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?
By Overground To High Speed Two
The North London Line will be my route to High Speed Two when it opens in 2026.
This map from Wikipedia, shows how the lines connect.
I will actually have two Overground stations, that I will be able to use.
- Old Oak Common Lane station on the North London Line between Stratford and Richmond stations.
- Hythe Road station on the West London Line between Stratford and Clapham Junction stations.
Note.
- Wikipedia says that both stations should open in 2026, which is the same date as High Speed Two.
- Hythe Road station is 700 metres from the High Speed Two station.
- Old Oak Common Lane station is 350 metres from the High Speed Two station.
Currently, both lines have a four trains per hour (tph) service.
- The Class 378 trains are five cars, which can get very busy in the Peak.
- It would need an additional five trains to increase the frequency to five tph on both routes.
- Six new five-car Class 710 trains are on order for North and West London Line services.
- I feel the higher frequency could be in operation by the opening of High Speed Two.
- Most stations between Stratford and Willesden Junction would appear to be able to accept six-car trains, if selective door opening were to be used.
I think by 2026, there will be a more than adequate service between Stratford and High Speed Two.
- There will be at least ten tph to Stratford, with services split equally between Hythe Road and Old Oak Common Lane stations.
- Richmond and Clapham Junction stations will get at least five tph.
- Step-free access is not currently available at Brondesbury Park, Brondesbury, Finchley Road & Frognal, Kentish Town West and Dalston Kingsland stations.
But what other developments will or might happen?
Highbury & Islington Station
Highbury & Islington station is the thirteenth busiest station in the UK and it is in need of a major upgrade to bring the deep level platforms and their access up to the standard of the four London Overground platforms, which all have lifts.
I also think that the track layout at the station could be modified to allow trains on the East London Line to continue further to the West. This was mentioned, when the Oveground was created, but is seldom talked about these days.
Step-Free Access On The North And West London Lines
These two lines which form a Y-shaped railway that splits at Willesden Junction, will provide these services from High Speed Two to major interchange stations.
The only thing that is needed is to complete step free access at all stations on the North and West London Lines.
The Maximum Frequency Across North London
Five tph on both the North and West London Line would give the following turnback frequencies at the four terminals.
- Clapham Junction – 5 tph
- Richmond – 5 tph
- Stratford – 10 tph
This chart from TfL shows planned improvements on the London Overground
Note that it clearly shows that it is possible to run a six tph service between two single platform stations.
I think it likely that it would be possible to run six tph on both routes, provided that the route and the signalling could handle the increased frequency.
Twelve tph between Stratford and Willesden Junction stations would probably be the maximum frequency.
But would the number of freight trains allow this frequency?
A Reduction In Freight Services
Currently, the North London Line carries a lot of freight trains, going between Barking, Felixstowe and London Gateway in the East to virtually everywhere West of London.
- Noises from the East West Rail Consortium are hinting that services to and to and from Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, South Wales, Southampton and the West Midlands might use their new route between Oxford and Cambridge.
- Could more freight use ports like Liverpool and Teesport in the North of England, which would reduce the traffic through the ports in the South?
Whatever happens, the current succession of diesel-hauled freight trains across London is not environmentally-friendly and it will raise increasing numbers of protests.
I think it is inevitable that the number of freight services will reduce, thus allowing more paths for passenger trains.
Digital Signalling
To handle the increasing traffic on the North and West London Lines, I can see digital signalling being installed. There could even be a degree of Automic Train Control.
Six-Car Trains
Only a few stations can handle six-car trains without selective door opening and even the rebuilt West Hampstead station still has platforms for five-cars.
Selective door opening would allow six-car trains to use the five-car platforms and passengers have in London have shown they can cope with moving forward to get out at certain stations. Especially, as the walk-through design of the train, makes this a lot easier.
A Round-The-Corner Service
I can remember reading in Modern Railways, that one of the reasons for the East and North London Lines running parallel through Canonbury to Highbury & Islington was to possibly enable extension of the East London Line to perhaps Willesden Junction, where there is a handy bay platform.
This has not happened and I doubt we’ll ever see something like a New Cross to Willesden Junction service, as Crossrail will effectively provide a faster frequent service between Whitechapel and Old Oak Common stations.
West London Orbital Railway
The proposed West London Orbital Railway will have two routes.
- West Hampstead Thameslink and Hounslow
- Brent Cross Thameslink and Kew Bridge
Both routes will have four tph and have a connection to Crossrail, High Speed Two and the North London Line at Old Oak Common station.
The only possible problem would be the eight extra tph through Acton Central station and level crossing and South Acton station.
But it would become an important feeder route to Crossrail, Heathrow Airport and High Speed Two.
