London Transport Thread - Page 8

nito · #**141** Posted **Mar 3, 2011, 4:32 PM**

It's been eight years since the introduction of the Oystercard across London transport, now the next step is being taken to make travelling that bit easier and more convenient.

TfL to upgrade travel card readers
Guardian, Thursday 24 February 2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/government...l-card-readers

Transport for London has said it will upgrade its travel card readers so passengers can swipe debit or credit cards from 2012

The capital's transport authority said that work to adapt card readers on buses, trams, and at tube, London Overground and Docklands Light Railway stations will start this year.

All of London's 8,000 bus fleet are scheduled to be fitted with the new technology in time for the 2012 Olympics. TfL said this will enable quick and easy access to buses for the millions of visitors expected during the Games.

The system will then be rolled out onto the tube, Docklands Light Railway, tram and London Overground network before the end of 2012. TfL is also in discussions with the train operating companies that serve London about whether contactless payment cards could be used on national rail services where Oyster is currently accepted.

To make the new system possible, TfL said it is upgrading software in the Oyster smart card system to recognise contactless credit and debit cards issued by Visa, MasterCard and American Express as well as Oyster cards.

Most visitors to the capital arrive without a public transport ticket and have to buy one. The change will mean they can use a contactless credit or debit card to pay for public transport, in the same way that they can now make low value purchases in many coffee shops and other retail outlets, said TfL.

Will Judge, TfL's head of future ticketing, said that people will also use bank cards as an alternative to the Oyster contactless smart card, or when they have left their Oyster card at home.

"As more people use their bank-issued cards to pay for their travel directly, TfL's costs will reduce, delivering better value for money for London's fare and taxpayers," said Judge.

A TfL spokeswoman told GGC that, while the fares when using swipe cards will ultimately be the same as when using the Oyster card, which is much cheaper than paying cash, it is not yet known if this will apply in the scheme's early days.

"Once it is fully rolled out, fares will be the same as the pay-as-you-go fares," she said. "We are working through the prices for the initial roll out on buses only."

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, said: "It is tip top news that from next year a simple tap of a contactless bank card will be enough to whizz you from A to B in this great city.

"London leads the way in so many different fields and we will be the first in the world to allow the millions using our tube, trams, buses and trains to benefit from the ease of using this technology."

Source: tompagenet at Flickr.com

muppet · #**142** Posted **Mar 3, 2011, 7:41 PM**

cool that's the system theyve been using in Japan, HK and Singapore. It's not just limited to travel, you can use it in shops, and not just to pay but to order a pre-selection that you made at home.

nito · #**143** Posted **Mar 4, 2011, 9:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by muppet

cool that's the system theyve been using in Japan, HK and Singapore. It's not just limited to travel, you can use it in shops, and not just to pay but to order a pre-selection that you made at home.

London undertook a scheme a few years back in connection with Barclays for a hybrid cashless Oyster card called OnePulse. In addition to being able to use it on the London transport network, you could use it to make cashless payments of up to £15 at various retail and restaurant chains. OnePulse is essentially the London equivalent of Suica and Octopus.

This new system bypasses Oyster altogether allowing people entering the UK to use their contactless credit/debit card to use the London transport network. To my knowledge you can't do that in Hong Kong or Tokyo; you need to acquire a Suica or Octopus card before using those respective transport systems.

This new system will make it more convenient for visitors to London, as well as cutting down on administration work for TfL as there are now something like 30mn Oyster cards in circulation.

muppet · #**144** Posted **Mar 4, 2011, 11:24 AM**

In Tokyo the system is in use via one's mobile phone, aswell as their version of the oyster. You just tap your mobile onto the discs at shops and transport.

nito · #**145** Posted **Mar 11, 2011, 9:07 PM**

Latest rail maps for London and the wider metro area.

The first is for services inside London where Oyster can be used.

The later covers rail services that serve the commuter settlements that radiate out from London.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Pretext · #**146** Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 4:05 PM**

London's New 2012 Cable Car has just been approved.

