London Transport Thread

[AJphx]

great station tours and updates nick!

[nito]

Originally Posted by Lucky Luke

I hadn't realised Westfield had paid for the station. Are you 100% sure about that? I read the cost was £65m. On one station!!!! Anyhow, I still think the beauty of underground railways is their lack of surface space-taking - unless you deliberately go and build a big empty glass box and sprawling forecourt just for the hell of it! And I will have to disagree with you on prices. London has the most expensive transport fares in the world bar none and I despair of ever seeing it change. Anyhow, all talk of lack of funds and subsidies has now become totally and perpetually moot since the government found £1.5 trillion (that is one and a half thousand billion pounds. I'll say it again one and a half thousand billion pounds) to 'bail out' the banks (i.e. give away to...) out of nowhere, or out of our pockets if you like. That is equivalent to about 90 Crossrails or 450 Jubilee Line Extensions. They'll tell you it was necessary, but no I don't think it was. They already had all the money in the world anyway (!)

Due to the nature of such a large development in an Inner London location (the largest urban area indoor shopping centre in Europe), public transport would have to play a key part in people accessing the site.

Under a s106 agreement, Westfield paid for transport improvements to ensure that they i) received planning permission, and ii) the place didn't grind to a halt because of inadequate capacity.

There were plans to build elevator shafts down to the Central line platforms, but these would have cost £100mn, so imagine the cost of a re-aligned escalator tunnel or underground connection to the West London line platforms.

It wasn't just the re-building of the Central line station, and new West London line station that were the results of Westfield London. The new Wood Lane station on the Hammersmith & City line, and two new bus hubs were built. There aren't that many shopping centres/malls on the planet that are given as many transport connections.


I can't recall where, but there was a list comparing transport fares; London was ranked in the upper half, but was not the most expensive. Don't forget that London operates the 2nd largest heavy rail network on the planet, and (probably) the largest bus network in the developed world.

I won't bother discussing the bank bailouts because it is both irrelevant to this thread and also your understanding of why it needed to happen and how it was undertaken is misplaced.

[Lucky Luke]

Well it was a robbery plain and simple, in my view, but this is not really the place to discuss it. I have checked and you are right Westfield did pay for the rebuild. My gripe will remain that the station's air-rights were squandered. I don't know why. 40 or 50 apartments on that site would have probably paid for half the station cost. Regarding wood lane i think it's tremendously exciting that they built that station (on an exisiting line), but a shame they didn't go the extra mile and move the White City platforms for an interchange.

Any idea when the ELL is going to open? I'm really looking forward to that.

[nito]

Originally Posted by Lucky Luke

Well it was a robbery plain and simple, in my view, but this is not really the place to discuss it. I have checked and you are right Westfield did pay for the rebuild. My gripe will remain that the station's air-rights were squandered. I don't know why. 40 or 50 apartments on that site would have probably paid for half the station cost. Regarding wood lane i think it's tremendously exciting that they built that station (on an exisiting line), but a shame they didn't go the extra mile and move the White City platforms for an interchange.

Any idea when the ELL is going to open? I'm really looking forward to that.

London is looking more carefully at the importance of maximising potential at station sites. Of course it would have been nice to have a tower above the station, but there must have been reasons as to why this never occured.


Wood Lane & White City are indeed close, but I suspect that there would have been little benefit from such an interchange. Remember, Wood Lane is the most convenient station to access the northern entrance to Westfield London and the main BBC HQ building (the station is directly next-door to both). While White City is the most accessible station to serve both sections of the BBC campus (the HQ building to the south, and the media village to the north), as well as QPR's football stadium Loftus Road. The requirement for interchange would be exceptionally limited.

As such I doubt the cost could ever justify an interchange bridge which would run alongside Wood Lane which connects both stations (Google Map: http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll...9012&t=h&z=18).

