New trains on Gospel Oak to Barking by 2009

The GLA has put out a press release confirming the award of the London Overground concession to MTR Laing. Amongst the typical fluff, it hides this surprise:

A fleet of new trains between Gospel Oak and Barking from 2009, in addition to the 44 new London Overground electric trains already ordered by Transport for London

Although it doesn't say whether these are diesel or electric, it's unlikely the line could be electrified on that timescale, so I'd bet they'll be diesel. [via]

MTR Laing wins London Overground concession

According to various reports, MTR Laing has won the contract to operate the London Overground rail concession, meaning they'll take over operation of Silverlink Metro this November and will also run the extended East London Line when it opens.

London Overground is not a typical rail franchise, in that TfL are responsible for rolling stock, timetabling, fares, branding and so on. MTR Laing's main responsibility will be day-to-day operation, in a similar way to Serco running the DLR.

MTR operate the metro system in Hong Kong, and Laing Rail own Chiltern Railways.

Tramlink Crystal Palace route survey results

TfL have published the results of their consultation to choose a route for the Tramlink Extension to Crystal Palace. 67% preferred Option 2 (illustrated right), which runs directly past Crystal Palace station, with minimal on-street running. Although the press release says it will "run off-street along the existing railway line", this is slightly misleading. The railway is in a cutting and trams will run alongside it on the embankment, which will require ripping up a lot of trees but hopefully only minor demolition (see the left side of the tracks in this Google Map).

The actual route will be decided by the end of the year, with opening due in 2013 if everything is approved.

East London Line replacement services

This blog post outlines potential replacement bus services for the two years plus the East London Line will be closed.

More on the East London Line route

Following on from this morning's post, I've hit the jackpot. Here is a planning map showing the precise line of the route all the way from the Broad Street viaduct to the existing line from Whitechapel.

[Update: a proper map]

It shows very clearly how Shoreditch High Street station will be marooned in the middle of the Bishopsgate Goods Yard site, a long way from its namesake or any other significant thoroughfare. It'll be interesting to see where the entrances are built and how development around it proceeds. The station would appear to be directly above the Central Line, though this isn't shown on the map.

The map accompanies a longwinded planning application about noise abatement. The only interesting diagram is on Page 31, which shows the area discussed in the previous post, including the new road configuration (the route of Crossrail shown is obsolete).

The East London Line route through Shoreditch

Detailed plans of how exactly the East London Line will get from Whitechapel to Hoxton are conspicuously absent from the web, but this planning application does at least show what will happen in the Shoreditch area.

[Update: a proper map]

According to the map, the cutting north from Whitechapel will be partly filled in, providing a ramp up to ground level, which it will reach at Bratley Street. It will then continue rising on an embankment, crossing the Great Eastern Main Line and then going over Brick Lane. The embankment is where the line leaves the existing alignment into Shoreditch station, as shown by the dotted rectangle on the map.

Because the cutting is being filled in, the bridges that carry Pedley Street, Fleet Street Hill, Bratley Street and Weaver Street over the line (area map) will need to be removed to provide clearance. New roads will be built to reconnect everything, as briefly mentioned in the East London Line Extension Order. Pedley Street will be rerouted further north (Work No. 7), passing under the new line and connecting with the north ends of the severed streets, then continuing east to meet Valance Road (Work No. 4). The south ends of the severed streets will be connected to Buxton Street by Work No. 5. A footbridge over the line will be provided at Fleet Street Hill (Work No. 6).

The planning application itself is mainly about the demolition of Bridge GE19, for which Liverpool Street will be closed this Christmas. This is the railway viaduct visible from Brick Lane near the site of the recently closed Shoreditch tube station. The East London Line extension will cross the Great Eastern Main Line and Brick Lane in much the same place, but on a brand new structure.

New Stratford DLR platform: June 18

TfL has finally published opening plans for the new DLR platforms at Stratford. The existing platform will close on June 15 and the new one will open on June 18, with no service on the entire Poplar-Stratford branch all weekend. The second platform will open this autumn.

Until recently the dates given for each platform were "April 2007" and "Summer 2007", which themselves were delayed from the original dates of January and June. [via]

Thameslink Programme schedule

There's an archived webchat on the First Capital Connect site that provides some concrete information of what will happen if the Thameslink Programme gets funding (announcement due very soon). There's also some info on it in the Network Rail Business Plan. Cross-referencing with existing info, it looks like the plan is:

• Key Output 0: By December 2008, the central section will have been upgraded to allow 15 trains per hour (tph). The Moorgate branch and the Blackfriars bay platforms will then be closed to allow the main construction to happen, and the displaced services will have to run all the way through, with Thameslink trains from the north going on to serve some of Southeastern's current routes.
• Key Output 1: By December 2011, all (or most) stations will have been rebuilt for 12-car trains. This would have to include the full rebuilds of Blackfriars and Farringdon.
  
• Key Output 2: By December 2015, 24 tph will be running through the core section. This requires rebuilding London Bridge station, and the remaining major works.
  

It's still not clear when the Kings Cross First Capital Connect services will start running via Thameslink. The tunnels for this have already been built, but no track has been laid.

Ice cooled tube trains

After the rash of cooling schemes announced last week, the Daily Mail is running a dubious story about another one. Piccadilly Line trains are to be fitted with blocks of ice to cool them down:

Under the plans, blocks of ice would be hidden from view in refrigerated tanks stored underneath seats. Above ground, where temperatures are generally lower, the ice will simply be kept in its frozen state. But, when the train goes underground, the refrigeration will be switched off, allowing the ice to slowly melt. As this happens, air will be cooled by pumping it over the ice, which absorbs much of the heat.