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/n...602638.article

SnyderBock · #**147** Posted **Mar 18, 2011, 11:47 PM**

Will that cable car technology use the newly developed cars which grip and un-grip from the cable at stations? This technology allows for auxiliary cars to be stored at each station. New cars arriving park at the end of the line and passengers disembark. Loading passengers only load the car at the very front of the line, at the station. The car then slowly grips the cable (which never stops moving) and begins an easy acceleration. Once the car reaches the same speed as the cable, the car fully grips cable. Then when it stops at a station, the car slowly loosens it's grip on the cable and the car enters a station breaking system, which brings it to an easy stop.

Pretext · #**148** Posted **Mar 25, 2011, 11:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnyderBock

Will that cable car technology use the newly developed cars which grip and un-grip from the cable at stations? This technology allows for auxiliary cars to be stored at each station. New cars arriving park at the end of the line and passengers disembark. Loading passengers only load the car at the very front of the line, at the station. The car then slowly grips the cable (which never stops moving) and begins an easy acceleration. Once the car reaches the same speed as the cable, the car fully grips cable. Then when it stops at a station, the car slowly loosens it's grip on the cable and the car enters a station breaking system, which brings it to an easy stop.

I should imagine it's a state of the art system using the most modern technology possible.

nito · #**149** Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 9:19 AM**

Heathrow East Development

Work is gradually progressing on the Heathrow East development which replaces the oldest continually used terminal at Heathrow: T2 (60+ years operation). Due to the complications of building the terminal between two of the world's busiest runway - most of the airport is constructed offsite. Images taken by Tony 90 over at skyscrapercity.com

East London Line Extension

While the majority of the extended orbital East London Line began operation in May of last year, an additional north-western extension to Highbury & Islington was still in the process of being built. In late February, this two station extension was finally completed.

The extension to Highbury & Islington is important for two reasons - it provides efficient access to the North London Line (which runs parallel on seperate tracks between Richmond and Stratford), and interchange with the Victoria and Northern City lines thus creating allowing journeys to various regional centres in London while avoiding Central London.

Photos taken by Colin.P.Brooks Railway Photography & Frinton at flickr.com

Thameslink

Work continues apace on the second cross-London rail route: Thameslink. Costing £5.5bn ($9bn), it involves various platform extensions, fly-overs and upgrades to allow for a 24tph (each direction) train route north-south through Central London. At Farringdon the line will interchange with the also u/c west-east Crossrail line.

The following pictures taken by unravelled over at flickr.com illustrate one of the biggest headaches - constructing a grade-seperated route amongst some of London's most historic areas. The area in question is Borough Market in Southwark, which along with the cathedral date back hundreds of years (the current cathedral dates back to the 13th century) and was a major planning headache. Finally however the route is now progressing.

Due to the restriction in space to construct the new viaduct, the bridge which will cross Borough High Street is being built atop the viaduct, before being slid across.

St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

This year marks the opening of the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel which occupies what was once the original Midland Grand Hotel. The station and hotel frontage were designed by George Gilbert Scott and date back to 1865 and considered one of the grandest stations on the planet, having recently been renovated in 2007 prior to the arrival of Eurostar and the Shinkansen services.

While the hotel officially opened on the 21st March, the formal opening will be on the 5th May to mark 138 years after the opening of the original Midland Hotel back in 1873.

Photos taken by businesstraveller over at Flickr.com. Photos marked with a * taken by Jamie Lumley The Photographer at Flickr.com

*

Crossrail

Work continues apace along the route of the future Crossrail line; by far the most important project under construction in London. The following pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com illustrate the frenzy of construction at Tottenham Court Road which is one of the central core stations.

The current Central and Northern line tub station is being re-built so that the future interchange can cope with the anticipated passenger movements anticipated with Crossrail's 24 12-carriage trains moving in each direction each hour. The scale of the works are so vast that Charing Cross Road has had to be diverted, while Oxford Street has had to be remodelled.

In addition, unlike the majority of heavy rail stations which may have one ticket hall and numerous exits branching off, the length of the Crossrail platforms (in excess of 200m) is requiring the construction of two seperate ticket halls to easily accomodate the dispersal of passenger loads onto the surrounding streets. The eastern ticket hall is being built below the crossing of Oxford Street/Tottenham Court Road and Charing Cross Road, while the western ticket hall is being built at Dean Street. In total the station will have around 8 seperate exits.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

In addition contracts for the remaining tunnelling contracts have been awarded. The tunnel work is budgeted to cost £1.5bn which illustrates that constructing the 21km of twin-bore tunnels isn't that expensive - it's the stations and the interchanges with other lines that are the costly matter.