Moving the station would involve a complex re-working of lines. White City has three platforms for three tracks; the two outside tracks are for the west and eastbound trains. The central track allows for trains to temrinate and enter the White City depot (under Westfield London). The tunnel portals to these are located inbetween Wood Lane and White City, so such a station would be highly complex and disruptive to train operations. Not to mention White City is a nice station with intricate


Phase I of the East London Line will open around May next year, with an extension to Highbury & Islington opening a year later. Phase II which involves an extension to Clapham Junction will open before the 2012 Olympics.

[jamesinclair]

All the new train lines look amazing.

However, the "£5m junction" is a joke. I could have done it for them for 20 bucks. Diagonal crossings are very common, all you need is to have all the cars get red and all the pedestrians to get go. Nothing else is needed, people figure out very quickly that they can cross diagonally.

[amor de cosmos]

Network Rail today announced a £3.25 billion investment programme for UK train stations and a pioneering survey of passenger opinion

Over 2,000 stations will benefit from the five-year improvement drive which aims to deliver new passenger information systems, lifts and stairways, toilets, waiting rooms, longer platforms and new ticket halls.

Stations managed by Network Rail should ‘showcase good british design and safegurard our heritage,’ and ‘act as a hub for the development of our major cities,’ according to the companies Action Stations ten point plan.

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/n...210812.article

[nito]

South Quay Station

South Quay station is located on the Lewisham branch of the DLR, and due south of Canary Wharf. As part of the system-wide DLR 3-car upgrade, a new station had to be built due to the position of the old station in-between two bends (ie the platforms could not be extended).

The new station is now located further to the east providing greater access for areas to the east of the Millwall Dock not adequately served

Pics taken by IanVisits at flickr.com











The new rolling stock - currently only 2-carriages as the rest of the network has yet to be fully upgraded






The old station as viewed from the new station





King's Cross St Pancras Tube Station Upgrade

King's Cross St Pancras is the biggest rail & underground interchange in London comprising six London Underground lines, the Thameslink cross-London line, and five commuter and inter-city operators, including Eurostar services to Paris and continental Europe.

To cope with the expected rise in demand, and the opening of a new concourse at King's Cross, new tunnels and entrances are being built to ease transfers and increase capacity at the station. Works should be completed in 2010.


Between FCC St Pancras International Thameslink route platforms and:
Piccadilly line: 5 mins 40 secs (currently 8 mins)
Victoria line : 7 mins (currently 8 mins)
Northern line: 5 mins 50 secs (currently 9 mins 30 secs)
Circle, Metropolitan & Hammersmith and City lines: 4 mins (route doesn’t change)

In addition, new entrances/exits at the other end of the Piccadilly, Northern and Victoria line platforms will make it easier and quicker (less congested) for passengers to access and leave these platforms.

Between FCC King’s Cross platforms 9, 10 & 11 and:

Piccadilly line: 4 mins 30 secs (currently 6 mins – or up to 11 mins if station entrance temporarily closed in the morning rush hour)
Victoria line: 6 mins (no change – but currently can be up to 11 mins if station entrance temporarily closed in the morning rush hour)
Northern line: 4 mins 40 secs (currently 7 mins – or up to 12 mins if station entrance temporarily closed in the morning rush hour)

Circle, Metropolitan & Hammersmith and City lines: 6 mins 30 secs (currently 7 mins 30 secs – or up to 12 mins 30 secs if station entrance temporarily closed in the morning rush hour)

In addition, new entrances/exits at the other end of the Piccadilly, Northern and Victoria line platforms will make it easier and quicker (less congested) for passengers to access and leave these platforms.

• Video Link






Circle Line Extension

From mid-December, the Circle Line which runs oddly enough in a circle around Central London is set to be extended to Hammersmith.

The problem with the Circle line is that it piggybacks off of the other sub-surface lines (Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City, and District), and because of its continuous, non-terminus design delays elsewhere on the network affect its performance.

By creating a terminus in Hammersmith and at Edgware Road, the circle line can operate more efficiently by removing a conflict and creating a more reliable and defined service.

The new route also coincides with a massive signal, track and rolling stock upgrade which will boost capacity by 65%.