Conclusion
The North and West London Line route between Stratford and Willesden has the ability to handle a lot more traffic than it currently does.
Dgital signalling and six-car trains could add over another fifty per cent capacity to the route.
I very much feel that digital signalling will be absolutely necessary.
Funding For Homes And A New Railway Station In North London
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Ian Visits.
The government has said, that two major housing developments will be built in London beside new railway stations.
Brent Cross Thameslink
The development and the funding for Brent Cross West station is introduced by this paragraph.
The larger investment will see £320 million being spent on a new Brent Cross West Thameslink station which will lead to a new community of 7,500 properties being built. This is in addition to the £97m grant awarded in the 2016 budget bringing total government investment £416.5 million.
Other points about the development include.
- The development is on the site of the Cricklewood depot.
- The station could be asn interchange with the West London Orbital Railway.
- A contractor should be appointed this year, with opeing in 2022.
- Services could be eight trains per hour (tph) in the Peak and four tph in the Off Peak.
- A public bridge over the railway will be included.
- There will be new offices.
- The Brent Cross Shopping Centre will be extended.
- The £320 million investment will be repaid from business rates from the commercial development.
It all seems to me, that there could be a lot of winners here.
Old Oak Common
The development and the funding for Old Oak Common station is described by this paragraph.
The government will also be providing £250 million so up to 13,000 new homes can be built close to the new HS2 railway station at Old Oak Common.
This scheme provides more properties, but it doesn’t as yet include the commercial development.
Conclusion
London seems to be building more housing, that at any time in my life.
A406 North Circular Road ‘Most Congested’ In The UK
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first paragraph.
Motorists on the UK’s most congested road spend an average of two and a half days a year sitting in traffic.
The section of the A406 between the Hangar Lane Gyratory and Chiswick Roundabout has always been a dreadful road to drive on, as long as I can remember.
These pictures show typical traffic around eleven o’clock in the morning.
There does seem to be rather a lot of private cars and small commercial vehicles, with only a few HGVs and buses.
I would love to see an analysis of where these journeys start and finish.
Converting the road to a multi-lane dual carriageway wouldn’t be possible, as much of it is lined with private houses and even if it could be built it would just attract more traffic and would need to be widened even more.
There are circular routes further out of London like the M25 and the A412, but this road is an intractable problem.
Perhaps, it needs to be in a Congestion Charge Zone?
But is a solution at hand?
Crossrail
Crossrail, if and when it opens, will not be a direct solution, as it goes East-West and not North-South like the A406 through the area.
But it will give better access to Heathrow, which is a large traffic generator in West London.
Crossrail will link the following to the Airport.
- Canary Wharf
- The City of London
- East London and Essex
- South-East London and Kent
- West End and Paddington
It will do little to help those in North and South London to travel to and from the Airport.
Old Oak Common Station And High Speed Two
The connection of High Speed two and Crossrail could make a difference.
- Passengers using High Speed Two travelling to and from Heathrow, would have an easy route.
- North and North-East Londoners will be able to use the North London Line with a change at Old Oak Common.
- South Londoners will be able to use the West London Line with changes at Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction stations.
But Old Oak Common station won’t open under 2026 at the earliest.
It is needed now.
It also does nothing for those travellers in wide swathes of North-West London.
The West London Orbital Railway
If there is a trusty knight on an immaculate white charger, coming to the rescue, it could be the West London Orbital Railway, although as it would be stitched together from parts of existing and underused infrastructure, it has more of the Dirty Dozen about it.
There would be two routes.
- West Hampstead Thameslink and Hounslow via Cricklewood, Gldstone Park, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common, Acton Central, South Acton, Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth.
- Hendon and Kew Bridge via Brent Cross West, Gldstone Park, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common, Acton Central and South Acton.
The project has various advantages.
- No substantial amount of new track will be needed.
- It could be run using battery-powered trains.
- Costs would be well under half a billion pounds.
- It would connect to Thameslink and Bakerloo, Jubilee and North London Lines.
When Old Oak Common and High Speed Two open, it would have a direct connection.
I wrote about this railway in detail in New Railway Line For West London Proposed.
North Acton Station
As stated under Development in the Wikipedia entry for North Acton station, there may be reasons to rebuild the station to create a connection between the North London and Central Lines.
This Google Map shows the area around North Acton station.
Note.
- North Acton station in the North-West corner of the map.
- The North London Line running North-South to the right of the map.
- The Dudding Hill Line branches off the North London Line at the top of the map.
- The Central Line running East-West through North Acton station and under the North London Line.
- Threading its way through North of the Central Line is the Acton-Northolt Line.
- The Acton-Northolt Line could be developed by Chiltern Railways to give access to a second London terminal at Old Oak Common.