In addition the expected economic benefits to London and the south-east have been revised upward; from £36bn to £42bn - a good investment for a £15bn project. Following images sourced from www.crossrail.co.uk.

The 5 planned tunnelling drives under London:

Drive X: Royal Oak - Farringdon (6.16km). Q2 2012 - Q3 of 2013.

Drive Y: Limmo Peninsula - Farringdon (8.30km). Q3 2012 - Q3 2014.
Drive Z: Stepney Green - Pudding Mill Lane (2.72km). Q4 2013 - Q3 2014.
Drive G: Limmo Peninsula - Victoria Dock (0.93km). Q2 2014 - Q3 2014.

Drive H: Plumstead - North Woolwich (2.6km). Q4 2012 - Q2 - 2014

Also found some further images of the Paddington Crossrail station.

Paddington

nito · #**150** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 11:02 AM**

London Bridge Station

Images have been released showing the design for the new London Bridge Station. Originally opened back in 1836, it is the oldest railway terminus in the world and has undergone numerous redevelopments in its long history.

This year the station is celebrating its 175th year of passenger operation and to reflect the changing requirements of the station, these new plans will see the station reorganised.

The current station is serviced by around 90 London-bound trains each peak hour (excluding outward bound or London Underground services), and this is anticipated to increase in coming years to support the growing demands of train services. It is currently London's 4th busiest terminus (behind London Liverpool Street, London Victoria and London Waterloo).

There are several key developments:
- The platforms will be re-arranged from the current 9 terminating and 6 through platforms to 6 terminating and 9 through platforms. This will assist with bottlenecks onwards to the u/c Thameslink line and the two further termini at London Cannon Street and London Charing Cross, allowing for higher train frequencies.
- A new street-level concourse to greatly increase capacity, as well as provide step-free access to all platforms.
- The historic viaduct which is composed of millions of bricks will be integrated into the redevelopment, opening up the disused vaults under the station complex.

Construction will start in 2013 (so as to not cause inconvenience during the Olympics) and be complete in 2018 to coincide with the opening of the 24tph Thameslink line.

M II A II R II K · #**151** Posted **Apr 23, 2011, 4:36 PM**

London Games face transport strain - report

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...73E03L20110415

Quote:

London's crowded transport system is one of the biggest risks to the smooth running of the 2012 Olympics, local politicians said on Friday. "In 2012 London is facing extreme demand placed on a network already creaking at the seams," said Val Shawcross, chair of the London Assembly's transport committee. "This is not just about spectators and visitors being able to get to and from events, Londoners will need to go about their everyday business too."

London's entire transport system is likely to come under strain during the two weeks of sport, with about 5.3 million people visiting the Games, the committee said in a report. The busiest days are likely to see more than one million Olympic-related journeys on public transport. It would not be easy to absorb the extra demand because the network already operates near to capacity, the committee said.

The Olympic Delivery Authority, responsible for getting the Games' infrastructure ready on time, estimates that a third of Londoners may need to change their travel habits during the event. Businesses have been urged to ask staff to work from home or change their working hours, while some have been encouraged to take a holiday.

The city's overcrowded roads and underground network have been a constant worry for Olympic authorities. Nearly 30 planned improvements to the transport infrastructure have been made since the London won the bid in 2005, but it still remains an "enormous challenge", the committee said.

.....

nito · #**152** Posted **May 17, 2011, 2:10 PM**

Crossrail

Development continues on the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf (pics taken by skyscrapercity.com member woodgnome)

To save costs and avoid duplication, the now abandoned Connaught Tunnels under the Royal Docks are to be reused as part of Crossrail. Dating back some 130+ years the tunnels are in a bit of a poor state, and will require waterproofing and other upgrades to ensure that Crossrail trains can operate along the route. Images taken by IanVisits over at flickr.com

1st pic: View looking westwards, ExCeL and DLR to the left. A Crossrail/DLR station will be built further along (by the brown building - the lift shaft for the Custom House DLR platforms are visible in red)

King's Cross Developments

Photos taken by skyscrapercity.com forum member RedArkady showing the various developments around the 67 acre King's Cross Central site which consists of the redevelopment of former railway goods yards as well as the new construction of a vast new concourse for King's Cross station. Central St Martins College of Art and Design will relocate from its four campuses around London to the old Grade II listed Granary Complex (pic #4 below) which dominates the site.