Pic sourced by DarJoLe at SSC.






East London Line Extension

Some Youtube videos of trains testing the new line - due to open early next year

Crossing the approach tracks into Liverpool Street
• Video Link

Heading northbound on to the old Broad Street Viaduct
• Video Link

Crossing Shoreditch High Street
• Video Link

Passing through Haggerston Station
• Video Link




Oxford Circus Crossing

The new Oxford Circus 'Japanese' crossing has somehow managed to find itself on Japanese National News.

• Video Link

On a technical note, some western media outlets appear to refer to the crossing as akin to the Shibuya Crossing, which doesn't have a 'cross'. The Oxford Circus crossing is more like the crossing in Ginza (at the junction of Harumi Dori & Sotobori Dori)

[nito]

London Oyster Map

It's taken some time but after 10 years of use on the London Underground, Buses, Tram, DLR and some commuter lines, the Oystercard will now be usable on the remaining heavy rail lines.

Eventually it is hoped that the commuter lines that extend outside the borders of London will come under the Oyster umbrella, with a potential nation-wide contactless card making gradual progress.

The map is crowded enough as it so it doesn't include u/c lines such as the DLR Stratford International Extension and East London Line Extension. I've included two sizes (the larger one is visible through the thumbnail) to make it more legible.

[Peanuthead]

Now THAT'S a rail network! ...slightly off topic does anybody know definitely how many train stations there are in Greater London (Tube, DLR, National Rail)? I've been trying to search everywhere for an answer without actally having to count each one!

[Swede]

I kinda like the new map. I wonder what it'll look like with Crossrail and ELL open...

The new Oxford Circus is great. Went by there when I was in London a couple of weeks ago, feels way more pedestrian friendly than it did before. Had to try the X-walk, was a bit long to cross, but didn't seem strange to me.

The Cicle Line going to Hammersmith... My brother will love that Lives just over the Hammersmith bridge and has an office at Marble Arch. This change means more connecting trains

[nito]

Originally Posted by Peanuthead

Now THAT'S a rail network! ...slightly off topic does anybody know definitely how many train stations there are in Greater London (Tube, DLR, National Rail)? I've been trying to search everywhere for an answer without actally having to count each one!

Some time back I managed to count how many stations there were (Tube, DLR + National Rail, but not tram) and the count is around the 600 mark. For the metro area, add an additional 600 stations for a whopping 1,200 stations.

Crazily, the network continues to expand. Some 4 new stations opened in 2008, one (Imperial Wharf) opened this year, but next year will be busier. Three new stations will open on the Stratford International DLR Extension (an additional 3 stations interchange with other lines), while the East London Line Extension will re-open with four brand new stations, 8 re-built stations (the original East London Line stretch) and 9 stations taken over from the Brighton Main Line.

Due to the vast scale of the network, there aren't many places left which lack a station, so many projects such as Crossrail will involve interchanges with current routes to relieve congestion.

[nito]

Transport improvements for London 2012 Games on track

http://www.london2012.com/press/medi...s-on-track.php
08 Dec 2009

Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) publish latest edition of Transport Plan for consultation.

The ODA is three quarters of the way through its programme of transport improvements needed for the London 2012 Games, on time and on budget.

The ODA made the announcement as the latest edition of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport Plan was published today.



The ODA’s transport infrastructure work started in December 2006 at Orient Way with the construction of a new 12-track railway depot. The infrastructure improvements being made for Games and legacy will be completed by the end of 2010 when work is finished at West Ham and Stratford stations to increase capacity.