To develop a successful station at North Acton, that tied everything together would be a hard ask.
- The bridge carrying the North London Line is very high.
- The height would make step-free access expensive.
- The frequency of trains on both the North London and Central Lines could be twelve trains per hour (tph).
- At least, there does appear to be plenty of space from the map.
On the other hand, an architect with vision might be able to create a station that was affordable and provided high benefits for passengers.
Conclusion
There’s certainly potential in West London to improve the rail routes, although I’m not sure whether rebuilding North Acton station would be viable.
But, we should start building the West London Orbital Railway immediately.
Thoughts On The West London Orbital Railway At West Hampstead Thameslink Station
I passed through West Hampstead Thameslink station today and took some pictures of the two tracks that run through the station on the South side of the four tracks of the Midland Main Line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines through the various stations at West Hampstead.
Note.
- The six tracks shown in black through West Hampstead Thameslink station.
- The Northernmost four tracks are those of the Midland Main Line.
- The Southernmost pair are labelled Up Hendon and Down Hendon and lead to the the Dudding Hill Line. via Cricklewood station.
- There is also a short track which is labelled Run Round Road, which could be useful to reverse trains on the West London Orbital Railway.
- The six tracks are crossed by the North London Line, which is shown in orange.
This picture shows the two Hendon Lines looking away from London from the footbridge of the station.
Note.
- The Down Hendon is on the left, with the Up Hendon on the right.
- Both tracks have 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The bridge, from which I took the picture, is step-free.
As there are numerous crossovers on the approach to the station, I feel that it would be possible to build a platform on the Up Hendon line.
- The platform would share an island and access with the existing Platform 4.
- It would be fully step-free.
- Electrification in the platform could recharge an electric train, that was using batteries.
- A single platform could handle the required four trains per hour (tph)
This picture shows the two Hendon Lines looking towards London from the footbridge of the station.
It would appear that if required the platform could be made long enough for an eight-car train or built on the Down Hendon line.
There are certainly possibilities to make the interchange between Thameslink and the West London Orbital Railway a very easy one, that is totally step-free.
Will The West London Orbital Railway Take Passengers From The North London Line?
I suspect that there are passengers, who will swap from the the North London Line to the West London Orbital Railway.
They will do it because the new route will be more convenient.
This will be no bad thing, as the North London Line can get crowded at times. And it will only get more so in the future!
Ambitious £10bn Plans For Gatwick Heathrow HS4Air Rail Service Rejected
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This paragraph outlines the reasons for rejection of HS4Air.
But the DfT has reportedly turned down the proposal, primarily over concerns about the affordability and that it would likely face issues because the proposed route will run across greenbelt land.
It would appear from the report, that the promoters of the project; Expedition Engineering, are not happy.
This is the last three paragraphs of the article
Lenczner said that most of the rail line was going to be in tunnels, ensuring the impact to open green areas was limited and less than the Lower Thames Crossing.
He said: “We’re trying to encourage people to get out of cars and use more sustainable modes of transport and the HS4Air would have contributed to that.
“We have had lots of messages of support who are also utterly gobsmacked that it has been rejected at this stage.
He added that “we don’t intend to back down,” and said the engineering company plans to challenge the DfT’s decision.
Alistair Lenczner is a director of Expedition Engineering.
I think that HS4Air proposal is the sort of bold infrastructure project, that we will increasingly need in a post-Brexit world.
There were four major proposals to create better rail access to Heathrow up before the Department of Transport.
In Could Rail Access To Heathrow Be Formed Of The Best Bits Of Various Schemes?, I summed them all up.
Heathrow Southern Railway
I summed up the Heathrow Southern Railway like this.
- 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.
HS4Air
I summed up HS4Air like this.
- Connectivity to High Speed 2, the Midlands, North and West of England and WalesHigh Speed
- Possible connection to Gatwick and Ashford for the Continent.
- North-South station in a tunnel deep under Heathrow.
- The Heathrow station will be able to handle full-length high speed trains from Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester.
- Heathrow could become a High Speed Rail hub serving Greater Western London.
- Sneaks along the M25.
- All terminals could probably be served, by escalators and lifts from the deep station.
- Provides a freight route into the airport from the North and West.
- Privately funded
I’m keener on the section North of Heathrow, than that to the South.
Western Rail Approach To Heathrow
I summed up the Western Rail Approach To Heathrow like this.
- 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 (?)
Windsor Link Railway
I summed up the Windsor Link Railway like this.
- Connectivity to Slough and Reading and further West with a change.
- All terminals served.
- Provides a freight route into the airport from the West.
- Privately funded
This scheme also unlocks development of upmarket housing in Windsor.
