The line will close for around 8 months so that electrification and related works can be carried out. The details below (slightly edited) were provided by the Barking & Gospel Oak Rail User Group. The closure will also be used to carry out other necessary works unrelated to electrification
* Last day for through Barking - Gospel Oak trains will be Friday 3 June 2016
* Gospel Oak - South Tottenham trains will continue running on weekdays only until 23 September 2016
* The whole line will then be closed until 7 February 2017 when rail passenger services resume with 2-car diesel trains but with continuing weekend closures until the overhead catenary is cleared for use by electric trains in June 2017
* The existing 2-car diesels will continue to operate until early 2018 when new 4-car electric trains enter service
* Around 500 Overhead catenary support masts are required.
* The pedestrian route across Walthamstow Queen's Road footbridge will closed throughout the works
* About 1500m of trackbed will have to be lowered by up to 0.5m through Walthamstow Queen's Road and concrete slab track used to create required clearances.
* Road over rail bridges at Upper Hollway, Harringay Park Junction and Walthamstow Queen's Road will have to be rebuilt.
* platforms will be lengthened to accommodate 4-car trains
* The long delayed step-free access scheme at Blackhorse Road was expected to be completed by the end of 2016 but the DfT are now reviewing the funding they provided for this.
RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS SERVICES every 15 minutes increased to every 10 minutes Mon-Fri peak times
ROUTE 'T' BARKING - WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL from 4 June 2016 until 7 February 2017
* Barking Station
* Woodgrange Park Station
* Wanstead Park Station
* Harrow Green (for Leytonstone High Road station)
* Leyton Midland Road station
* Walthamstow Central
ROUTE 'J' GOSPEL OAK - SEVEN SISTERS
weekends from 4 June 2016, then daily from 24 September 2016 until 7 February 2017
* Highgate Road (for Gospel Oak station)
* Upper Holloway [?Station]
* Hornsey Road/Hanley Road (for Crouch Hill station)
* Finsbury Park Station
* Harringay Green Lanes station
* Seven Sisters station
There is currently no information regarding any ticket acceptances by other bus or rail/Underground services.
Showing posts with label barking and gospel oak line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barking and gospel oak line. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 February 2016
Sunday, 12 April 2015
Barking & Gospel Oak Line Rail Users' Group AGM
Will be held on Wednesday 29 April at 7pm in meeting room 2 at Barking Town Hall. Now is the time to renew (or take out) membership. See the BGORUG website for information about the group and the line, and a membership application form which contains details of how to by bank transfer.
It will be possible to join just before the meeting starts, but please arrive early to do this. Once the meeting starts it is too late.
It will be possible to join just before the meeting starts, but please arrive early to do this. Once the meeting starts it is too late.
Monday, 6 October 2014
Myth of new trains on Barking & Gospel Oak Line
Apparently even London Overground staff are saying that there will be new trains on the line next year. They are mistaken *, as are the public address announcements saying the same thing. There won't be new trains on the B&GO next year, and here's why:-
1) Any new trains' engines would have to comply with the latest emissions regulations (stage 3b). The Class 172's (the current train type in use) engine and (possibly) exhaust design would need changing to make it stage 3b compliant. This would be difficult - and probably prohibitively expensive for the small number of vehicles required for the B&GO - but not impossible.
2) (1) is not the main reason for not purchasing more diesel trains. If electrification - the obvious answer for the line - comes before any new / existing diesel trains have recovered their cost from leasing fees, Angel Trains, the company that owns them would have to lease them in a market in which much cheaper and more efficient older units will still be available. (These are unhindered by new emissions regulations - they are not retrospective; some diesel locos are being refurbished and brought back into service for the same reasons.) New diesel trains would give a poor return on investment, in other words. NB: The trains are leased to LOROL, not TfL.
3) Adding additional (unpowered) carriages to existing diesel trains would not only be technically difficult (they are not designed for it) but would slow the trains down (reduce their power-to-weight ration) below the standard required by Network Rail.
4) Additional trains cannot be run because there are insufficient paths (ie time slots) to run more without reducing the number of freight trains. There are currently eight paths per hour in each direction (per Wikipedia). This makes longer (higher passenger capacity) trains the only option.
