion batteries if required.
This was published eight years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have refined the concept.
But even in 2011, Bombardier were thinking about energy storage on the train.
How Much Storage Would A Class 710 Train Need?
As I said earlier, I train would need sufficient energy storage to store the kinetic energy of a train.
As my calculations show that a full train travelling at the maximum speed of 75 mph, then the energy storage for this version of a Class 710 train must be able to store at least 34.5 kWh, at all times.
The size of the on board energy storage could be around 40-50 kWh, which is readily available in a lithium ion battery, that has been designed for transport use.
Where Would The Energy Storage Be Placed?
The extract above says that two cars hold the electrical systems.
These pictures show the pantograph car and driver car next to it.
Note that underneath the pantograph car is a transformer.
So are these, the pair of cars, the extract describes? They certainly could be!
This is a selection of pictures of the underneath of the driver car.
Note.
- There are two large boxes with latches under both driver cars.
- Next to these boxes is a smaller box. At the pantograph end of the train, it is open and looks like a cooling system for the two boxes
- At the other end of the train, the smaller box appears to have a blanking plate, so perhaps the boxes are empty.
The only sensible use I can think of for the boxesis to store the batteries or capacitors.
I
I would estimate that each of the four large boxes.
- Is about a metre wide.
- Is about 0.3 metres high.
- Is sized to fit within the 2.7 metre width of the train. Perhaps 2.5 metres.
These give a column of 0.75 cubic metres.
Bombardier used to manufacture a Primove 50 kWh battery, which was built to power trams and trains, that had the following characteristics.
- A weight of under a tonne.
- Dimensions of under two x one x half metres.
Were these boxes under the floor of the driver cabs of the Class 710 train designed to hold a Primove 50 kWh or similar battery?
Four batteries could give the train as much as 200 kWh of energy storage.
But surely for trundling along the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. a smaller battery capacity would be sufficient. I suspect that you fill the boxes with how many batteries you need and the computer does the rest.
Perhaps, just one 50 kWh battery would be enough! This could explain, why the cooling system appears to be blanked off at one end of the train.
Could The Batteries Be Used To Power The Class 710 Train?
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which is not very challenging.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
So a 50 kWh bsttery would give the following ranges with these consumption rates for a four-car Class 710 trains.
- 3 kWh – 4.2 miles
- 4 kWh – 3.1 miles
- 5 kWh – 2.5 miles
It looks to me, that battery power would be possible over the extension to Barking Riverside station, which is about a mile long.
Battery power would also other uses.
- Moving the train to a safe place for passenger evacuation, when the overhead electrification fails.
- Moving the train in a depot or sidings, without overhead power.
- Running innovative on-board services for maintenance and train preparation, when the train is parked overnight.
Reliable battery power has a lot of uses on a train.
West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway would have less than ten miles of lines without electrification, with several electrified miles on either side.
I believe that Class 710 trains with the right amount of batteries could bridge the gap and make a massive difference to rail transport in North and West London.
I think that jumping a gap of a few miles on battery power, may well be easier than doing an Out-and-Back service..
A Flexible System
As it appears, each Class 710 train has got four battery boxes, I suspect that batteries can be installed as to the needs of the route.
- Standard operation on Gospel Oak to Barking, Watford DC Lines and Lea Valley Lines could be one or two batteries to handle regenerative braking.
- Out-and-Back to Barking Riverside station ,might need two batteries.
- West London Orbital services might need three or four batteries.
These battery boxes also could be designed to allow an easy and quick change of battery, as batteries on buses have given Transport for London trouble in the past.
Conclusion
Bombardier’s design of the Aventra has been designed with battery operation in mind, which opens up lots of possibilities!
The Problem Of Step-Free Access At South Acton Station
South Acton station would be one of two stations on the shared section of the North London Line and the proposed West London Orbital Railway.
It could be handling fourteen passenger trains per hour in both directions.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note how all the land close to the line has been sold to developers and new housing, now means space is very restricted.
This image shows a close-up of the bridge.
With a train stopping at the station every four minutes, a step-free means of crossing the line is essential.
The often-used solution of building a new step-free bridge and keeping the old one is not a solution at South Acton station, due to the space restrictions.