Other various Victorian railway yards are being retained and adapted for residential and commercial uses, including former Victorian gas holders.

Hindhead Tunnel

Prior to the soon-to-open Hindhead Tunnel, the road connecting London to Portsmouth (home to the Royal Navy) would narrow and follow the historic route through a beauty spot called the Devil's Punch Bowl. Unfortunately due to the nature of the land as a site of special scientific interest, a fully modernised road couldn't be constructed.

The solution was a £370mn 1.9km (dual bore) tunnel under the area, making it the longest non-estuarial road tunnel in the UK. Prior to opening, locals were allowed access to walk the tunnel on foot. Iamges sourced by pompey77 at ssc from a3tunnel.blogspot.com

Cambridge Guided Busway

To the north of London in the historic city of Cambridge, the world's longest busway (25km long) is set to open. There has been outcry in recent years as costs spiralled and delays set in, however once open it should connect various science parks, commuter stations, hospitals and villages along the route. In the historic Cambridge city centre, buses will run on normal roads. Some pics by Gerbil over at Skyscrapercity.com

Thameslink

Another key jigsaw piece was slotted into place earlier this month as part of the Thameslink programme (quick recap - a north-south rail link providing 24tph from Bedford to Brighton). To avoid conflicts with other lines and services, a new viaduct and bridge has been built in historic Southwark. Due to the historic surroundings and confined environment, the bridge had to built atop the viaduct and then slid across the road. This new viaduct will connect to new through platforms at London Bridge which as per my previous post is to be rebuilt. Images sourced from cybertect at flickr.com

In March:

Two timelapse videos showing the adjacent historic Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral.

• Video Link

nito · #**153** Posted **Jun 9, 2011, 7:38 PM**

Stratford International DLR Extension

The latest extension to the DLR network (from Canning Town to Stratford International) recently underwent a test-run with various dignatories and transport-folk; the new route should open to the general public in the coming months. The biggest benefit from this line will be orbital journies from Woolwich and City Airport up to Stratford and the Olympic Park.

For those not aware of what the DLR is - it's a hybrid diverless metro that spans the London Docklands area (for New Yorkers - think of the JFK Airtrain). Pictures sourced from londonreconnections.blogspot.com

Stratford Regional Station

Various pictures sourced from london2012.com showing the final works to complete the expansion of Stratford Regional Station. Already a major transport hub, the station will be key to ensuring that visitors to the adjacent Olympic Park can move around London quickly and efficiently. Recent upgrades and expansion developments will mean that come Olympic time, a train will depart the area every 13 seconds (or the equivalent of 276 trains an hour).

Two new ticket halls have been constructed, and three subways will be operational to allow for easier interchange and movement around the station. Stratford Regional Station ought not to be confused with Stratford International station which is slightly to the north and used by Eurostar and Shinkansen trains.

Crossrail

Pictures taken by IanVisits on Flickr of a tour of the Canary Wharf Crossrail station. Located in what was once a dock, the station will occupy several floors, with a public park on top.

Ticket Concourse

Platform Level

Renders

M II A II R II K · #**154** Posted **Jul 6, 2011, 4:13 PM**

Geographic Tube Map

http://www.london-tubemap.com/London-tubemap.pdf

nito · #**155** Posted **Jul 27, 2011, 4:46 PM**

King's Cross Station Square

Stanton Williams has been chosen by Network Rail to redevelop the current concourse to London King's Cross station. The current concourse was built in the 1970's in front of the original 160 year old station frontage and was meant to be temporary and was not designed for the current daily use.

The new western concourse is due to be complete in time for next years' Olympics, after which the current southern concourse will be demolished. The new public space will be 50% larger than Leicester Square.

I am in two minds about this plan. The first is that it looks a bit bland, even with the retention of the ventilation shafts for the underground complex beneath; there needs to be more trees. The second is that this is going to be exciting once the old concourse is torn down to unveil the historic facade as it was originally intended to be viewed.