5) As electrification of the remaining un-electrified stretches of line, along with associated works, has not yet started, it will certainly not be finished by next year. (Electrification work will take a long time.)
6) No new trains or carriages have been ordered, so none will be delivered next year.
* There will be additional carriages on other parts of the London Overground next year. Unfortunately this information gets passed on into the wrong contexts and repeated imprecisely, leading to the myth.
Note of caution
This article has been compiled from remembered information and some unclear/illogical/ambiguous published information to which I have attempted to apply logic and common sense. One source http://stibasa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gospel-oak-and-barking-line-train.html is based on an e-mail (now mislaid) from Glen Wallis of the B&GO Rail User Group,and another is the 4th of the "notes for editors" in this BGORUG press release - http://www.barking-gospeloak.org.uk/documents/20130331_press_release.pdf
1) Any new trains' engines would have to comply with the latest emissions regulations (stage 3b). The Class 172's (the current train type in use) engine and (possibly) exhaust design would need changing to make it stage 3b compliant. This would be difficult - and probably prohibitively expensive for the small number of vehicles required for the B&GO - but not impossible.
2) (1) is not the main reason for not purchasing more diesel trains. If electrification - the obvious answer for the line - comes before any new / existing diesel trains have recovered their cost from leasing fees, Angel Trains, the company that owns them would have to lease them in a market in which much cheaper and more efficient older units will still be available. (These are unhindered by new emissions regulations - they are not retrospective; some diesel locos are being refurbished and brought back into service for the same reasons.) New diesel trains would give a poor return on investment, in other words. NB: The trains are leased to LOROL, not TfL.
3) Adding additional (unpowered) carriages to existing diesel trains would not only be technically difficult (they are not designed for it) but would slow the trains down (reduce their power-to-weight ration) below the standard required by Network Rail.
4) Additional trains cannot be run because there are insufficient paths (ie time slots) to run more without reducing the number of freight trains. There are currently eight paths per hour in each direction (per Wikipedia). This makes longer (higher passenger capacity) trains the only option.
5) As electrification of the remaining un-electrified stretches of line, along with associated works, has not yet started, it will certainly not be finished by next year. (Electrification work will take a long time.)
6) No new trains or carriages have been ordered, so none will be delivered next year.
* There will be additional carriages on other parts of the London Overground next year. Unfortunately this information gets passed on into the wrong contexts and repeated imprecisely, leading to the myth.
Note of caution
This article has been compiled from remembered information and some unclear/illogical/ambiguous published information to which I have attempted to apply logic and common sense. One source http://stibasa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/gospel-oak-and-barking-line-train.html is based on an e-mail (now mislaid) from Glen Wallis of the B&GO Rail User Group,and another is the 4th of the "notes for editors" in this BGORUG press release - http://www.barking-gospeloak.org.uk/documents/20130331_press_release.pdf
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Gospel Oak and Barking Line train overcrowding
Here, courtesy of Glenn Wallis of the Barking and Gospel Oak Line User Group is an explanation - edited by me - of why it would be difficult if not impossible to have more or longer diesel trains on this line to relieve peak time overcrowding.
Trailer coaches
Just one trailer (ie unpowered) coach added to each unit would seriously affect the performance the resulting 2+1 unit and Network Rail might even levy increased track access charges for the loss of track capacity.
The Turbostar was designed as an all vehicle powered train, so even trailers would require a lot of design work and possibly alterations to the existing power cars as well.
Engine upgrade
There is no diesel engine that meets current EU emissions regulations that can be installed in the Bombardier Turbostar without a costly and difficult redesign which neither Bombardier or Angel Trains are interested in unless there is going to be a big order for the redesigned vehicles.
Leasing costs
TfL do not lease the Overground Turbostars, LOROL do, which complicates matters even more. TfL would have to pay to have the leases transferred to them and then pay vastly increased rental costs to Angel Trains to make it worth their while to pay the high costs of buying 8, or 16 redesigned Turbostar coaches from Bombardier.
Electrification
TfL are now realising that instead of being a 'nice to have', electrification of the B-GO is now becoming essential as the only way to deal with the overcrowding."
Trailer coaches
Just one trailer (ie unpowered) coach added to each unit would seriously affect the performance the resulting 2+1 unit and Network Rail might even levy increased track access charges for the loss of track capacity.
