Stratford International aerial photo

The Olympic Development Authority have published some amazing aerial photos of the Stratford Olympic site, including this one that shows the Stratford International DLR extension very clearly.

Here's an annotated version (click to enlarge):

You can see exactly where the track will go, taking over the North London Line route on the right and then running alongside the existing tracks on the left. They've been quietly boxing in the route at the Stratford station end, in order to build over it. The North London Line will be diverted to use new platforms parallel to the existing main line platforms, using the track along the right hand edge of the picture to get there.

This image shows a similar view but from nearer Stratford station.

[via Skyscraper City]

TfL Board Papers: June 2008

TfL held its first board meeting since the Mayoral election last week, and the papers are online. Highlights:

Oyster PAYG on National Rail

• The rollout of Oyster PAYG London wide will require work "at 240 National Rail stations [which] includes the installation of around 1,100 Oyster validators, over 600 ticket gate upgrades, ticket machine upgrades [...]"
• A fares proposal for Oyster PAYG has been submitted by the train companies, and is expected to be signed this month (July).
• "Southern has now agreed to allow installation of Oyster equipment to commence immediately."
• The Mayor's planned summit with train companies will look at "harmonisation of passenger standards (fares and information) plus interchange security and policing", as well as the headline Oyster PAYG issue.

London Underground

• "Prior to its introduction on the District line, the new Sub-Surface train will be introduced on the Metropolitan line (from 2010) and on the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines (both 2012)," as previously announced. This seems to contradict Modern Railways' claim of a change of plan.
• The Northern Line is now the most reliable on the network, with 98.5% of services running as planned, thanks to the new timetable.
• The opening of the Northern Ticket Hall at King's Cross St Pancras has been moved forward to December 2009 at the request of the Department for Transport, in time for the start of Kent High Speed rail services.
• The first new Victoria Line train will be tested in service in January 2009.
• Testing of the new Jubilee Line signalling system isn't going well, with only a 50% success rate.

London Overground

• Ticketless-travel on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line is down from 15% to 1.7% since London Overground took over.
• The first new London Overground train will be tested in Derby this month, though it's unclear when the first one will be tested in London.
• A few seats will be removed from the existing trains this month (as discussed for the GOBlin) to increase standing capacity and reduce boarding times.
• The new London Overground platforms at Stratford will open in December 2008. These allow the existing ones to be reused for the DLR extension to Stratford International.
• The first section of new slab track for the East London Line extension was laid on 12 April.

Crossrail

• A final Crossrail funding agreement is being prepared for signing in September.
• They're trying to get the Crossrail Bill passed before Parliament breaks up on 22 July, but it's looking "increasingly tight"
• The congestion relief plans for Tottenham Court Road tube station require powers granted by the Crossrail Bill.

DLR and Tramlink

• Track work for the DLR Woolwich Arsenal extension is complete
• Testing of the new DLR trains is being held up by getting electrical interference approval from London Underground at Stratford.
• An immediate cleaning and refurbishment of the Croydon tram system is planned now TfL own it, to be carried out by existing operating contractor First.

Stratford station photos

The official London 2012 blog has an post on the upgrade works at Stratford station, with a couple of vaguely interesting photos. 

Stratford DLR footbridge: FITE!

TfL are quietly fuming after Network Rail closed their shiny new DLR footbridge less than two months after it opened. From the board papers:

The station upgrade project gives cause for some concern given Network Rail's unilateral decision to close the footbridge linking DLR's new £20m station to the suburban lines at Stratford. Following high-level intervention, Network Rail are giving consideration as to how the footbridge might be reopened sooner than the 2009 scheduled date.

That's some serious understated snark.

The bridge was closed because a new staircase to the subway is being constructed nearby as apart of the Olympic upgrade (in red, lower left on this plan), and the construction hoarding makes restricts access along the platform to the bridge.

Stratford International DLR photos

User Class 50 on Flickr has photos of progress on the DLR station at Stratford International. One shows the station box close up (ignore the mentions of Crossrail in the caption). For context, check out this wider shot and the project map.

The station is deep inside the Olympic exclusion zone, so you're not going to see photos like this very often.

Board Papers time again

The notes from this month's TfL board meeting have been published. A few things of note:

• TfL have started ordering Oyster equipment for the roll out to the whole National Rail network in 2009
• London Bridge may not have capacity for South London Line trains when it's rebuilt for Thameslink (there'll be fewer terminus platforms). TfL suggest the East London Line phase 2 should go ahead ASAP to solve this problem.
• Major DLR works will happen at Stratford during the Christmas closure on Liverpool St (this probably actually means the new North London Line platforms).
• An "Oyster Control Centre" has been setup, whose main job seems to be reprogramming the gatelines to fix unresolved journeys after station evacuations and other events.
• The first new Piccadilly Line train is due in 2011, with the upgrade progamme finsihed by 2014
• TfL are having doubts about how feasible it is to extend Circle Line stations for 7 car trains, and are investigating other options.
• TfL are still deciding whether to go with the "Harmony" or SLC2k service patterns for the North London Line upgrade. No idea what either of these are.
• The future of the Cross River Tram and Crystal Palace Tramlink extension looks very murky
• "The review of a number of projects in the Planning directorate continued this quarter, including tram and bus transit schemes. The outputs of these reviews are expected to be made available at the end of the year."
• The East London Transit project (Ilford-Barking-Dagenham) appears to be progressing, but isn't due to start in October 2009.
• Greenwich Waterfront Transit is still in public consultation, and will take even longer.
• A TWA application for the DLR Dagenham Dock extension will be made early next year, but the project has no funding after that.