The ODA is on track with its programme of improvements that will leave legacy benefits for London long after the Games. Work completed to date includes:
- 12 track railway sidings constructed at Orient Way;
- Two new platforms for North London Line services to replace the low level platforms previously used by the DLR;
- The first of 22 new DLR rail cars co-funded by the ODA are in service;
- The construction of a new Eastern Egress bridge at Stratford International Station to shorten the walking distance to Stratford Regional Station;



The DLR’s second crossing under the river to Woolwich Arsenal, opened in February 2009, which will host the Shooting events;

Work on the DLR extension to Stratford International is well underway and is on track to open in July 2010;

Passengers at Stratford Regional Station are already using three new lifts and wider staircases. A new upper level station entrance and westbound Central Line platform are all on track to be completed by the end of 2010;



Work has started on improving cycle routes in east London as a result of the ODA’s £11m investment;

Operational planning, including timetabling, is being developed.



Progress is detailed in the consultation draft of the second edition of the Transport Plan for the London 2012 Games, published today. Feedback to this consultation draft will be incorporated into the second full edition of the Transport Plan which will be published next year, when the ODA move from delivering the final infrastructure to more detailed planning for Games-time operations.



ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'Moving hundreds of thousands of spectators and tens of thousands of athletes, media, officials and Games workers in the summer of 2012 is a huge logistical challenge.

'We are on track for completing the transport improvements needed for Games and legacy. We are not complacent and are working hard with our transport delivery partners to ensure that we maintain this good progress as we move into detailed operational planning.'



Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: 'Reliable and efficient transport will be crucial to the success of London 2012 and we are determined to get it right. This report shows we are on time and on budget to deliver the improvements needed, which will benefit travellers long after the Games have finished.



'Railway lines, trains and stations are being upgraded to cope with the thousands of athletes, volunteers and spectators who will travel to the Games each day. We want to make sure spectators have a choice of ways to get to the Games, whether it’s by public transport, bicycle or on foot.'



The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Work on the capital's transport network ahead of bringing the Games to London is proceeding at a sensational pace. The improvements being made to our stations, track, the DLR, and our cycle routes are happening on time, to the budget that was set and will serve Londoners well for years to come.'



LOCOG Chairman Seb Coe said: 'These transport improvements demonstrate again what is meant by London 2012's vision to use the power of the Games to inspire lasting change. Not only are they essential to ensure a memorable experience for athletes, spectators and the general public during Games-time, but their lasting legacy will deliver benefits for commuters and families for years to come.'

Originally Posted by Swede

I kinda like the new map. I wonder what it'll look like with Crossrail and ELL open...

Pretty crazy! I've tried (and failed) to create a merge of the two rail maps that cover London (the city and the surrounding metro area). 1,200 stations and god knows how many lines is hard in paint!

[amor de cosmos]

Plans for huge new rail station in central London
By Peter Woodman, Press Association
Monday, 28 December 2009

A huge new station in the heart of London will be proposed in north-south, high-speed rail line plans which will be submitted this week to the Government.

The station would be capable of handling 14, and eventually 18, trains an hour, with 20,000 passengers travelling in and out every 60 minutes.

The 400-metre long trains, which could travel at 250mph, will be able to carry 1,100 passengers, with the first stage of the new line - from London to the West Midlands - possibly opening in 2025.

The report going to ministers is from the High Speed 2 (HS2) company which was set up by the Government to identify a buildable route, with station options, for a high-speed train service from London to the West Midlands.

HS2 will present options for possible connections to Heathrow Airport and to the Channel Tunnel rail link, now known as High Speed 1 (HS1).

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...n-1851461.html

[one very bored guy]

^^ Interesting, but I guess no one knows where that planned central station will actually be yet, expect those behind the closed doors.

[M II A II R II K]

Crosstown traffic


Read More: http://www.euinfrastructure.com/arti...stown-traffic/

As projects go, running a new rail link right through the heart of London is as big as they come. Crossrail Chairman Terry Morgan explains why all the hard work is worth it.