Why Does Heathrow Need Better Rail Access?
Heathrow Airport is continuously expanding and needs better transport access.
To the man or woman in the Woking 4×4, the baggage handler in his clapped diesel Toyota and the myriad numbers of Air Cargo operators with their polluting trucks, that means better and cheaper parking and more comprehensive road networks at the Airport.
We are not talking about an American Airport with masses of space, but an airport with limited land surrounded by housing, office and commercial development.
It also has a massive non-aviation pollution footprint, caused by all the diesel vehicles serving the airport.
Surely, more and better electric trains and road vehicles into Heathrow should be part of the solution. Most politicians, trade union officials, businessmen and travellers, probably feel so.
The Airport Of The Future
In the modern world, an ideal airport should be designed so that.
- All air-side vehicles serving the planes, runways and airport buildings, should be battery-powered or zero carbon.
- All passengers and airport workers must arrive or leave the airport, by means of electric train, bus, tram or taxi.
- All supplies and air cargo must arrive and leave the airport by means of electric train or truck.
Heathrow will have a large fight to get the Planning Permission for their new runway and expansion plans. But declaring the Airport to be electric vehicle only on the ground, could be a bold move, that could turn the minds of opposing residents, politicians and Local Authorities.
Electric Air-Side Vehicles
This is starting to happen, with even giant electric aircraft tugs for A380s now available.
Moving People To And From The Airport
Add up all the numbers of passengers and workers and there isn’t enough capacity at the preset time.
There needs to be the following.
- More frequent and longer trains.
- More platforms
- Access to the West
- Access to High Speed Two
HS4Air offered a different approach of a North-South railway through the Airport, which could be built without disturbing the existing rail network at Heathrow.
But it has been rejected.
HS4Air would also have allowed important local networks to be built onto Crossrail.
- Extending Crossrail to Staines.
- Adding the West London Orbital Railway to Old Oak Common.
I feel that combining the best bits of HS4Air, Heathrow Southern Railway and the West London Orbital Railway could be a good idea, to bring all those important workers to the Airport.
Moving Air Cargo And Supplies To And From The Airport
Some of the automated-logistics networks used by the likes of Amazon are incredibly impressive.
Could a massive logistics hub be built in the centre of the Airport?
- Electric trains would arrive with pre-loaded containers of air cargo and supplies.
- The containers would be automatically directed to the appropriate place on a network of tracks deep under the airport.
- Containers would also travel in the reverse direction with inbound air cargo, returned empties and rubbish.
I’m sure something like this will happen and underneath the third runway is surely the place to build such a logistics hub.
My Views On Each Proposal
These are my views on each proposal are as follows.
Heathrow Southern Railway
This is probably the second largest and boldest of the four schemes.
It has the following advantages.
- It gives good connections to large areas of South and South West London.
- It connects to the two big rail hubs of Waterloo and Charing Cross.
- It extends Heathrow Express from a short express airport service into a much-needed new commuter route between Surrey and Hampshire and London.
- It extends Crossrail to Staines to create an important local link into the Airport for the workforce.
- It could connect to a freight logistics hub under the new third runway.
- It could be built without affecting existing services.
- It will probably be a privately-funded scheme.
But there is a big disadvantage; there is no connection to Reading, Slough and the West.
HS4Air
This is probably the largest and boldest of the four schemes.
It has the following advantages.
- It connects to High Speed 2 and the Great West Main Line.
- It could be connected to Gatwick and High Speed One in the future.
- It would be built mainly in tunnel under Heathrow Airport.
- It proposes a North South station under Heathrow Airport, below existing rail links.
- It would be able to handle full-size high speed trains.
- It could connect to a freight logistics hub under the new third runway.
- It would fit in well with the development of a third runway and new terminals, as it will be well below in tunnel.
- It could be built without affecting existing services.
But there are disadvantages
- It will probably be a very expensive privately-funded scheme.
- It does provide good connectivity to Slough, but doesn’t improve the connectivity to other areas, where workers at the Airport will live.
I think if this scheme is built, then the following two smaller schemes should be built as well.
- West London Orbital Railway.
- Crossrail extension to Staines.
These schemes would bring in Heathrow’s much-needed workers.
I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this scheme.
Western Rail Approach To Heathrow
It has the following advantages.
- It should provide good connectivity to Reading, Slough and further West.
- It wouldn’t be difficult to build.
- It could connect to a freight logistics hub under the new third runway.
But there are disadvantages.
- Except for Slough, it doesn’t connect to much affordable housing, where Heathrow’s massive workforce live.
- It is Network Rail’s pet scheme.
- Would it need to be government-funded?
As with HS4Air, I think if this scheme is built, then the following two smaller schemes should be built as well.