I suspect the current bridge could be replaced with a step-free one, but how do you provide a bridge whilst the new one is installed?
I went back to the station on May the 2nd and took these pictures.
It might just be possible to squeeze a bridge in at the North end of the station.
There is certainly enough space for a bridge tower on the Western side behind the fence and if space can be found on the other, a bridge might be possible.
What Is Happening At Acton Central Station?
On my way home today, I stopped off at Acton Central station to have a look.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note the level crossing and the partially demolished station building behind the hoarding.
The station could have a few problems in the future and may need partial rebuilding.
- The level crossing handles four trains per hour (tph) in both directions and there are plans to increase this frequency by two tph.
- The station is the changeover point between third-rail and overhead electrification.
- There is no step-free access between the two platforms.
But the biggest cause of future problems could be the West London Orbital Railway.
- This route will call at Acton Central station and it will have two services, each with four tph in both directions, giving a total of fourteen tph in each direction through the station.
- It is also likely that some passengers will want to change direction, so they will have to use the subway.
- The number of trains and passengers, may mean that a second entrance is needed on the Richmond-bound platform.
Could the work at Acton Central station be part of a solution?
Conclusion
It looks like it could be a second entrance is being created.
This might also make it easier for some passengers to change platforms and shut the level crossing.
Development North Of Kew Bridge Station
This Google Map shows the large site to the North of Kew Bridge station.
Note.
- Kew Bridge station in the South-East corner of the map.
- The M4 passing around the North of the site.
- The triangle of railway lines going to Hounslow in the West, South Acton in the North and Barnes and Waterloo in the East.
Some of the plans for the site have been disclosed.
Brentford’s New Stadium
I took these pictures from a train, as I passed through yesterday.
Brentford Community Stadium is planned to open in Summer 2020.
Step-Free Access At Kew Bridge Station
Currently, Kew Bridge station is not step-free.
Searching the Internet, I found this document on the Hounslow Borough Council web site, which is dated April the 15th 2019 and entitled Step-Free Access To Many Of Hounslow’s Stations Proceeding At Pace!
This is an extract.
Kew Bridge is also set to benefit from accessibility improvements when the new Brentford stadium opens. The London-bound platform is to be made step free and the council is working with SWR and NR to explore how step-free access from the country-bound platform to the street can also be delivered. A feasibility study is due to progress later this year.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Kew Bridge station.
The two lines, through the disused platforms at Kew Bridge station could be used as a terminus, by the proposed West London Orbital Railway.
I’m sure Brentford FC wouldn’t object to more trains serving their new ground.
Preparations For The West London Orbital
This picture was taken as I looked through the short tunnel, that connects the current Platform 1 to the disused platform shown on the map of the lines.
It appears that the rubbish and shrubbery of many decades is being cleared.
Could it be in connection with making the London-bound platform step-free?
It would also allow surveyors to assess how much work is needed to get the platform back into use for the West London Orbital Railway.
Development To The South Of The Station
This picture shows a large site behind the station building and the country-bound platform
The location of the site can be seen behind the Express Tavern on this Google Map.
The map also shows how the flats developed on the South side of the tracks have limited the ability to put a second footbridge over the tracks to whisk passengers from London to the stadium.
I wonder, if a route could be built, through the developments, to deliver step-free access to the country-bound platform.
But it would be the wrong side for the stadium!
A step-free bridge is needed at Kew Bridge station.
The Cafe At Kew Bridge Station
Whilst at the station, I had a welcoming coffee.
It’s certainly better than your average chain coffee shop.
I could also wait watching a Departures display.
Syon Lane Station To Go Step-Free
I came back from Brentford using Syon Lane station.
These pictures show the station.
What surprised me, is the number of posters up saying that the station is to be made step-free.
Searching the Internet, I found this document on the Hounslow Borough Council web site, which is dated April the 15th 2019 and entitled Step-Free Access To Many Of Hounslow’s Stations Proceeding At Pace!
This is an extract.
