Hi all
It is only a few weeks away until the East London railway opens once again under London Overground. One particular station which received quite poor coverage was Wapping station. One of the main reasons was because the station was covered under boards and there was no way of getting a good view of the station. But this morning, I took exclusive shots of the station building and much progress has been made. So here is what Wapping station now looks like!
1. Here is the new look station in a distance from Wapping High Street
2. The station now sports the new look lettering as seen on most stations on the East London railway
3. The stairwell that was once part of the Brunel’s Thames Tunnel incorporated into the station
4. The station from another angle. Notice that the Overground roundel is still wrapped up
And there you go, another station in progress. I will be giving continued coverage of the progress of these stations in the next few weeks before the opening of the line. But things are definitely look up!
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Hi all
While we wait until late April for the release of the iPad in the UK, Apple have been accepting pre-orders in the US for the iPad Wi-Fi version which started this morning. The iPad will be released on 3 April in Wi-Fi but the Wi-Fi+3G will be out in late April.
So far, in just two hours there has been in excess of over 50,000 orders for the new device. There are reports however that some keen customers maybe ordering more than one iPad “just in case” although Apple have restricted it to a limit of two units per customer. We will have to just wait and see what happens when the device is finally unveiled to everyone by late April and how the response will be!
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Tube Lines, the PPP contractor charged with the job of upgrading the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines is reported requiring a further £4.46 billion, a move condemned by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. This figure is £460 million more than what London Underground have stated they can afford but £1.29 billion less than Tube Lines demands. Mayor Boris said of the situation:
[Londoners are] being asked to write a blank cheque [to Tube Lines]. In other countries this would be called looting, here it is called the PPP.
Sadiq Khan, Transport Minister opposed Mayor Boris’ reaction saying:
Boris complains about a funding shortfall, but this would have been more than covered had he not cancelled the western congestion charge zone and needlessly set about replacing a modern bus fleet.
Tube Lines signed a 30 year contract in December 2002 to upgrade the aforementioned lines as part of Transport for London’s major Investment Programme for the tube.
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The free newspaper, Metro will remain the paper commuting Londoners will see distributed at tube stations across the capital. The paper has been the source of information and news for most Londoners since it hit the stations in 1999. The contract enables Metro to be available for collection and distribution between 6:30am and 11am on weekdays, the days that Metro goes to press. From the 2 April 2010, Metro will extend its privileges to do so for a further seven-and-a-half years. Metro can be found at 250 tube stations and 14 bus stations across London.
When the tender was announced in May 2009 for the contract it had been assumed that Metro, an Associated Newspapers publication, would face competition from News International’s The London Paper and The London Evening Standard. However since then, the former has disappeared and the latter has only recently entered the free newspapers arena.
Richard Parry, interim managing director for London Underground said:
The revenue from this lucrative contract will go straight back into funding improvements to public transport in the capital, including the upgrade of the Tube. The new deal will also fund carbon-cutting projects such as making our stations more energy efficient and will further encourage newspaper recycling with more recycling bins at key stations.
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Mayor Boris is joined by Chris Read, runner up of last year's competition on the left and winner, Jamie West on the right.
Buskers are very much a part of tube life and their talents are to be recognised with a new competition launched by Mayor Boris Johnson. The competition, part of the Rhythm of London campaign includes a unique prize of a year’s worth license to busk on the tube along with musical instruments, opportunities to perform live gigs and time spent in the music studio.
Musicians and singers aged from 16 to 25 are being invited to participate. Mayor Boris was at London Bridge Underground station to launch the competition.
Mayor Boris said:
As The View so purposely said on their album ‘Hats off to the Buskers’ – it is high time we recognised how marvellous our buskers truly are. I’m searching for the finest act to join the myriad of talented musicians on the Underground. This is a brilliant opportunity for young people to get their music heard and to practise performing live.
Jamie West, winner of last year’s competition spoke of how the recognition has helped him launch his career in live music:
I was overjoyed to win last year and it has really helped springboard my career and get my music out to a whole heap of people. I’m releasing my winning song ‘Give Me Everything You Got’ on iTunes shortly. I’m a huge fan of real live music and thoroughly enjoy playing to live crowds. The highlight for me was playing the O2 in front of hundreds of people – an unforgettable moment
If you’re interested in taking part you’ll need to complete a registration form at www.london.gov.uk and upload a video of yourself performing on the Rhythm of London YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/group/SOTUauditions2010. Judges will seek the best 100 performers to show off their talents to the public at busking locations across the capital on the 24 April 2010 and from there, the public will vote for their best 10 to participate in a final ‘busk off’ to find the winner.