The last few bits are from the appendices.

Update: The document has been updated with a load of extra bits tacked on, including enormous tables of Travelcard and London Overground prices.

Stratford DLR bridge finally opens

I took a detour to Stratford on the way home today to check on the DLR bridge, and by the power of Ken it is open. Bemused commuters were being herded that way even if they were going east (it connects only to the westbound platforms).

It's actually less a footbridge and more a walkway - it only has stairs at one end (the short flight shown in the picture), while at the DLR end it comes out level with the platforms. It didn't need to be built any taller because the only thing it goes over is the westbound Central Line descending into its tunnel.

Meanwhile, in second platform news, they still weren't using both platforms at once.

Update: Building has an excellent aerial photo of it.

Station openings today

This weekend saw the opening of two new London stations, and the closure of another after 134 years.

The last ever train left King's Cross Thameslink last night around 1.15am (several minutes late), and the first ever train to call at St Pancras International arrived on time at 9.13am (earlier trains today called at neither, though did appear on the St Pancras departures board). The interior is a lot like City Thameslink, but with everything twice as big. Meanwhile, King's Cross Thameslink is now plastered with massive red "Do not alight here" signs. I was there for both events, but my photos were eaten by a shonky cheap memory card (don't do it kids), so you'll have to make do with this picture of a random train at St Pancras this afternoon.

Langdon Park DLR also opened this morning. When I passed yesterday afternoon the entrances were sealed off and it was swarming with men in orange jackets fiddling with the paving. But today the fences were gone and trains were stopping there, confusing at least a couple of passengers. As shown in the second picture, they've really gone to town with the footbridge roof. Disappointingly the station still has the standard DLR ticket machines that don't do Oyster.

At Stratford this afternoon, all DLR trains were using the north platform, rather than the south platform as they usually do. I'm not sure if this has been happening for a while or only started today, but at least both are now in use, though apparently not yet at the same time. The new footbridge from the old platform area is still sealed off, but appears complete (that's the rather unpromising Central Line/One end of it in the photo).

Lots happening on the DLR in mid December

We already know the delivery of first next generation DLR train was pencilled in for 14 December, but the other two imminent developments now look to be happening the same week.

This Rail Panel report gives a date of 10 December for both the opening of Langdon Park station and the long delayed use of both new platforms at Stratford, a date also mentioned in this news article (thanks to Abigail and Bob for sending in those links).

Complicating things, diamondgeezer sends in the above photo, which says the timetable will be changing on 8 December, which would presumably be to accommodate both developments.

Hopefully we'll get an official announcement soon of the exact date.

Tfl Board Meeting, 27 June 2007

The minutes from TfL's June 27 board meeting have been published. Of note:

• The Hackney Downs - Hackney Central interchange looks to be going ahead, though the only timescale given is sometime before the Olympics.
• Archway station will be made step-free 2009-2012, with a new passageway leading from the ticket hall to a lift shaft between the platforms.
• There are detailed diagrams of the Victoria station upgrade.
• TfL want to make Ilford, Bromley South, Ealing Broadway, Edmonton
  Green, Dalston Kingsland, West Croydon, Worcester Park, Gospel Oak, Hampstead Heath and Camden Road step-free, with the DfT paying the bill.
• The number of Oyster outlets will soon increase from 2,200 to 4,000.
• Oyster fares for London Overground are still being worked out, and there may be discounts initially.
• The East London Line extension, DLR upgrades, Stratford station upgrade and so on are all on schedule.

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]

Stratford Station upgrade

Last week, TfL announced major plans to rebuild Stratford station, mainly because the current station faces the wrong way for the Olympic site, Stratford City and Stratford International. Works include:

• A new entrance and ticket hall will be built facing north, allowing access to the various developments.
• The disused eastern subway will be reopened. Some of the existing platforms will be extended east to meet it.
• An apparently massive footbridge will be constructed on the east edge of the station, stretching from the northern ticket hall to the south side of the A11 road, connecting the station to Stratford Shopping Centre.
• The mezzanine level of the existing building will be extended east to connect to the bridge, with a new ticket barrier line.
  
• Fourteen new lifts will be installed, allowing step-free access throughout.
• Two new platforms will be built on the north edge of the station for North London Line services.
• The existing North London Line platforms (1 and 2) will be converted for use by the new DLR service between Canning Town and Stratford International.
• A second platform will be built on the south side of the westbound Central Line track, which should ease overcrowding on the existing platform, especially during the Olympics.

The new North London Line platforms are the first phase of the DLR to Stratford International scheme, and will need to open before construction of the northern part of the line can begin.