- The city is a living organism. The way humanity flows through its roads and tunnels mirrors the circulation of the human body and, just as within our own bodies, clogs and congestion can have a serious impact. As anyone who has had reason to cross London during rush hour can attest, sometimes the UK capital's overloaded transport arteries closely resemble those of a fast-food addicted couch potato. This is an image at odds with London's status as a modern, fast-paced and internationally significant place to live and work. It is also one of the key reasons why Crossrail Chairman Terry Morgan sees the project he leads as so important. "London is the global city," he says. "In the last ten years it's just been a fantastic period of growth. There's obviously been an economic challenge over the past 18 months, but I'm still very confident that London is still going to remain a powerhouse in the world economy, but London has to improve its infrastructure and its transportation. Previous to Crossrail, I worked on the underground, so I know what the pressures were on there. It's carrying record numbers of passengers. It's been going through a huge amount of additional investment, but when you look at the forward projections that take you out to 2015, 2020, there is insufficient capacity to meet the demand."

- There is a huge amount of work to be done before Crossrail opens its doors to passengers in 2017. The biggest civil engineering project in the UK, it is going to have to bring in some concrete benefits if it is to justify its £15.9 billion price tag. Morgan is confident that this investment in the city's transport infrastructure will ultimately provide these benefits. "This is a huge project, and whilst the need for the railway is the primary need in terms of justification, it also brings with it huge opportunities in terms of regeneration," he says. "It's a well known fact that railways in themselves bring regeneration with them. It's also true to say that with the huge amount of money we have to invest on the central stations, that this also creates opportunities to redevelop those areas too. There's a combination of meeting a transport need and regeneration opportunities that is something Crossrail brings to London."

[amor de cosmos]

High speed rail network plans unveiled
A 335-mile y-shaped high speed rail network carrying trains running at 250mph is set to link major cities across England under plans unveiled by Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary.
By David Millward, Transport Editor
Published: 1:51PM GMT 11 Mar 2010

His detailed blueprint, slicing through the Chiltern Hills, will bring the centre of Birmingham 49 minutes from the heart of London, while Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester would only be 75 minutes away from the capital.

In addition a new interchange in the West Midlands would mean that Birmingham Airport could be reached from London in only 31 minutes, roughly the same time as it takes to get to Gatwick currently.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...-unveiled.html
(includes vid & pdf map)

The plans, announced today by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, were based on a report on HSR by Whitehall-commissioned body HS2.

Running from Euston in London, the first part of the route - from London to Birmingham - would start in 2017, cost between £15.8 billion and £17.4 billion and reduce the journey time between the UK's two biggest cities to between 30 and 50 minutes.

This line could be completed by 2026 and after that there would be two additional forks either side of the Pennines forming a Y-shaped route.

The west-sided fork would go to Manchester, with the east-side one passing through the East Midlands to Sheffield and Leeds.

Both of the forks would then link with existing lines to Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Journey times between London and Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield would come down from around two hours 10 minutes now to 75 minutes when the new network is in place. London to Glasgow and Edinburgh journey times would be reduced to just three and a half hours.

The Birmingham city centre station for the HSR network would be at Curzon Street and there would be an interchange station with the cross-London Crossrail project west of Paddington at Old Oak Common in west London as well as an interchange station near to Birmingham airport.

Journey times between Old Oak Common and Birmingham airport would be as quick as 31 minutes.

Lord Adonis said the Crossrail Interchange station near Paddington would provide an 11-minute express service to Heathrow.

But he did not entirely rule out the west London airport having its own HSR station, announcing that former Tory transport secretary Lord Mawhinney had been asked to advise on the best way forward for Heathrow.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...d-1919672.html

[Frogfisher]

Nerdgasm!!

This has got to be one of the ultimate transportation posts on the web.

I knew most of the projects as I am very curious about these things. But even to me there was new ones. And so much information. Will sit down one day and read it all. Thank you very much everyone...

[nito]

Frogfisher - Yeah it is a bit mental. There are various other projects going on but it is hard to source pictures or updates on all of them.



East London Line Extension
A tour of some of the stations on the ELLE. Pics sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com


The Train
Part of new rolling stock across the sub-surface London Underground network that will encompass walk-through carriages. It also wouldn't be London without padded fabric seats and arm-rests!