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Steve O’Connell, London Assembly member has slammed Transport for London for deciding to omit the Croydon Tramlink from the Tube Map. The south London tram network which has a direct connection with the London Underground at Wimbledon station will not be part of the overall Underground network map as TfL believed it would add “clutter” to it.
Technically, TfL will only include a network if it has a direct interchange with TfL operated tube lines at two stations. Tramlink fails to do this having only Wimbledon as its direct connection. However, with London Overground, TfL run, making a connection with Tramlink with the opening of the East London section this may change.
O’Connell said:
The Tramlink is a vital service for south Londoners and should be on the tube map. People need to know how to get around easily. When the East London line is extended to West Croydon, the tram will be a vital connection all the way to Wimbledon, making it essential that it’s on the official London transport map. TfL’s view that a vital service for thousands of south Londoners is nothing but ‘clutter’ is short-sighted. London transport maps should be for everyone in the capital, not just inner London services. I intend to take this matter up with the Mayor.
Tramlink interchange is only represented by a tram symbol next to Wimbledon station on the tube map and line diagrams on District line trains.
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Hi all
It was a while ago that I looked at the step free access stations on the Tube. Below is an updated list of all the stations that will be step free by 2018. This has been taken from the latest Business Plan. All stations in italic are stations that will be step free by 2018, existing stations are in normal type.
Bakerloo line: Harrow & Wealdstone, Willesden Junction
Central line: Ealing Broadway, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Stratford, Woodford, Roding Valley, Hainault, Epping
Circle line: Hammersmith, Wood Lane, Paddington, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Farringdon, Barbican, Blackfriars, Westminster, Victoria
District line: Ealing Broadway, Acton Town, Richmond, Kew Gardens, Hammersmith, Wimbledon, Southfields, Fulham Broadway, West Brompton, Kensington (Olympia), Earl’s Court, Victoria, Westminster, Blackfriars, Whitechapel, West Ham, East Ham, Barking, Upney, Dagenham Heathway, Elm Park, Upminster
Hammersmith & City line: Hammersmith, Wood Lane, Paddington, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Farringdon, Barbican, Whitechapel, West Ham, East Ham, Barking
Jubilee line: Stanmore, Kingsbury, Wembley Park, Kilburn, Bond Street, Green Park, Westminster, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Bermondsey, Canada Water, Canary Wharf, North Greenwich, Canning Town, West Ham, Stratford
Metropolitan line: Chesham, Chalfont & Latimer, Chorleywood, Pinner, Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Wembley Park, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Farringdon, Barbican
Northern line: Edgware, Hendon Central, Golders Green, High Barnet, Woodside Park, West Finchley, Finchley Central, Tottenham Court Road, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Moorgate, London Bridge, Morden
Piccadilly line: Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Sudbury Town, Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Hounslow West, Hounslow East, Acton Town, Hammersmith, Earl’s Court, Green Park, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Caledonian Road, Oakwood
Victoria line: Tottenham Hale, King’s Cross St. Pancras, Green Park, Victoria, Brixton
Waterloo & City line: None
As you can see, the number of step free access stations has gone down due to lack of funding and TfL have given priority to key stations. Just in case you want to know what stations had to be axed from the current list, here is the complete list:
- Amersham*
- Archway
- Baker Street***
- Bank (Waterloo & City)
- Clapham South
- Euston Square
- Finsbury Park
- Greenford*
- Harrow-on-the-Hill***
- Highbury & Islington
- Ladbroke Grove*
- Leytonstone
- Mile End
- Newbury Park*
- North Acton
- Osterley*
- Paddington (Bakerloo)
- Queensway
- Rayners Lane
- Shepherd’s Bush (Central)**
- Shepherd’s Bush Market
- Stockwell
- Sudbury Hill
- Tooting Broadway****
- Tower Hill
- Vauxhall
- Waterloo (Northern and Waterloo & City)
- Wembley Central
- West Kensington*
Notes
* These are the latest step free access stations that had their works halted
** Shepherd’s Bush was originally going to have lifts installed. But due to the expensive costs (£100 million) to move underground utilities, it has been abandoned.
*** Baker Street and Harrow-on-the-Hill were originally on the list of Step free access stations, but due to funding problems, they have been postponed for now.
**** In a report, Tooting Broadway was shelved as a step-free access station due to spiraling costs.
Obviously, this hasn’t gone down too well. What is your view? Let me know!