Images and renders from Network Rail, http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co...egoryID-8.aspx

Clapham Junction

Clapham Junction is Europe's busiest station (well over 100 an hour outside of the peak) and a vital convergence of multiple London rail lines and services. However in recent years the station has been struggling to cope with the 40mn who use the station each year and the growing demand. In the last year alone, an additional 4mn additional interchanges were made at the station.

To ease congestion, provide new routes and provide step-free access across the station, the old Brighton Yard entrance was recently opened up (originally closed in the 1940's) to provide a new access point to the platforms.

Images taken by Network Rail, http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co...egoryID-8.aspx

TfL's Recommendations relating to the National Rail Network (2014-19)

While Transport for London is the main body for public transport in London (trams buses, Underground, Overground, DLR, river, roads, etc..), TfL doesn't own the National Rail lines or the train services that operate on the routes that operate in, out and around London. While improvements have been made over the years to fully integrate services, e.g. interchanges, the ability to use Oyster, etc... there is still a significant amount of work required to ensure that the system is run super efficiently, with little capacity wastage and delays for passengers. Crossrail is an example where TfL and Network Rail (the owner of the National Rail network) are partnering together towards the same common goals.

That said, TfL and Network Rail remain separate entities, so TfL published draft documents detailing out recommendations for work relating to the National Rail lines. The subsequent images are from the report and provide various bits of information, ranging from population projections to areas of deprivation and areas of growth. The document covers 2014-19 and doesn't cover every development that is already progressing, e.g. Crossrail or Thameslink. Source: Transport for London, http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...mendations.pdf

East London Line Expansion

Work continues on the Clapham Junction extension to the East London Line. This is the final piece of the ELLE project, and will fulfil the original plan for an orbital route. Images sourced from London Reconnections, http://londonreconnections.blogspot....d-roundup.html

Epsom Station Redevelopment

Located south-west of London, Epsom station is a commuter station on the periphery of urban London, with up to 12 trains each hour heading into London. The present station building is a small affair, and inadequate for current use and future demand. To facilitate the development of a larger station, Solum Regeneration (a partnership between Kier and Network Rail) are constructing a mixed use development around the station. Work should be completed by December 2012. Image sourced from Solum Regeneration, http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk/epsom.html.

Twickenham Station Redevelopment

Twickenham station is the principal mode of transport for visitors to the 82,500 capacity Twickenham Rugby Stadium and the surrounding Twickenham area. At rush-hour, there are 16 trains an hour heading into London Waterloo, however an extra two million journeys have been made from the station in the last five years and the present station facilities are cramped and in a state of disrepair.

Furthermore, with England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and Twickenham acting as the centre-piece, it is imperative that the station be drastically overhauled. Network Rail are currently seeking permission for revised plans (that have seen building heights reduced) to redevelop the station, build over the tracks and surrounding area. Image sourced from Solum Regeneration, http://www.solumregeneration.co.uk/twickenham.html

West Ham Station Olympic Development

As one of the key interchange stations serving the Olympic Park (c2c commuter, London Underground District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee and DLR), a new footbridge is being constructed at West Ham station to allow for more efficient movement of passengers heading for the Olympic Park.

Images sourced from: London Reconnections, http://londonreconnections.blogspot....of-pstead.html

West Hampstead Station Thameslink Development

As part of the ongoing developments related to the Thameslink line (located in north London), construction work continues at various stations to extend platforms, modernise facilities and provide step-free access. At West Hampstead, a key interchange station in north London, new step-free access is being created to link to a new ticket office to allow for the higher passenger loads expected in the coming years. Images sourced from: London Reconnections, http://londonreconnections.blogspot....of-pstead.html

Pudding Mill Lane Station Development

Plans for the replacement Pudding Mill Lane station have been approved by Newham Borough. Despite the station only opening in 1996, the current station lies adjacent to the Great Eastern Main Line, and directly at tunnel portal for the u/c Stratford branch of Crossrail.

The new station will be built to the south of the present station and enlarged to facilitate developments that will be built in the surrounding area in coming years. Render sourced from Crossrail, http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/pres...els-to-proceed.

