Bakerloo Line Extension
Central London Forward have published a report into the extension of the Bakerloo Line into south-east London and modernisation of the rest of the line to unlock housebuilding and improve transit access into Central London along the Old Kent Road corridor and beyond. Central Government is less inclined to fund such an obvious transit project, but it is hoped that a change in government later this year will see the project move forward.
Images sourced from Central London Forward: https://centrallondonforward.gov.uk/...ed_Digital.pdf
London Overground Line Renaming
The Overground came into existence in 2007 when TfL took over control of various orbital and suburban lines across London. Subsequent investment on the old East London Line created a north-to-south orbital line that bypassed Central London, but the appearance on the tube map, new trains, and a refresh and modernisation of stations meant the network boomed relative to pre-Overground ridership levels. In 2015, TfL took over the Lea Valley lines from Greater Anglia, and there is political appetite for more suburban lines to join the Overground network.
The network now spans 167km and 113 stations. That creates a problem, in that the entire network being referred to as the Overground isn’t helpful when there are delays or engineering works on certain sections that might be completely irrelevant for most users of the network.
To get around this, TfL and the Mayor have announced that whilst the Overground as a brand (much like the Underground) will remain, as will the orange roundels to distinguish from other rail services, there will now be six lines:
- Windrush Line – this incorporates the old East London and South London Lines from Highbury & Islington, down to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon
- Mildmay Line – this incorporates the old North London and West London Lines from Stratford to Richmond and Clapham Junction
- Lioness Line – this covers the old Watford DC Line from Euston to Watford Junction
- Suffragette Line – this covers the old Gospel Oak to Barking Line, or more commonly known as the GOBLin from Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
- Weaver Line – this incorporates the Lea Valley Lines up to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford
- Liberty Line – the old Romford-Upminster Line… Literally from Romford to Upminster
Some of the names have piqued the curiosity of some, but with time they will likely become part of the transit fabric of London.
Images sourced from TfL: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/london-over...nd-line-naming
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London Waterloo Redevelopment
Waterloo station is the terminus of the South West Main Line and one of the busiest stations in London, as well as the largest in terms of platform count and area covered. Originally opened in 1848, it was rebuilt in 1922 based on the Imperial Baroque style, with a further expansion in 1994 with the creation of what was then the Eurostar terminal. Further upgrades include the construction in 2012 of a retail balcony that freed up space on the concourse, and a vast ticket line (130 gates across). 2018 saw the five former Eurostar platforms converted into commuter services.
Waterloo has a sister station: Waterloo East (on the South Eastern Main Line into Charing Cross) which is accessible via a pedestrian bridge from the retail balcony, and which uses letters instead of numbers to avoid confusion with the main Waterloo station. Waterloo is also an interchange for four tube lines; Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and the Waterloo & City.
Whilst Waterloo was predominantly a commuter station, and seen a slower recovery in passengers compared to other mainline London termini, the station is still the third busiest in the country, and despite the various upgrades, struggled to cope with peak passenger flows.
A broad consortium covering all stakeholders are proposing a substantial remodelling of the station including:
- New 8,000m2 southern concourse providing a new east-west corridor using the historic undercroft under the station
- 20 new or enhanced station entrances, all of which will be step-free
- Pedestrianisation of Cab Road allowing for an extension of the concourse northwards
- Pedestrianisation of Mepham Street and Tenison Way creating a
- New intermodal interchange for taxis and buses
- Improved access to the Underground concourse
- 5,000 new cycle parking and hire spaces
- 1,900m2 new green space
- Opening up of the vaults for 61,000m2 further commercial development
- Above station and surrounding development creating up to 10,000 new jobs
Images sourced from London Borough of Lambeth: https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/housing/r...station-vision