Presumably what they mean is that in tunnels hot air will be blown over cubes, melting the ice and cooling the air. Above ground, the ice will be re-frozen electrically, extracting the heat.

There's no space for such apparatus on the current trains, so as the article notes, it could be linked with the new 2012 Stock due on the line by 2014, which hasn't been designed yet. That is, assuming there's any truth in it.

Crossrail cross section

This boring Crossrail pamphlet is nevertheless worth looking at for the cross section of the central tunnel, showing how it weaves past the other tube lines.

It's not necessarily a pro-Crossrail diagram though, as it very clearly shows how trains will sail past the Piccadilly Line at Holborn with no connection, and how the east end of Bond Street station will be very close to the Victoria and Bakerloo Lines, again with no connection as Oxford Circus is already overcrowded.

More tube cooling efforts

TfL have put out a press release discussing ways they plan to keep the tube cool during the summer. Methods mentioned include using cold water from underground (Victoria, later on Stockwell), "mechanical chillers" (Oxford Circus, later on Euston and Waterloo), portable fans (Seven Sisters, Chancery Lane), improved ventilation shafts (Liverpool St, Holland Park) and reworking a condenser at Charing Cross. They also say 50 disused fans have been reactivated during recent renovations, doubling the capacity of the "fan network", though presumably not of ventilation capacity in general.

St Pancras rebuild

Fantastic detailed article from Arup about the St Pancras rebuild, written in 2004.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link domestic services

This isn't news, but I've noticed the Southeastern website has a decent description of what high speed services to Kent will run, along with a map showing journey times. For some reason it doesn't mention any trains calling at Ashford off-peak, though we can safely assume all the East Kent trains will, giving it two trains per hour.

Untangling Crossrail Line 2

Crossrail Line 2 is a bit of an enigma. It's a development of the Chelsea-Hackney tube line, for which a route was safeguarded in 1991 and then promptly forgotten about. Control of the plan was given to Cross London Rail Links Ltd, to work on as soon as they finish Line 1.

That was the situation a couple of years ago, at least. Visiting the Crossrail website today that Line 2 has its old Chelsea-Hackney name back, and Line 1 is referred to simply as "Crossrail". This suggests to me the notion of a large number of RER-style numbered Crossrail lines is dead. Line 1 will be "Crossrail" and everything else is on its own.

Possibly related, possibly not, last month the DfT announced a refresh of the Chelsea-Hackney plans, and again there's almost no mention of the name "Crossrail Line 2" anywhere. The refresh itself seems purely procedural, since they more-or-less admit they're never going to build it in this form.

Victoria tube station upgrade

TfL have released some more details of the expansion of Victoria Tube station, especially this hi-res image of the plans. Compared to the previous image, the enlargement of the existing ticket hall at the mainline station end is much more extensive. I'm not sure what's going on with the escalators numbered 12, which the label says run "between South Ticket Hall and street level" but in the diagram appear to go from the ticket hall downwards.

King's Cross dome approved

The plans to build a massive dome shaped concourse on the side of King's Cross have been approved:

The London Borough of Camden has resolved to approve Network Rail's GBP400 million redevelopment of King's Cross station. The decision will allow major benefits of the scheme to be realised in time for the 2012 Olympics. The project, which will be funded by the Department for Transport and Network Rail, will support the continued growth in passenger numbers at Britain's busiest transport interchange.

Oddly, the new northern ticket hall for the tube is already well under construction, and will essentially form the basement of the new structure.

Bakerloo Line extenstion on?

This week's Time Out is tube themed and has an interview with Tim O'Toole, the man in charge at London Underground. He says the usual stuff about Crossrail, Thameslink and other things before dropping this bombshell:

We've also got plans to extend the Bakerloo south.

This is news to me (though apparently not to Wikipedia, where an anonymous user claims it's part of the Mayor's "South London Tube Plan", whatever that is). The TfL Transport 2025 document has no mention of a southern extension. The only thing I can find that backs it up is this evergreen news story, which is indistinguishable from Ken being polite to a campaign group so they'll go away.

Custom House to North Woolwich reused

The closed eastern extremity of the North London Line has been rebranded the Royal Docks Heritage Railway. The line will also be run as a rail training school, and a fancy diesel thingy is being transferred there from Swindon for this purpose. There's even talk of redoubling the tracks, using one for heritage trains and one for driver training.

The whole project has a wonderful air of doomedness, since if Crossrail goes ahead it will all be obliterated.

Piccadilly Line Tube Wrap

TfL have extended their Platform for Art scheme to cover an entire Piccadilly Line train. The only info I can find on TfL's website is here and there are some photos of the train here. [via]

North London Line getting 4-car trains (maybe)

I noticed this snippet in the 2007 Network Rail Business Plan:

On the North London Line platforms are to be extended to allow 4 car operation.

It's been suggested before in the Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy and various other places, but I'm fairly sure this is the first time it's been publicly discussed as anything more than a good idea. The timetable at the back mentions a date of 2010 for completion.

Oddly, the new trains ordered for the line will only be 3 car, and are due to be delivered by July 2009, which doesn't seem worth it if they're going to need extending straight away. Something else that doesn't add up is this from the TfL business plan:

256 new build vehicles in three-car and four-car formations. North London Railway (NLR) vehicles to be dual voltage, East London Railway (ELR) vehicles to be DC, with provision for future conversion to dual voltage use.

All other public statements have said 152 cars total with the possibility of 200 more. Evidently they've ordered 104 more without telling anyone. Even more weirdly they still seem to be promising 6 car trains to the Olympics people (see page 80).