London Bridge Station Development

The current concourse at London Bridge was built 30 years ago, however it is in a poor state and not capable of providing a sufficient experience for present and future future travellers. Work has already begun on the new concourse, and proceeds behind demolition work associated with the construction with the adjacent Shard tower.

While the new concourse will be much welcomed, it will primarily used to access the tube station and bus station which is also being redeveloped. As per post #150 of this thread, an additional eastern concourse is planned to be constructed in the coming years to run at street level, under the tracks on a north-south axis at street-level. Combined, the two new concourses will allow for the station to cope with the arrival of the Thameslink line and the significant developments planned in the neighbouring areas.

Images sourced from EG Focus on Flickr. Below each image is the source of the render.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/egfocus...57627277893314

http://www.flickr.com/photos/egfocus...57627277893314

And an image taken by cybertect on Flickr of what the work-in-progress looks like (the lobby of the Shard tower is integrated into the concourse of the station)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyberte...57623445791248

nito · #**156** Posted **Aug 6, 2011, 9:28 AM**

London King's Cross Station

Text and images all sourced from: World Architecture News; http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com...pload_id=17244

As these incredible images detail, constructions works are picking up pace at King’s Cross Station in the heart of London’s Borough of Camden. Designed by experienced architects John McAslan + Partners, the multi-phase scheme takes a three-pronged approach: re-use, restore, and new build. The various train sheds and buildings across the Western Range are being re-used, the Station’s original Grade I listed facade from 1852 is being uncovered and restored to its former splendour, and an extensive new Western Concourse will be inserted above the London Underground Ticketing Hall.

Arguably the most arresting of the scheme’s attributes is a towering steel funnel which welcomes travellers to the Station through its metal tendrils. Rising 20m from the station floor, the white fluted structure spans the entire 150m width of the Grade I listed Western Range drawing attention to the beautiful heritage architecture beneath which has been uncovered for the first time since 1972.

Chairman of John McAslan + Partners, John McAslan comments: “It’s incredible to watch the reinvention of the station taking shape into a compelling piece of place-making for London. You can already see how the Western Concourse – Europe’s largest single span station structure and the heart of the development – reconnects this much-loved Victorian terminus to its context. It’s immensely satisfying to see the project move forward at such pace and we look forward to celebrating the project’s completion in 2012 for the London Olympics.”

With the official opening date of the station only seven months away, work is really pressing on to hit the deadline. The images to the left show just how much of the funnel structure is now in place, with restoration procedures well underway and large sections of rebuffed brickwork gleaming through the steel columns. The five buildings that form the Western Range are being fully renewed, with the Northern Wing rebuilt to its original design after it was destroyed many years ago during WWII, and the Main Train Shed and adjacent Suburban Train Shed are also being restored and exposed to the public view.

lemmo · #**157** Posted **Aug 7, 2011, 9:05 AM**

Amazing building, great pics, thanks

nito · #**158** Posted **Sep 3, 2011, 8:32 PM**

London Route Utilisation Strategy

Network Rail, who manage the UK's rail infrastructure (but not the actual train services), as well as managing the major UK train stations recently released a Route Utilisation Strategy RUS) for rail services into London. The RUS goes into extensive detail about the current and future position of commuter rail services and covers a wide variety of figures and stats. A copy can be sourced from here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%...20strategy.pdf

Demand for commuter rail services into the Central London termini is significant. Between 0800-0859, 355 trains terminate at twelve termini, the equivalent of a train terminating every ten seconds. Of the twelve termini, eight handle in excess of 25 terminating trains each hour.

The Crossrail route will take a partial burden off Paddington, Liverpool Street, while extensively upgraded Thameslink line will assist King's Cross and Cannon Street. Yet even with planned extension of significant quantities of rolling stock (in some instances possibly up to 16 carriages in length), it is anticipated that the available terminating capacity will be absorbed by additional trains to service the 40% growth in train use. For instance, based on the current forecasts and committed schemes, there will be a capacity shortfall of 35,700 between 0800-0859.

Subsequently with consultation work being undertaken on the High Speed 2 line, there has been a growing interest in developing Crossrail 2 which would potentially alleviate Liverpool Street and Waterloo, as well as relieve tube lines serving Euston which would be the terminus for HS2. If (as is usually the case), rail demand continues to increase above estimated levels, it will become necessary for additional Crossrail routes across London.