- West London Orbital Railway.
- Crossrail extension to Staines.
These schemes would bring in Heathrow’s much-needed workers.
Windsor Link Railway
This is very much a local scheme and doesn’t give enough capacity increase for the Airport.
But I don’t rule out in the future, a tunnel under Windsor connecting Slough and Staines to aid the development of the important town.
A Pragmatic Approach
Could a pragmatic approach be taken to give Heathrow, the world-class rail access it needs?
What About The Workers?
This may seem a strange place to start, but I believe that if Heathrow expands, the following will be true.
- The airport will need large numbers of workers.
- Not all jobs will be high salaries, so good access to areas of low-cost housing from the airport on a 24/7 basis will be needed.
- If you work at the airport, then it’ll be the first place from where you want to fly on holiday.
- Heathrow will not want workers to add to the Airport’s chronic, local pollution footprint.
Prime areas for the recruitment of airport workers will be Basingstoke, Bracknell, Reading, Slough, Staines and North West and South London.
All currently have bad rail connections to Heathrow.
To ease these journeys, the following local connections must be built.
Crossrail Extension from Heathrow Terminal 5 To Staines
In Heathrow Southern Railway’s Plans For Staines, I looked at this extension in detail and came to the conclusion that four trains per hour (tph) could run to and from Staines for Crossrail.
Although this extension came about because of the Heathrow Southern Railway proposal, I feel that it should be built whatever scheme is chosen.
- It will add a capacity of up to 6,000 passengers per hour, between Staines and Heathrow, in both directions.
- It will increase the capacity of Heathrow Terminal 5 station.
- It will enable extra Crossrail services between Central London and Heathrow Terminal 5.
But the main reason is that it will create a new route between Staines and Abbey Wood via Old Oak Common (for High Speed Two) the West End, Farringdon ( for Thameslink), the City and Canary Wharf.
West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway is planned to run in a circular manner around North West London.
I wrote about it in detail in New Railway Line For West London Proposed.
Two routes are proposed.
- Brentford to West Hampstead Thameslink via Old Oak Common.
- Kew Bridge to Brent Cross via Old Oak Common.
The routes would use the freight-only Dudding Hill Line.
Major costs would be.
- Resignalling the route.
- Up to half-a-dozen new or upgraded stations.
- A small number of battery-electric Class 710 (?) trains.
Crossrail or High Speed Two it is not!
The railway will bring large numbers of travellers to Old Oak Common station, where Crossrail will take them to the Airport or Central London.
Windsor Link Railway
I said I was taking a pragmatic approach to rail access to Heathrow and the Windsor Link Railway build in conjunction with extending Crossrail to Staines could have several advantages.
- Remove a lot of road traffic from the Centre of Windsor.
- Create a rail service between Reading and Heathrow via Windsor and Slough.
- A Park-and-Ride could be built South of Slough by the M4.
- Unlock land for development in Windsor.
- One tunnelling project could be used to access Heathrow Terminal 5 station.
The route could be run with a frequency of four tph, using Crossrail trains.
Perhaps it should even be part of Crossrail?
What About The Air Cargo And Supplies?
Extra Intermediate Stations On Crossrail
Various groups and councils regularly ask if there could be an extra station on Crossrail, that would be convenient for their needs.
Can Extra Stations Be Accommodated In The Timetable?
There is not much point in building an extra station, if it means that a realistic timetable can’t be achieved.
Every station stop will introduce a delay intro the timetable. The train may only be stationary for thirty seconds or so, but there is extra time in the braking and acceleration either side of the stop.
But the Class 345 trains have been designed so that the times to execute a station stop are minimised.
Rapid Acceleration And Deceleration
The trains have been designed with eight motored cars out of a total of nine.
- This high-proportion of powered axles gives the trains acceleration and deceleration, which is fast, but well within the levels for passenger safety and comfort.
- The trains also have regenerative braking, which is powerful and smooth.
- At times on the current service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, I have noticed the trains waiting at stations for a couple of minutes, to allow the timetable to catch up.
These trains have the performance to execute a station stop in the smallest time possible.
Wide Doors And Spacious Lobbies
The trains have been designed with wide double doors and spacious lobbies.
This enables fast unloading and loading of passengers at each station.
Level Access Between Train And Platform
Trains and platforms could be arranged, so that all passengers can embark and disembark as fast as possible.
Precision Driving And Automatic Train Control
As much of the route uses modern digital signalling and the trains have a comprehensive driver assistance system, the trains should be driven to a high degree of precision.
Conclusion
All of these factors will make it possible to execute station stops very quickly.
Thus, if it is desired to add a new station stop, the stop might only add a few minutes to the timetable.
