More Platform Action At Willesden Junction
In a previous post, I talked about work on the Southbound platforms at Willesden Junction. Here’s some more pictures.
The low-level platforms to and from Watford are in better state than those on the North London Line.
The Dreadful Change At Willesden Junction
No sane person with movement issues, like a wheelchair, a baby in a buggy,a heavy parcel or just plain old age, would change between the North London Line and the Watford DC or Bakerloo Lines at Willesden Junction.
As a lot of the walkways are uncovered, you certainly wouldn’t do it in the rain.
Train/Platform Gaps At Willesden Junction
Willesden Junction’s Westbound North London Line platform has some of the worst train/platform gaps on the Overground.
Train/Platform Gaps At Willesden Junction
The reason is probably that the platform is on a curve here as this Google Map shows.
The platform is the rightmost in the picture. Here’s a close-up of the platform.
The Curved Platform At Willesden Junction
As can be seen, there is quite a curve. Unfortunately, trains tend to have straight sides!
Platform Action At Willesden Junction Station
As I came back from Watford, I had a choice of going all the way to Euston or changing onto the North London Line at Willesden Junction.
In the end I chose to do the latter, as I needed the toilet and I know that Willesden has one of the few toilets on the Overground. As ever it was clean and welcoming.
I couldn’t hope noticing though that there seemed to be substantial work in progress on the platform faces on the line through the station.
Platform Action At Willesden Junction Station
Normally, the platform extension work for the five-car trains is much less than this. Checking on Wikipedia, this is said.
In October 2014 the DC line was closed temporarily between Wembley Central and Queens Park reportedly to allow platform 2 to be extended further west as a through platform.
Platform 2 is on the left in the picture.
So it would appear that the Overground/Bakerloo lines to the South are getting an extra platform. Looking at the Google Map view of the area shows the layout.
Note the three platforms for the Bakerloo and Watford DC Lines at the left and the two North London Line platforms at the right. Just above these is the double-track link to the West Coast Main Line.
Could it be that London Overground are just making sure that all the work they are doing to make the Overground ready for five-car trains, they are future proofing as much as they can? This section in Wikipedia talks of a reorganisation of the Bakerloo Line and the Overground DC Line to Watford, so with all the uncertainty and variability around Old Oak Common, this is probably a good approach.
I think the only certainty is that anybody using the Overground or Bakerloo Line through Willesden Junction in ten years time will find the station very different, with probably more connections and longer and more frequent trains.
Crossrail, HS2 And The Overground Seem To Be Coming Together At Old Oak Common
There has been a report in the Standard, which talks about how Crossrail, HS2 and the Overground could come together at Old Oak Common, which is an area of London ripe for redevelopment.
The report shows this map.
Rail Lines At Old Oak Common
The map is informative and it shows how the West London Line might split from the North London Line at the new Old Oak Common station, rather than at Willesden Junction.
The map though doesn’t show the Dudding Hill Line which joins the North London Line in this area, possibly just south of the new station.
To show the space available in the are, look at this Google Map shoeing the wider area around the proposed station.
Old Oak Common Area – Downloaded 7th July 2015
There are rail lines everywhere. This second image shows the Southern part of the previous one, along the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail.
Old Oak Common Detail – Downloaded 7th July 2015
Working upwards from the bottom (South) on this map, you see the following.
1. The long building is the North Pole depot to be used by the new Hitachi Class 800/801 trains, which will be delivered over the next few years.
2. The Great Western Main Line and the future Crossrail tracks.
3. Depots for Heathrow Express and other trains.
4. I think that the large building surrounded by a large amount of grey blobs is the factory that manufactured the tunnel linings for Crossrail.
5. The Grand Union Canal encircles the site.
So could the imaginative minds of the planners at Transport for London have decided to bring the North London Line, an Extended Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Crossrail and HS2 together at the proposed new large development at Old Oak Common? With a little bit more clever design, they might even be able to tie the Central Line into the mix.
I’m all for this personally, as North East London, where I live, will be given a simple route to get to Heathrow and Reading, by just taking the North London Line or the GOBlin to Old Oak Common for Crossrail.
The Overground Advantage
I think that the London Overground has a tremendous advantage over other rail lines that are being developed. Look at this picture of the new extended platform on Willesden Junction station.
An Extended Platform At Willesden Junction
The platform has been extended for the new five car trains which will start to run later this year. It would appear it has been a simple job, as there was nothing in the way of the extra platform.
Most of the developments in progress on the Overground, like the lengthening of platforms and the addition of shelters and small shops for coffee etc., seem to not require too much work, as most of the stations seem to have been built fairly well, with longer platforms, than are currently used. So some of the lost space is just being regained.
But also remember that many of these stations had been neglected for decades before they were incorporated into the Overground.
So they have the great advantage that any money spent shows a tremendous improvement.
It’s a bit like buying a wreck of a house, which looks so much better after you’ve cleaned out the previous owner’s junk and painted the front door.
So perhaps other lines in London and the wider UK could benefit from the sort of procedures that are being applied to the London Overground. In truth, I’ve come across quite a few stations across the UK, like Middlesbrough, Huyton, Bexhill, Wigan and Hartlepool, that have been made much more attractive for passengers without breaking the bank.
After all, if you have clean stations with good facilities and the trains have comfortable seats and they are clean and on time, you will probably go some way to increasing the number of passengers.
My worry about this lengthening of London Overground trains from four to five cars, together with longer and better stations, is going to be far too successful, in getting others to use the route.
At least though, the Class 378 trains can probably be lengthened again to six-car trains, by the simple process of sticking another carriage in the middle.
An Overground Station With On-Platform Cafe And Toilets
On Friday, I came home from Euston, by taking the Overground to Willesden Junction station and then taking the North London line to Highbury and Islington station.
I was surprised to see that at Willesden Junction station, there was not only a cafe on the platform, but toilets too!
An Overground Station With On-Platform Cafe And Toilets
I wonder if there are any others!
It may seem a bit of a roundabout route, especially, as I could have taken the Victoria line to do the same journey. But I wanted to see if the sun was creating any good views of London between Camden Road and Canonbury and Barnsbury stations.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t! BUt it is a good trip for visitors, as this post showed. Unfortunately, the trains have been such a success, that you may not get good views as they can be a bit crowded.
The Anonymous Widower 