Plans to improve accessibility at Syon Lane Station were given the green light this week as Hounslow Council confirmed securing the necessary funding for the £2.4m programme to proceed. Improvements to the station, which sits on the South West Rail (SWR) network, will include a new footbridge, providing an additional exit point and lift from the west bound platform, delivering step-free access to the street from this platform, as well as easing congestion. A new (wider) staircase and bridge deck is proposed for the London-bound platform which should also reduce congestion at peak times. Step-free access from this platform to the street will be enabled by improvements to the footpath leading to Rothbury Gardens. Works will commence at the end of April and are due to complete by the end of the summer.
The scheme is being financed by a cocktail of funding streams including; Sky, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), Transport for London (TfL) and a contribution from SWR themselves. The total cost is c£2.4m including contingency.
It looks to be a comprehensive well-thought out scheme.
Judging by the presence of a Portacabin and what appeared to be vegetation clearance, where a bridge might go, it appears that everybody is at least starting at pace. Finish by the end of the summer could be a possibility, although I think it is a tough ask!
Reading some of the posters at the station, more than usual details were given about the way the footbridge and step-free access will be added.
These are the phases.
Footpath Improvement Works
Footpath via Rothbury Gardens is closed. Access to Platform 1 is through the Syon Lane entrance (stairs)
Lift And Bridge Sub-Structure And Foundation Works
Installation of lift shaft and footbridge steelwork structure.
Installation of lift equipment.
Removal of existing Platform 1 staircase.
Installation of linkspan to new footbridge.
Staircase from Syon Lane is closed. Access to Platform 1 is via Rothbury Gardens (step-free footpath)
Platform Finishes And Footbridge Commissioning
Following commissioning new footbridge linkspan will be opened.
Oyster readers will be moved to new final locations.
The West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway may or may not be built in the next few years.
This would double the number of trains through Syon Lane station from four trains per hour (tph) to eight tph.
As this would be a train every 7-8 minutes, for safe operation, step-free access would be essential.
Stations on the Hounslow Loop Line, that will be used by the proposed West London Orbital Railway are.
- Hounslow – As this will be a terminus, step-free access will be essential.
- Isleworth – Planned to be step-free. See Isleworth Station To Go Step-Free for more details.
- Syon Lane – Going step-free
- Brentford – Already step-free
- Kew Bridge – As this will be a terminus, step-free access will be essential.
Except for the two terminals, all stations needed for the West London Orbital Railway are planned to be step-free.
Good project planning would probably mean, that the joint stations were prepared for eight tph as early as possible to stop these works delaying the project.
Could Rail Access To Heathrow Be Formed Of The Best Bits Of Various Schemes, But Discounting HS4Air And Windsor Link Railway?
This post is an updated version of Could Rail Access To Heathrow Be Formed Of The Best Bits Of Various Schemes?, which has been written to fit with the situation as it exists in April 2019.
- HS4Air has not been accepted.
- Windsor Link Railway has not been accepted.
- The scheme is Heathrow-only.
Various schemes have been proposed to improve rail access to Heathrow.
- Heathrow Southern Railway
- HS4Air – Now not accepted!
- Western Rail Approach to Heathrow
- Windsor Link Railway – Now not accepted!
There are also two schemes in progress, that will improve rail access to Heathrow.
- Crossrail, which will open to Heathrow in 2019.
- Piccadilly Line Upgrade, which will be complete in 2025.
I also believe that if the West London Orbital Railway is created, then this could have a positive affect on travelling to and from Heathrow.
Heathrow In The Future
Heathrow are disclosing a master plan, for rebuilding a lot of the airport to make it more efficient and up with the best.
- There will be two main terminals; Heathrow West and Heathrow East with satellites in between handling the actual planes.
- These two terminals and the satellites will be between the two existing runways, with a passenger and baggage transport system beneath.
- Terminal Five will become Heathrow West.
- An extended Terminal Two will become Heathrow East.
- Crossrail, Heathrow Express and the Underground will serve both main terminals.
I believe that this rebuilding will happen, whether or not a third runway is built and it could start in the next few years.
Heathrow’s Pollution Footprint
Heathrow is a big polluter, but it is not so much the planes, as the diesel cars, buses and trucks serving the airport.
Heathrow’s Third Runway
Heathrow’s third runway and another terminal could be built North of the current two runways.
These factors would effect the chance of it being built and the eventual opening date.
- The development of extra services on High Speed One.
- The opening of High Speed Two.
- The building of a second runway at Gatwick.
