Thursday 3 April 2008

London Overground shutdown from September

The Network Rail closures register provides details of the North London Line and Gospel Oak-Barking closures this autumn (pages 190 and 193). As far as I can tell:

  • The North London Line will be split in two from September 1st to November 16th for the enlargement of Hampstead Tunnel for container trains. The services will be Richmond-Willesden Junction and Gospel Oak-Stratford.
  • For the week of September 22nd-28th, the section from Gospel Oak to Camden Road will also be closed. During this week, trains from Stratford will instead run to Willesden Junction via Queen's Park.
  • From September 1st to September 28th, the Gospel Oak to Barking Line will also be closed. Major track maintenance and replacement will occur, probably not unrelated to the upgrade of the line.
Obviously this is all subject to change. Previously mentioned here.

[via Railchat]

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hilarious. Just in time for new shep bush station to open maybe?

This just reflects the state of our railways. As a potential user of the overground, I can't wait for the tfl upgrades. But how apt that first we get the pain with line closures.

How did Brit Rail and the previous regimes at the underground manage to run the railways without mass weekend closures?

JF

Alan said...

Does this mean that there will be no route from Willesden Junction to Camden Rd from 1/9/08 to 16/11/08 except in the week 22-28/9/08? Why can't this service via Queens Park be provided throughout the tunnel closure. I would expect far more people to want to use this than to use the Goepel Oak to Camden Rd service that will be provided.

Dazz285 said...

I have been told that a service from Watford to Stratford will be running and that there will be NO service going to Euston but going via Camden Road.
More details as I get them...
Dazz285

Anonymous said...

@JF: I don't think the previous regimes did any major maintenance at all. There has been a serious lack of investment for years.

They continuously pushed it back so that is why it all has to be done now...

Anonymous said...

JF - This is nowt to do with 'the state of the railway' - it is to enlarge the tunnel to allow bigger containers through. I doubt British Rail could have foreseen this - and with the best will in the world, it is difficult to alter a tunnel without closing the tracks...

Anonymous said...

check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penmanshiel_Tunnel

for what happened back in 1979 when BR widened a tunnel

Anonymous said...

I go Kensal Rise to Gospel Oak which because it runs through Hampstead Heath means I need a Zone 2 and 3 pass just to go through that one station! Any chance this is going to be changed does anyone know?? Teresa

Mr Thant said...

You're wasting your money. Hampstead Heath has been moved to zone 2 since at least January.

Anonymous said...

I would like if a permanent overground is started between stratford and Willsden Junction via Queens park. It is saves a lot of time.