London Southend Airport

Located due east of London, lies London Southend Airport, which from next year will be an important base for the low-cost carrier Easyjet for destinations.

The airport has subsequently attempted to brand itself as London's 6th international airport, although passenger numbers are only expected to be modest 2mppa, small compared to the far larger competitor airports servicing London. To facilitate access to the airport, a station has been built on the Shenfield to Southend Line which is a major commuter line branching off the Great Eastern Main Line into Liverpool Street.

The station which opened in July will be serviced by up to 7 trains an hour in each direction at peak hours. Southend Airport becomes the ninth airport to be served by a heavy rail link into London (the others being Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, Luton, East Midlands and Southampton).

Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisi...n/photostream/

Source: IanVisits http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianvisi...n/photostream/

Cotswold Line

Network Rail have completed 21miles of redoubling track work along the rural Cotswold Line which spurs off the Cherwell Valley Line north of Oxford heading westward towards Worcester and Hereford.

Many sections of the route were reduced to a single track in the 1970's, at a time when many country routes were axed altogether, however the reinstated second track will allow for higher frequencies and greater efficiency along the route which is one of several routes in the West of England that eventually terminate at London Paddington.

As part of the works, platforms were rebuilt at several stations and the signalling was upgraded.

Honeybourne Station

Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc20...n/photostream/

Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc20...n/photostream/

Evesham Station

Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc20...n/photostream/

Source: willc2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc20...n/photostream/

London Midland

From next Monday, London Midland which operates local stopping services out of London Euston is increasing the number of services between London and Birmingham. Previously London Midland provided an hourly service along the West Coast Main Line to Birmingham New Street, but going forward this will increase to a train every twenty minutes.

The present service has seen an 80% increase in customers in the last year, as travellers look for an alternative to the faster, but more expensive Virgin Trains Pendolino service which runs on parallel fast tracks.

Subsequently, the frequency of services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street will increase to six trains an hour off-peak.

London Midland are also undertaking trials on their class 350 rolling stock to evaluate whether they can increase the speed from the present 100mph to 110mph, which would reduce journey times on the slow services between London and Birmingham.

Source behind text: http://www.rail.co/2011/09/02/london...london-euston/

Source: Andy Riley http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_griff...n/photostream/

Slough Bus & Railway Station

Located on the Great Western Main Line, 29.7km west of London Paddington, Slough station is a reasonably busy commuter station with 4.9mn journeys each year. At the present moment, six services an hour run into London Paddington. The station is also the terminus for the Windsor Branch line and in 2017 be a station on the western stretch of Crossrail.

The station which is over 170 years old and has six platforms, currently lacks step-free access. To resolve this in time for the Olympics next year (Slough will be the main station for access to Eton Dorney for rowing events) the station is being renovated. Improvements include:
- A new footbridge with step-free access to all platforms
- Improved waiting areas
- Regeneration of the station forecourt including a new taxi waiting area

Article: http://www.rail.co/2011/07/27/major-...-set-to-begin/

Source: Rail.co http://www.rail.co/2011/07/27/major-...-set-to-begin/

Source: R~P~M http://www.flickr.com/photos/rpmarks...n/photostream/

The adjacent bus station has also been rebuilt.

Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture...7626808643182/

Source: Kapture-IT http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapture...7626808643182/

East West Rail

A project that has been a long-time in the making; the East West Rail line would bring back a formerly disused line known as the Varsity Line.

The Varsity Line ran between the two university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, but was axed in the 60's. With the exception of stretches between Bedford and Bletchley, and Bicester Town and Oxford, the route is either in an advanced state of disrepair or utilised only by freight trains.

Since the line has closed, the region has drastically changed, Milton Keynes which would be a central node along the line was non-existent in the 60's, yet is now home to 200,000 people. Oxford and Cambridge have also developed significant knowledge economy clusters.

Areas covered along the route are currently well-served by London-bound rail services, but lack sufficient cross-country orbital routes, which is where the East West rail idea comes into play.

While the western alignment wouldn't require too much extra work (ie clearing of debris, new tracks, signalling, platforms, etc...), the central section between Bedford and Cambridge would require a new route due to significant obstructions such as very large telescopes.