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By
David Lew,
5 March 2010 in
Transport | tags:
bakerloo line,
central line,
district line,
hammersmith & city line,
jubilee line,
london underground,
metropolitan line,
northern line,
victoria line,
waterloo & city line |
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Hi all
A few months ago, I went to check out Hainault station only to find that they were installing lifts at the station. But today, the station is officially step free access with three lifts installed at the station.
Several features have been installed including a wide aisle ticket gate for mobility impaired customers and visually impaired people with dogs which means no more waiting for a member of staff to open the gates. Also, the new electronic indicator board in the ticket hall will allow passengers to know well in advance of when trains are arriving and departing.
Heritage features have been retained including the original roundels and canopy.
Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London’s transport advisor, said:
Hainault is a cracking example of the improvements the Mayor wants to see in our Tube stations, particularly those in outer London. The work that has taken place there will make the station more accessible, safer and easier to use for the thousands of people that rely on it every week.
Tricia Madge, the Central line Manager said about the station:
Hainault station has been modernised throughout and the lifts and wide aisle gates will particularly help wheelchair users, people with dogs, parents with buggies and passengers with heavy luggage. There are now a total of 59 Tube stations which are step-free.
In addition, the station has been retiled, there are new CCTV cameras, a new accessible toilet, electronic train information display boards, passenger help points, improved signage and lighting and a new control room.
This is the latest station to receive step free access. It is hoped by the end of 2010, that there will be a total of 62 stations that will be step free. Stations that are due to receive step free access include Bond Street, Green Park, Southfields, Tottenham Court Road and Victoria.
TfL had to halt some step free access works at some stations due to restrictive funding. In their latest Business Plan, they have stopped work at Amersham, Greenford, Ladbroke Grove, Newbury Park, Osterley and West Kensington and claim that these stations are relatively quiet and there are other step free access stations nearby.
What is your view on these? Let me know!
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The Queen set out on a royal tour of The City of London only to met by an unexpected breakdown of her Bentley car. This forced the royal party to be escorted by police in completion of the tour.
The event saw The Queen visit Aldgate station and receiving a unique personalised roundel bearing the name, ‘Buckingham Palace’. Howard Collins, the Chief Operating Officer for London Underground spoke of The Queen’s approval of the tube network:
“The Queen thought it was marvellous. She said, ‘What a fantastic gift.’ There was a big smile on her face. She was saying about how busy [the Underground] is. She travelled on the Tube as a young lady. She recognised it was very busy.
The Queen had her first taste of the London Underground aged 13 back in May 1939 when she travelled accompanied by Princess Margaret and The Queen’s governess, Marion Crawford. The Queen would further travel on the tube during the openings of the Victoria line during the 60’s and the Jubilee line in 1979. The opening of the Piccadilly line extension to Heathrow Airport from Hatton Cross in 1977 saw The Queen at the helm of the driver’s cab.
The Queen’s visit to Aldgate station was in commemoration of the lives lost during the London bombings at the station on July 7 2005 which claimed the lives of 52 people. Tom O’Riordan, a former station manager who was working when the bombings happened said:
The Queen said [the bombing] wasn’t something that you would expect to happen. She was thankful for everything that we had done.
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Hi all
The final part of the East London line station progress focusses on the temporary northern terminus, Dalston Junction. In 2011, this will be further extended towards Canonbury and terminate at Highbury & Islington. I thought this might have been a tricky station to get since I haven’t seen any photos on the Internet showing any signs of progress, but I did get some! Here is what is happening…
1. A view from a road bridge of Richmond Road. The tracks appear to separate as the trains enter Dalston Junction station. The bridge in the distance is Forest Road.
2. Not near the station yet, but here is what is happening at Forest Road, the road is closed but pedestrians can still walk across.
3. A view of Dalston Junction station in the distance from Roseberry Place. The road is closed at the moment.
4. Very messy but almost complete, here is the station entrance to Dalston Junction from Kingsland Road.
5. And here is the other entrance to Dalston Junction station from Dalston Lane.
6. You can clearly see the new signage from this view. The interior works seems to be more or less complete.
7. Notice how long the corridor is? This links the Dalston Lane and Kingsland Road entrances to the station ticket hall which is located to the left.
8. Here is the entire building in the distance from the other end of Roseberry Place.
9. And to the right is the station entrance at Dalston Lane.
And that is it! It is looking very likely that the East London line section between Dalston Junction and New Cross will be ready by April. We will be keeping an eye on the progress of these works, more in future blogs!
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Monday 14 December 2009 
Monday 7 December 2009 
Monday 7 December 2009 
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