DLR to Shoreditch and Farringdon
In 2004, the DLR commissioned a study into possible future routes called "Horizon 2020". They seem to have quietly forgotten about it, at least publicly, but I spotted a mention of the results in this Hackney Council report:
Three schemes remain under review in spring 2006. These are Bank – Farringdon, Bank – Liverpool Street – Shoreditch (Bishopsgate Goodsyard site), and Bank – Charing Cross.The Charing Cross scheme has been widely discussed and even appears on one of the Crossrail maps. The other two are complete news to me. The route to Farringdon would surely involve the abandoned Thameslink tracks from Moorgate, and the route to Liverpool St would be a logical extension of the overrun tunnel that already points northeast.
[Update: A commenter prompted me to check where the Bank overrun tunnel goes. Although at least one diagram shows it heading for Liverpool Street, I've found several credible sources suggesting it heads northwest torwards Moorgate. My mistake. ]
Of course I have no idea if any of these are still being considered, but it's interesting to know they were at one point.
7 comments:
I've never really understood the point of the Bank/Charing Cross option as that part of the circle line is not overly congested, so the capacity increase while nice, is not essential.
Also, people coming into Charing Cross and wanting the DLR would almost certainly have come in via London Bridge or Waterloo, and can get the DLR from Bank.
I think the link up to Farringdon is wise as it increases capacity in an area where it is necessary.
If something could be done about Moorbank, I think that would be ideal.
The station is busy and a lot of people get on the southbound Northern line there, but a lot of people then get off one stop later at Bank. Enabling them to get off at Moorbank frees up a lot of space on the trains at the very point when lots of people want to get on.
I made a Freedom of Information request for the DLR's 2020 Horizon study last summer. It was rejected as they said it was going to be published in October 2007. I wonder why we've not heard anything?
Interesting to see that the idea of re-using the Farrington-Moorgate 'soon-to-close' route for the DLR is floating around, as I had been hoping since Thameslink 2000 was first annonced that someone would have the money and motivation to pursue such a project.
The Bank/Charing Cross proposal amuses me since that's basically the original Jubilee (Fleet) line plan.
Wonder if it could reuse the Aldwych-Charing Cross Jubilee line tunnels?
The overrun tunnel (headshunt) heads NW towards Moorgate, not NE towards Liverpool St.
Would this also not be a good opportunity to remove the dead ends at Moorgate as well as the DLR is now almost there?
The deadends are also just above the Northern line so the overrun DLR tunnels would need to go out, around and up then back in above the Northern line to connect to the deadends. This would get in the way of the crossrail tunnels.
See here:
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/library#asset/4963
The tunnels could be taken up into the disused Thameslink track (a further climb but the DLR can handle steep angles) without doing so.
The dead ends at Moorgate would be better extended 1km to Cannon St - creating a second Thameslink with greater increased capcity at far less than the £5B being spent on Thameslink and making the Moorgate to Finsbury Park a useful route for the weekend. (They might have to redesign the Crossrail stairwells at Moorgate though!)
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