Oxford Economics (http://eastwestrail.org.uk/wordpress.../OE-Report.pdf) have produced a report appraising the western section.

The preferred scheme would cost £211mn, with GDP uplift across the Greater South East (inc London) of £38.1mn per annum, with an additional £17.4mn in tax receipts. The scheme would repay itself within 5 and half years remove 1.47mn car trips each year and be used by 7,000 each day (based on 2.58mn additional trips).

Overall the Benefit to Cost Ratio is an impressive 6.30 and the line would be profitable in its first year of operation.

Work on the central section would come at a later stage, however the possibility of reconnecting two of the world's greatest universities and their respective knowledge clusters by rail would most likely have significant economic benefits.

There would also be an opportunity for an eastern connection running from Cambridge to Norwich and Ipswich which would have significant logistic benefits. Fortunately these routes are already in place, however it would open up the possibility of passenger services running from Norwich to Bedford or Ipswich to Milton Keynes, further increasing regional rail links.

Source: East West Rail http://eastwestrail.org.uk/route/western-section/

Source: East West Rail http://eastwestrail.org.uk/route/central-section/

London Paddington - Fourth Span

Built in 1854 by the legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the three-span immaculately detailed London Paddington was the London terminus for what is known today as the Great Western Main Line, one of the ten major Main Lines out of London. The station is presently composed of 14 National Rail and 6 London Underground platforms (Bakerloo, Circle and Hammersmith & City) and used by 71mn people each year.

The station is now approaching its 160th year of operation, and is constantly changing to reflect the modern transport requirements of London. Current works include the re-building of the Hammersmith & City Line platforms, northern ticket hall, a new taxi rank and the construction of the Crossrail platforms and concourse where the present taxi rank resides.

Yet it's amazing to think that only a couple of years ago, there were plans to demolish what is known as the fourth span at London Paddington. Constructed in 1906-15, sixty years after the original three spans, there were questions on whether it was worthy enough to preserve. Fortunately it was decided that there was merit in its preservation, and over the last few weeks, the results of that work have been unveiled:

Source: macabrephotographer http://www.flickr.com/photos/macabre...n/photostream/

Source: St.Crev http://www.flickr.com/photos/5488901...n/photostream/

The original 1854 Brunel-built spans:

Source: kaszeta: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta...n/photostream/

Aerial images from last year illustrate the relation of the fourth span to the rest of the station:

Source: Network Rail via londonreconnections.blogspot.com

Source: Network Rail via londonreconnections.blogspot.com

Images illustrating the development of the present taxi rank for the Crossrail platforms and concourse due to be completed in 2018:

Source: Crossrail

Source: Crossrail

Last five images sourced from earlier in the thread.

DLR Stratford International Extension

The 31st August 2011 marks the opening for passenger service of a new DLR extension linking Canning Town to Stratford International. Operating on what was once the old alignment of the North London Line, the seven station Stratford International DLR extension provides as an important link from east and south-east London to Stratford International and the Olympic Park.

The service which runs parallel to the Jubilee Line between Canning Town and Stratford interchanges with multiple rail lines including Underground (Central, District, Hammersmith & City and Jubilee), Overground (North London Line), Commuter Rail (c2c lines, National Express East Anglia lines and South Eastern High Speed line), and other DLR lines (to Bank, Lewisham and Tower Gateway).

Present operations from Stratford International will be a train every 10mins (6tph) in each direction, which will originate from Woolwich Arsenal in the peak, and Beckton in the off-peak.

The DLR which is now in its 25th year of operation is a fully automated metro system running multiple routes around East London and the Docklands area. The system has proven to be exceptionally popular and been expanded and heavily upgraded since its inception. Current ridership on the DLR network stands at 82.1mn per annum, however this is set to grow to in excess of 103mn in under three years time, comparable to the ridership of the Bakerloo Line.

Future extensions to the DLR being considered include:
- A five station eastern extension to Dagenham Dock from Beckton.
- A four station extension southwards from Lewisham to Forest Hill.
- Two potential western extensions to London Victoria (four stations) and London Euston/St Pancras (four stations).

• Video Link

Map of extension and destinations to Woolwich Arsenal and Beckton.

Source: diamond geezer http://www.flickr.com/photos/dgeezer...n/photostream/

Canning Town