You wouldn’t want to add half a dozen stops between Stratford and Shenfield, but the odd stop here and there shouldn’t be a problem!
Could Extra Stations Be Added In The Tunnels?
I would hope that Crossrail’s design process wouldn’t have left out an important station in the Underground sections of the line.
In my lifetime only one station has been added to a line after it opened, except on an extension. That station was Pimlico on the Victoria Line, but that was a late addition to the project and opened within fourteen months of the opening of the rest of the line.
I think, that I can safely say that from the history of London’s extensive network of underground railways, that it would be extremely unlikely to add a new underground station to Crossrail.
But I think though the following could happen.
New Entrances To Existing Stations
Even these will be extremely unlikely, if Crossrail have done their planning thoroughly.
But then there are massive property developments, sprouting up all over Central London.
One of London’s latest signature office developments, the Norman Foster-designed Bloomberg London will incorporate an entrance to Bank Underground station.
Hopefully, the entrance will open soon.
Bank station’s new step-free entrance will also incorporate a massive office development on the top.
If a property developer is spending around a billion pounds on a development, and it can be connected to a station, they will seriously look at doing it.
I can’t believe that no new developments will want to have an entrance to a Crossrail station.
The New Museum Of London
The current site of the Museum of London is too small and difficult to find. The Museum is planning to move to Smithfield and will be very close to Farringdon station.
There is a massive over-site development on top of the station, that I wrote about in TfL Gives Go Ahead To Build Above Farringdon Station.
This Google Map shows the relationship between the station and the new site of the museum.
Note.
- The building with the light-green roof is the Poultry Market.
- Thameslink runs under the Poultry Market.
The basement of this Poultry Market together with the site to its West and the triangular site to the South, will be transformed into the new Museum of London.
Much of the space between the Poultry Market and Farringdon station is a Crossrail work-site and whole area is ripe for development, which must surely incorporate some form of connection between the Museum and Farringdon station.
Farringdon, which for many years was just a meat market surrounded by a lot of low grade buildings, should evolve into a visitor attraction in its own right.
For a better look at the current state of the area, visit A Detailed Look At The Space Between Farringdon Station And The New Museum Of London Site.
As a Friend of the Museum of London, I am looking forward to what will happen!
The Liverpool Street-Moorgate Mega -Station
I don’t think many, who use Liverpool Street and Moorgate stations understand what will happen when Crossrail opens.
This visualisation shows the below-ground elements of the Crossrail station, that will connect the two current stations.
Note.
- On the right is the Central Line, which is shown in red and continues South to Bank station under Bishopsgate.
- On the left is the Northern Line, which is shown in black and continues South to Bank station.
- The Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines, which are shown in yellow.
- Crossrail is in blue.
- The ventilation and evacuation shaft for Crossrail in Finsbury Circus.
This Google Map shows the area of the stations.
Note Finsbury Circus in the middle.
I would not be surprised if some redevelopment has access into this mega-station complex, that stretches either side of Finsbury Circus.
This access needn’t be below ground, as I strongly believe that the City of London will become virtually traffic-free in the next ten years.
Missing Interchanges
One of the omissions in the design of Crossrail, is the lack of a link to both the Piccadilly and Victoria Lines.
Consider.
By 2024, these two lines will be running at least thirty-six trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
The capacity of Crossrail in each direction could be thirty tph each carrying 1500 passengers or 45,000.
Dear Old Vicky’s current trains hold 876 passengers, so if she achieves the magic forty tph, which I believe she will, then this equates to just over 35,000.
Siemens will surely ensure, that the capacity of the Piccadilly Line will at least be as high, as that of the Victoria Line.
It is just amazing to think what might be squeezed out of twentieth-century infrastructure, some of which is over a hundred years old.
Oxford Circus Station And The Hanover Square Entrance To Bond Street Crossrail Station
This is the easy interchange between Crossrail and the Victoria Line.
- Oxford Circus station is full-to-bursting and will be rebuilt in the next few years, with wider platforms, more escalators and full step-free access.
- I also think, that provision of an easy walking route to the Hanover Square entrance of Bond Street station will be provided, either by pedestrianising much of the area or perhaps building a pedestrian tunnel with travelators.
- It is probably less than two hundred metres to walk on the surface.
Coupled with some property development along the route, there must be possibilities for an innovative scheme, that would ease passengers on routes between Paddington and Heathrow and North and East London.
I took these pictures, as I walked between Oxford Circus Tube station and Hanover Square.
This Google Map shows the route from Oxford Circus station to Hanover Square.
In the simplest scheme, part-pedestrianisation of Hanover Square and Princes Street might just do it!