- Extra capacity at other London airports, like City, Luton, Southend and Stansted.
- Politics, as many possible leaders of the Conservative and Labour parties don’t want it built.
I have a feeling that Heathrow’s Third Runway could be a back-burner project for decades.
I do think though, that the space underneath the third runway could be used as a rail terminal.
Uses For Improved Rail Access
There are several uses for improved rail access to Heathrow.
Passengers
Many passengers feel they must drive to and from Heathrow.
Next year, Crossrail will connect Heathrow directly to the City of London, Canary Wharf, the West End and to the heart of London’s Underground, Overground and National Rail system.
An example journey will be Bond Street to Heathrow Central in twenty-six minutes.
New trains on the Piccadilly Line are planned to enter service in 2023 and will offer more capacity and more pleasant journeys.
Currently, Piccadlly Circus to Heathrow Central takes fifty-two minutes and I would hope that this time is reduced to perhaps 40-45 minutes.
I think, these two upgrades will change the way many in Central, North East, East and South East London access the airport.
- Trains will be more comfortable.
- Trains will be frequent.
- Crossrail will be completely step-free.
- The Piccadilly Line will have more step-free stations.
- The Crossrail trains will have masses of space.
- Trains will take passengers to all the terminals
But Crossrail and the Piccxadilly Line upgrade, will do little for those in North West and South West London and those living to the West of the airport.
Workers
Workers at Heathrow, range from highly-paid pilots down to lowly-paid cleaners, with a full spectrum in between.
Many though have a problem, in that they need to get to and from the airport at times, that are inconvenient for public transport.
A station guy at Staines said that getting between there and Heathrow for an early start or after a late finish is difficult.
The lower-paid workers also need good links to areas of lower-cost housing.
In an ideal world, Crossrail and Piccadilly Line services, should run on a twenty-four hour basis, with appropriate frequencies.
Supplies For The Airport And The Aircraft
I wonder what percentage of the supplies for Heathrow is brought in by diesel truck.
In the Heathrow of the Future, surely many supplies could be loaded onto smart trolleys and taken on electric freight trains to delivery points under the airport.
Air Cargo
Heathrow is an important air cargo terminal, but as with supplies, surely the cargo can be collected outside of the airport and delivered by electric shuttle trains.
Could Heathrow Go Diesel-Free?
I believe that if a well-designed rail-terminal was built under a new third runway, the extra rail capacity could enable, Heathrow to go substantially zero-carbon on the ground!
- All vehicles bringing passengers to the Airport would have to be zero-carbon powered.
- Hybrid vehicles would have to use battery power within a few miles of the Airport.
- Air cargo and airport supplies would be shuttled into the Airport by electric train to the rail terminal under the third runway.
- All vehicles serving the planes would be zero-carbon powered.
- Even giant aircraft tugs for Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s can be battery-powered.
- We are probably talking several years before a third runway would open! So why not?
It is disruptive innovation on a grand scale!
Airports built to these principles and there will be several before 2030, will have a massive marketing advantage.
The Best Bits Of The Various Actual And Proposed Rail Routes Into Heathrow
Crossrail
- Connectivity to large parts of London and the East.
- Connectivity to lower-cost housing areas in East and West London.
- High capacity.
- Frequent trains
- Modern trains
- All terminals served
- Extra trains could be added.
The capability for 24 hour operation has hopefully been built in.
Heathrow Southern Railway
- Connectivity to Waterloo, Clapham Junction, South and South West London
- Extends Heathrow Express to Woking and Basingstoke
- Adds a new route for commuters into Paddington.
- Extends Crossrail from Heathrow to Staines.
- It will be built alongside the M25 with a tunnel to Terminal Five.
- All terminals served
- Provides a freight route into the airport from the South West.
- Privately funded.
Heathrow Southern Railway would also be able to serve any future rail terminal under a new third runway.
Piccadilly Line Upgrade
- Connectivity to West and North London
- Connectivity to lower-cost housing areas in West London
- Frequent trains
- All terminals served.
- No new infrastructure
The Piccadilly Line probably needs 24 hour operation.
Western Rail Approach To Heathrow
- Connectivity to Slough and Reading and further West with a change.
- All terminals served.