The Turbostar was designed as an all vehicle powered train, so even trailers would require a lot of design work and possibly alterations to the existing power cars as well.
Engine upgrade
There is no diesel engine that meets current EU emissions regulations that can be installed in the Bombardier Turbostar without a costly and difficult redesign which neither Bombardier or Angel Trains are interested in unless there is going to be a big order for the redesigned vehicles.
Leasing costs
TfL do not lease the Overground Turbostars, LOROL do, which complicates matters even more. TfL would have to pay to have the leases transferred to them and then pay vastly increased rental costs to Angel Trains to make it worth their while to pay the high costs of buying 8, or 16 redesigned Turbostar coaches from Bombardier.
Electrification
TfL are now realising that instead of being a 'nice to have', electrification of the B-GO is now becoming essential as the only way to deal with the overcrowding."
Monday, 20 December 2010
Tannoy oy oy oy oy
I can remember the days when there was no train information on many barking & Gospel Oak line platforms. I can also remember having an argument with Silverlink a few years back, over whether there were any speakers installed at Harringay Green Lanes. After flatly contradicting me (a daily user of the station), they finally said they had been delivered to the site. Fat lot of good if they're not up-and-running.
Well now we have an embarasse de richesse at HGL, with two speakers systems up and running, producing a nice out-of-synch duet between the voices as they announce differently worded versions of the same information. Maybe I could forgive a few days overlap of the systems (better to have double announcements than none), but this silliness has been going on for weeks now.
Well now we have an embarasse de richesse at HGL, with two speakers systems up and running, producing a nice out-of-synch duet between the voices as they announce differently worded versions of the same information. Maybe I could forgive a few days overlap of the systems (better to have double announcements than none), but this silliness has been going on for weeks now.
Gospel Joke Line
Wooden spoon to TfL for introducing a temporary timetable (not corresponding to the new National Rail Timetable) for this week, and another one for next week, without bothering to tell anyone, even on TfL's Overground we page, and then the new one the week after that. Thanks to the ever vigilant Barking and Gospel Oak Line Users Group for publishing links to them on their website http://www.barking-gospeloak.org.uk/
Friday, 15 October 2010
Bye bye Class 150
The class 150 trains on the Barking & Gospel Oak line, introduced in 1999, have bowed out gracefully in favour of the shiny new class 172s. The last 150 I saw was on Wednesday, I think.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
New train on Barking & Gospel Oak Line
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_172
Monday, 15 March 2010
Bizarre B&GO lateness announcements
I've always been intrigued as to why when we can put the proverbial man on the moon, the railways can't keep track of 3 or 4 trains going up and down between Baking & Gospel Oak, or make sensible announcements.
The lateness shown on the platform indicator rarely ties up with the audio announcements and a couple of times recently the audio announcements have worked up to being 13 minutes late and then reverted to less than half that time. Other announcements have opined that the train is x minutes late, when it's already more than x minutes past the time it should have left.
After a cancelled train, the audio announcement a couple of times has been "The next train to arrive at platform 1 will be the xx.xx from Gospel Oak", giving the departure time from Gospel Oak over half an hour before.
As to the on line information, it's pretty useless. Unless the information is available in time to be used to plan an alternative journey, it is no good. In practice, we finish up going to the station to find out what's going on. It's not impressive.
With a simple route like the B&GO, they should be able to predict problems fairly well. If a train service to Barking is cancelled, they know the return journey will be as well. If a train's running 10 minutes late one way, whilst there is some recovery time at each end, it is a useful prediction of lateness in the other direction.
The lateness shown on the platform indicator rarely ties up with the audio announcements and a couple of times recently the audio announcements have worked up to being 13 minutes late and then reverted to less than half that time. Other announcements have opined that the train is x minutes late, when it's already more than x minutes past the time it should have left.
After a cancelled train, the audio announcement a couple of times has been "The next train to arrive at platform 1 will be the xx.xx from Gospel Oak", giving the departure time from Gospel Oak over half an hour before.
As to the on line information, it's pretty useless. Unless the information is available in time to be used to plan an alternative journey, it is no good. In practice, we finish up going to the station to find out what's going on. It's not impressive.