- A new entrance to Oxford Circus station could also be constructed in the middle of a large pedestrian area, at the shut off junction of Princes Street and Regent Street.
- A short tunnel would connect the new entrance, to the rebuilt.Oxford Circus station.
- Walking wouldn’t be long, with the possibility of a wait in the gardens in the centre of Hanover Square.
- Appropriate retail outlets could be placed along Princes Street.
- Crossings with lights would enable pedestrians to cross into and out of the gardens.
Was this always Transport for London’s plan to link Crossrail to the Victoria Line?
It’s certainly feasible and works with little or no construction.
The Importance Of Finsbury Park Station
Finsbury Park station has two direct routes to Crossrail; Thameslink to Farringdon and the Northern City Line to Moorgate and could have a third if the Victoria Line has a better connection at Oxford Circus/Bond Street.
Passengers needing to use Crossrail from the Northern reaches of the Piccadilly Line could walk across the platform to the Victoria Line and then use the Oxford Circus/Bond Street connection.
It is not a perfect route, but if Finsbury Park were to be upgraded to a passenger-friendly interchange, it would be a lot better.
So it looks like, it will be Vicky to the rescue again.
Never in the field of urban transport was so much owed by so many to a single railway built on the cheap.
Interchange Between Crossrail And The Piccadilly Line At Holborn Station
Consider.
- Holborn station is due to be rebuilt with a second entrance in the next few years.
- Crossrail passes under Holborn station.
- After rebuilding, Holborn station will probably offer the best interchange to an East-West route from the Piccadilly Line.
- To add extra platforms on Crossrail, would probably mean long closures on the line.
It is one of those projects, that can be done, but not without immense disruption.
But at some point in the future, it is a link that could be added, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the expanded Holborn station will have provision for a link to Crossrail.
New Surface Stations On Crossrail
Usually, when you look at old maps of railway lines there are a number of places, where stations used to be.
However, between Reading and Shenfield stations, there is no station that has been closed. There is a site for Crowlands station that was planned near Romford, in the early twentieth century, but was never built. No-one is suggesting it should be opened now.
So where are stations planned or proposed?
Old Oak Common Station
In fifteen years or so, Old Oak Common station could be one of the most important non-terminal on Crossrail.
Current plans say that the following lines will call at the station.
- Crossrail
- Great Western Railway
- High Speed Two
In addition the following lines may call.
- London Overground
- West London Orbital Railway
- Chiltern Main Line
It could become a very comprehensive interchange station.
This Google Map shows the vast Old Oak Common site.
Note.
- The Grand Union bisecting the site in an East-West direction.
- The inverted-Y of the Overground, with North London Line to Richond going South-West and the West London Line to Shepherds Bush going South-East.
- The Great Western Main Line going East-West across the bottom of the map.
- The West Coast Main Line going East-West across the top of the map.
- The Dudding Hill Line going North-South at the Western side of the map.
Between the Grand Union Canal and the Great Western Main Line, there are currently four rail depots. From South to North, they are.
- Hitachi’s North Pole depot, where they service the Class 800 trains for Great Western Railway.
- The Heathrow Express depot.
- The Great Western Railway depot.
- Crossrail’s main depot.
The Heathrow Express depot is due to be demolished to make way for the new Old Oak Common station.
Wikipedia says this about the station.
The High Speed 2 line will be below ground level at the Old Oak Common site, with the parallel Great Western Main Line and Crossrail tracks on the surface to the south.
This map from Wikipedia, shows how the lines connect.
A few points.
- Considering that the High Speed Two tracks are below the surface and the Crossrail and Great Western tracks will be on the surface, I am fairly sure that a simple clean interchange will be created.
- The different levels will also mean that if say there were to be a Crossrail branch to Watford or High Wycombe, then the High Speed Two tracks are well out of the way.
- The High Speed Two platforms will be almost four hundred metres long, with the Crossrail and Great Western platforms probably about half as long. This should give lots of scope to create good connections to the other lines through the station.
- The new Old Oak Common Lane station will be on the North London Line between Stratford and Richmond stations, will be the way I access High Speed Two from Dalston and it will be 350 metres West of the main station.
- The West London Orbital Railway could have a station on the Dudding Hill Line, which runs to the West of, but close to Old Oak Common Lane station.
- The new Hythe Road station will be on the West London Line between Stratford and Clapham Junction stations and will be 1100 metres from the main station.
- Hythe Road station will incorporate a turnback platform for services from Clapham Junction. It would be ideal for a service between Gatwick Airport and High Speed Two.
- It should not be forgotten that there is going to be a large number of houses built around Old Oak Common.