- Provides a freight route into the airport from the West.
- Network Rail’s proposed scheme.
- Government funded (?)
As with the Heathrow Southern Railway, Western Rail Approach To Heathrow would also be able to serve any future rail terminal under a new third runway.
West London Orbital Railway
- Connectivity to North West London with a change at Old Oak Common.
- Connectivity to low-cost hosting areas in West London.
- Created as part of the Overground.
- Eight trains per hour (tph) through Old Oak Common.
- Connectivity for high-value passengers in affluent parts of North London.
- Connectivity for important workers in less-affluent parts of North West London.
- Probably, Transport for London funded.
- No difficult construction.
The West London Orbital Railway should go ahead, because it connects so much of West London to Crossrail, Old Oak Common and High Speed Two.
Conclusions
I have seen railway stations and airports all over Europe.
Many airport stations are cramped, as they have been built as an afterthought.
But some like Schipol and Frankfurt have a comprehensive station, where you can get trains to a very long list of places without a change.
Heathrow Connectivity
Heathrow needs a very high level of connectivity, for passengers, workers and freight.
The two major schemes, that are left, provide that.
- Heathrow Southern Railway, which extends Heathrow Express to the South West and provides links to Waterloo and Greater South London.
- Western Rail Approach To Heathrow does what it says in the name.
Both schemes would share the same Western access route to Terminal 5 station and this could be extended to also serve a new rail terminal under the proposed third runway.
What About The Workers?
Heathrow’s other big need is rail access for the increasing numbers of people, who work at the airport and live locally.
- Heathrow Southern Railway links the airport to South West London.
- Western Rail Approach To Heathrow links the airport to Reading and Slough.
- Crossrail links the airport to Old Oak Common with its housing developments and rail connections with High Speed 2 and the London Overground.
- West London Orbital Railway will bring more workers and passengers to Old Oak Common from all over North West and South West London.
Old Oak Common will be important for many working at the airport.
Pollution Solution
As the airport develops, Heathrow Southern Railway and Western Rail Approach To Heathrow could together make a substantial reduction in the pollution emitted by the airport.
Old Oak Common station
Old Oak Common station will become an important interchange for workers and passengers travelling to and from Heathrow.
- It must be totally step-free.
- Some of the long interchange walks on current plans should be augmented by travelators.
- Crossrail is planning six tph between Old Oak Common and Heathrow. Is that enough?
Get Old Oak Common right and all those needing to go to and from Heathrow will benefit.
Heathrow And Gatwick
The connection between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports is tortuous at present.
- It will get better, as Crossrail and Thameslink improve.
- As the airports grow, with a third runway at Heathrow and a second one at Gatwick, how many people will want to travel quickly between the two airports, as increasingly, both airports will offer services to more destinations?
- As a Londoner, I also believe that we will see more split flights, where passengers stopover in London for a night or two, when they are going halfway around the world.
Terminal London will be the best airport transfer terminal in the world.
Heathrow And High Speed One
I will be very surprised if many travellers need to go quickly between Heathrow and High Speed One.
For those that need to do it, using an extended Crossrail between Heathrow and Ebbsfleet will probably be good enough.
Heathrow And High Speed Two
For all sorts of reasons Heathrow needs good connectivity to High Speed Two.
With the elimination of direct access to the airport by High Speed Two, a short journey between Heathrow Airport and Old Oak Common stations will have to be acceptable.
Isleworth Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Isleworth station is on the list.
These pictures show the station.
It is a double track station on a viaduct with the platforms on either side.
Currently, services are four trains per hour (tph) in both directions. The trains, that I rode to and from the station were ten cars.
If the West London Orbital Railway should be created, then this would add another four tph in both directions.
With the extra services, step-free access could be important, as the West London Orbital Railway will link this station to both Crossrail and High Speed Two.
Installing The Lifts
Space is tight and Isleworth station is one without ticket barriers.
It should be possible to install Subway-to-Platform lifts, but if they can’t be fitted, then as the station doesn’t have barriers, outside lifts might be a solution.
Thoughts On Kentish Town Station
Kentish Town station is not step-free, as these pictures show.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
Note the four platforms and two extra tracks on the Southern side.
But I do believe it is a station with potential.