Surrey Quays



Shadwell
Notice the fine Victorian metal and brickwork remains to give the station a unique view. The station now incorporates two exits to allow for easier interchange with the DLR which runs on a viaduct above the station
















Note: while the platform 1 sign mentions stops at Canonbury & Highbury & Islington these won't open until closer to 2012, the same can be said of the line running to Clapham Junction on the platform 2 sign - these will be covered up closer to opening.



Shoreditch High Street
While built above ground on a viaduct to connect with a disused viaduct which forms the link up to Dalston Junctin, the station is constructed in a giant box to allow for skyscrapers to be built above the station



















Hoxton



Haggerston



Dalston Junction
The station consists of four platforms: the two central platforms allow for terminating services, while the two outer platforms will allow trains to carry on to Higbury & Islington.





ELLE Train Depot













Brunel Tunnel

Due to the nature of the East London Line Extension re-using old rail assets, there are some interesting architectural wonders to be seen on the route. One such is the Brunel Tunnel (also known as Thames Tunnel) which allows the ELLE to connect north and south London; and most would think is just a normal tunnel.

Yet this is quite possibly one of the most important tunnels known to man:
- Firstly it was the first tunnel in the world to be built under a river, something thought to be impossible, and
- Secondly it was the first tunnel in the world to use Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunels' tunneling shield technology - this is the same technology and method used in TBM's to this day

The tunnel opened in 1843 (twenty years prior to the opening of the London Underground) originally as a pedestrian tunnel, but eventually found use as part of the railway network. It has been closed for the past three years to allow for construction of the ELLE and modernisation of the network but will form part of the critical central section of the line when it opens in a few weeks time. The tunnel is now 167 years old and still working. Some lucky people including AmyDeal at Flickr managed to get a tour of the tunnel prior to its re-opening, here are the pics:





















And to get in the mood of the historic tunnel some Victorians were genetically recreated (much like dinosaurs were in the film: Jurassic Park) for the event.....





London Gateway
I suppose this is transport related as it will involve new road and rail links along the Thames Gateway.


DP World has begun work on the 7.3 km2 London Gateway which will be capable of handling the largest modern container ships and greatly expand container capacity in the UK (the result of which will allow for ships to avoid calling at Rotterdam).

Roads and rail links will be expanded to allow for up to 60 freight trains a day to serve the site. The attached distribution park will also be the largest in the UK; in total 12,000 direct jobs will be created helping to distribute goods more efficiently to the London market.






Crossrail

A cofferdam has been erected along a portion of the West India Dock at Canary Wharf to allow for water to be extracted and allow for construction to begin on the 4 tunnel portals and station foundations. Water has been removed and this is what you are left with once a dock has been drained;





Pics sourced by gegloma01 at SSC, taken by Finkl on flickr.


Light Parade at SSC also managed to get some pics taken of the sites at Tottenham Court Road that will allow for roads to be diverted so that the new ticket hall and entrances can be constructed.









Unfortunately the following buildings are going to be demolished to make way for the Dean Street entrance which is due east of Tottenham Court Road (ie closer to Oxford Circus)

[nito]

The latest rail maps for London and its metro area have now been released.

A few notes:
- For some unknown reason only a portion of the East London Line is shown despite it opening in a few weeks time; the southern route to Crystal Palace and East Croydon is not shown
- The Stratford International DLR Extension is also not shown on the map (this would run parallel to the Jubilee Line between Canning Town and Stratford, but carry on to Stratford International)
- The new station for Southend Airport due to open in the summer is shown on the map


London Urban





London Metro

[nito]

East London Line

The ELL is now open for preview services (0700 - 2000 Mon-Friday) between Dalston Junction and New Cross/New Cross Gate. The full line down to West Croydon and Crystal Palace will open on the 23rd May. Further extension northwards to Highbury & Islington and westwards to Clapham Junction will open by 2012.

Pictures of the stations will follow suit, but this is how the line (orange running top-bottom) is currently shown (until the 23rd May when new maps illustrating the aforementioned extensions are unveiled).