It looks to me that if I took the wrong train from Dalston Kingsland station to get a High Speed Two train to Birmingham or the North, I might end up at the wrong end of my double-length High Speed Two train, with a walk of up to 1100+400+350 = 1850 metres to get to the required place on my train.
I would hope that the High Speed Two station would have some form of high-tech people mover, that stretched across the station site. It could be like a cable car without the cable.
Hopefully, the designers of Old Oak Common station will create what needs to be one of the best stations in the world.
London City Airport Station
Wikipedia says this about adding a station for London City Airport.
Although the Crossrail route passes very close to London City Airport, there will not be a station serving the airport directly. London City Airport has proposed the re-opening of Silvertown railway station, in order to create an interchange between the rail line and the airport. The self-funded £50m station plan is supported ‘in principle’ by the London Borough of Newham. Provisions for re-opening of the station were made in 2012 by Crossrail. However, it is alleged by the airport that Transport for London is hostile to the idea of a station on the site, a claim disputed by TfL.
In 2018, the airport’s chief development officer described the lack of a Crossrail station as a “missed opportunity”, but did not rule out a future station for the airport. The CEO stated in an interview that a station is not essential to the airport’s success
This Google Map shows the Western end of the terminal at London City Airport and the Docklands Light Railway running to the station at the Airport.
The Southern portal of Crossrail’s Connaught Tunnel can be seen under the DLR at the left end of this map, due to the concrete buttresses across the cutting rebuilt for Crossrail.
Surely, it would not be the most difficult of designs to build a station, somewhere in this area, where the former Silvertown station once stood.
I said more about this station in August 2017 in Action Stations On Crossrail Howler.
I will be very surprised if this station isn’t built.
Ladbroke Grove Station
If Ladbroke Grove station is built, it will because of property development. Wikipedia says this about current plans.
At a site just to the east of the Old Oak Common site, Kensington and Chelsea Council has been pushing for a station at North Kensington / Kensal off Ladbroke Grove and Canal Way, as a turn-back facility will have to be built in the area anyway. Siting it at Kensal Rise, rather than next to Paddington itself, would provide a new station to regenerate the area. Amongst the general public there is a huge amount of support for the project and then-mayor of London Boris Johnson stated that a station would be added if it did not increase Crossrail’s overall cost; in response, Kensington and Chelsea Council agreed to underwrite the projected £33 million cost of a Crossrail station, which was received very well by the residents of the Borough. Transport for London (TfL) is conducting a feasibility study on the station and the project is backed by National Grid, retailers Sainsbury’s and Cath Kidston, and Jenny Jones (Green Party member of the London Assembly).
This Google Map shows the wider area.
Note.
- Ladbroke Grove is the road running North-South at the right side of the map.
- Canal Way is the twisting road running North of the railway.
- Sainsbury’s supermarket is North of Canal Way.
- The cleared site of the old Kensal gasworks is earmarked for housing.
The Crossrail tracks are on the North side of the railway, so access from a station to the housing could be very easy.
Conclusion
Crossrail is not even open yet and it looks like when it does, it will start a large number of projects to expand its scope.
Some will be about extending the system, some about better transport links and other about property development.
Crossrail will be an unlimited opportunity for London and the South East.
SWR Applies To Build New London Maintenance Depot
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in Edition 865 of Rail Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
Hounslow Borough Council is considering an application by South Western Railway to build a new depot on the site of Feltham’s former marshalling yard in South West London.
This Google Map shows the site.
It appears to be remarkably clear and the only clue to its former use must be Feltham Railway Club.
- The depot will lie between Feltham and Whitton stations on the Southern side of the Waterloo-Reading Line.
- The depot will have ten roads and will be able to accommodate ten car trains.
- Construction will start in February 2019 and the depot will open in 2020.
There houldn’t appear to be too many construction problems.
I do have a few questions.
Would The Opportunity Be Taken To Upgrade The Waterloo-Reading Line?
Waterloo to Reading and Windsor services might be increased in frequency.
Could an extra track be added alongside the depot or other works be performed to add capacity to services Reading and Windsor?
What Will Be The Affects Of The Proposed Heathrow Southern Railway?
The Heathrow Southern Railway is a proposal for a new route between Waterloo and Heathrow Airport via Clapham Junction and Staines.
Should Level Crossings In The Area Be Closed?
There are level crossings at Barnes, Feltham, Isleworth, Mortlake and North Sheen.
Would The Land Be Better Used For Housing?
This could be the major objection from the Council.
They could always build a depot with housing on top.
Could A Bigger Feltham Station Be built At The Same Time?
This could be a possibility, with perhaps a turnback platform for the proposed West London Orbital Railway.
Conclusion
Building the depot seems a good and fairly simple plan, but willit cover all possibilities?
The Anonymous Widower 