An All-Electric Railway
In perhaps 2022 or a couple of years later, when the new bi-mode trains are delivered, between Kentish Town and St. Pancras stations will be an all-electric railway.
The Station Is In A Cutting
The station is in a cutting and given the price of land in the area and the demand for housing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the whole station roofed over at some time in the future.
This couldn’t be done until the railway was all-electric.
Step-Free Access To National Rail Platforms
If the station was covered by development, I’m sure it would be possible to provide step-free access between the surface and the National Rail platforms.
Step-Free Access To Underground Platforms
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Kentish Town station.
Note how the Northern Line is at almost right angles to the Midland Main Line.
Providing step-free access might be easier from the area to the North of the current Undegrround station, which could be within any new development.
Some of the new techniques used on Crossrail might make a connection possible.
Kentish Town And West Hampstead Thameslink Stations
The next station to the North of Kentish Town is West Hampstead Thameslink.
Both stations have six tracks, but only four platforms.
It would probably be very advantageous if there were six tracks on the Midland Main Line along this very busy railway.
But this is impossible as the tunnels that lie between the two stations only have a total of four tracks.
I suspect that Network Rail’s engineers sometimes muse about what might have been, if the Victorians had built the extra tracks.
- Thameslink services could have their own separate tracks.
- Express services could be roaring through at 200 kph.
- The West London Orbital Railway could terminate at Kentish Town station.
But short of rebuilding the Midland Main Line between the two station and digging a lot of extra tunnels, these are impossible ideas.
Cricklewood Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Cricklewood station is on the list.
This Google Map shows the platforms at Cricklewood station.
Note.
- There are three island platforms with two faces. Not all are used.
- Each island platform has a set of stairs to a subway.
- Two pairs of lines pass between the platforms.
- The fast lines are are the Western pair and the slow lines are the Eastern ones.
- Platforms are numbeeds from right to left.
- To the West of the Western platform, there are two freight lines, which might also be used for the West London Orbital Railway.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines in detail.
Note how the freight lines are directly connected to the Dudding Hill Line, that goes off to the West, via the Cricklewood Curve.
These are a few pictures of the station.
Note that the subway and the station entrance appear to be iin good condition.
Installing Step-Free Access
This type of station with a subway under a series of platforms isn’t as common in the UK, as it is on the Continent.
But there are several examples in the UK, where this type of station has had Subway-to-Platform lifts installed. Examples can be seen at Finsbury Park and Stratford stations.
The West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway may be built in the next few years.
One route could connect West Hampstead Thameslink and Hounslow stations and could have a stop at Cricklewood station.
This might mean that up to two extra platform faces would be needed at Cricklewood station, in which case provision must be made to extend the subway and add lifts to any new platforms.
An alternative could be to use bi-directional working between Cricklewood and West Hampstead stations.
- Only four trains per hour (tp[h) are planned to use the route.
- The distance between the two stations is only around a mile.
- Spare faces of existing platforms could be used at both stations.
- four tph can easily be handled in a terminal platform.
- No extra tracks would need to be laid.
It would certainly reduce the cost.
Conclusion
This is a relatively easy station to make step-free and it could also be made ready for the West London Orbital at the same time.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if to build, the West London Orbital, just needed the following.
- Finish step-free access at Cricklewood and Isleworth stations.
- Refurbish and update the track, signalling and points and crossings.
- Build a platform at West Hampstead Thameslink station.
- Build a platform at Houslow station.
- Open an initial service using battery-electric trains between West Hampstead Thameslink and Hounslow stations calling at Cricklewood, Acton Central, South Acton, Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth.
- Build the new intermediate stations.
Too often Network Rail’s project management is strung out over a long period, because they play far too safe and attempt not to spend any money!
Here boldness is possible, as there are no large sub-projects, except building the new stations, so they can be done afterwards by developers, who would like to build large numbers of flats with a station in the basement.
I believe that as the railway is there and working, once it has been refurbished and three important platforms have been added, battery-electric trains could start a service.
What better advertisement for your development, than to see the trains to the important hubs at Old Oak Common and West Hampstead, already running through the building site!
London needs more new rail services, more new and refurbished fully-accessible stations and a lot more housing!
So why not do them all as a partnership?