With a simple route like the B&GO, they should be able to predict problems fairly well. If a train service to Barking is cancelled, they know the return journey will be as well. If a train's running 10 minutes late one way, whilst there is some recovery time at each end, it is a useful prediction of lateness in the other direction.
Saturday, 19 December 2009
Barking & Gospel Oak Line
According to December 2009's Modern Railways magazine, "Signalling enhancements on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line were completed on [Saturday] 14 November 2009, equipping the route with extra capacity to allow it to act as a diversionary route for for freight when the main North London line is blockaded next year.
The Gospel Oak - Barking service currently comprises two trains per hour in each direction [no it doesn't - Ed]. It was planned to double that frequency in the December timetable this year, but this has been put off until My next year for two reasons. First, the freight diversions from ... next year's blockade [see above] will require considerable line capacity. Second, the new diesel trains ... are running late in construction".
I've been the victim of a higher number of cancelled trains recently. I wonder if this coincides with the "signalling enhancements"?
Don't be confused though - according to TfL's publicity there will still be closures on the B and GO "until 2011" - see http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/rail/rail-all-future.html.
The Gospel Oak - Barking service currently comprises two trains per hour in each direction [no it doesn't - Ed]. It was planned to double that frequency in the December timetable this year, but this has been put off until My next year for two reasons. First, the freight diversions from ... next year's blockade [see above] will require considerable line capacity. Second, the new diesel trains ... are running late in construction".
I've been the victim of a higher number of cancelled trains recently. I wonder if this coincides with the "signalling enhancements"?
Don't be confused though - according to TfL's publicity there will still be closures on the B and GO "until 2011" - see http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/livetravelnews/realtime/rail/rail-all-future.html.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Train information at stations and on line
The daily e-mail I receive from TfL told me today that there were severe delays on the Barking & Gospel Oak Line owing to a signal failure. I phoned the recorded announcement and it said that one train was running non stop Barking to S Tottenham owing to an earlier train failure. The live departure board on the web had "no report" for the 17:25 train even at 17:15 and the white board at Harringay Green Lanes simply said "delays". The 17:45 was on time.
What a lot of useless rubbish.
When I got to Barking, I wondered if the fact that only c2c and London Overground trains are announced by loudspeaker, but not Underground trains, is a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.
What a lot of useless rubbish.
When I got to Barking, I wondered if the fact that only c2c and London Overground trains are announced by loudspeaker, but not Underground trains, is a breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Delays to new trains on Barking to Gospel Oak line - and to 15 minute service?
Rail magazine issue 612 (page 9) says:
"Delivery of 12 two-car class 172 Turbostars to London Overground will be late ... The diesel multiple units were due to be delivered in the summer according to Transport for London spokesman Guy Pitt, but the delay means the Class 150/1s currently used on the Gospel Oak-Barking line will remain in place until the new units arrive. Pitt says this will not ... impact on the planned 15-minute timetable on the railway due to be introduced later this year. 'We are not quite moving into contingency territory yet,' he said."
"Delivery of 12 two-car class 172 Turbostars to London Overground will be late ... The diesel multiple units were due to be delivered in the summer according to Transport for London spokesman Guy Pitt, but the delay means the Class 150/1s currently used on the Gospel Oak-Barking line will remain in place until the new units arrive. Pitt says this will not ... impact on the planned 15-minute timetable on the railway due to be introduced later this year. 'We are not quite moving into contingency territory yet,' he said."
Barking & Gospel Oak Line to close for 16 weeks?
Rail magazine issue 612 (25 Feb - 10 Mar) says (page 17) that the line will be closed for 16 weeks from next Christmas Day. I think it must be wrong. TfL say on this page (my emphasis):
"works are scheduled to take place on Sundays from April to December 2009 on the Richmond to Stratford line and all week, every week from late December 2009 to April 2010 between Gospel Oak and Stratford."
This press release says: "No service between Gospel Oak and Stratford for 16 continuous weeks, from 25 December 2009 until 12 April 201". Many of the other details in the press release tie up with the Rail Magazine article.
"works are scheduled to take place on Sundays from April to December 2009 on the Richmond to Stratford line and all week, every week from late December 2009 to April 2010 between Gospel Oak and Stratford."
This press release says: "No service between Gospel Oak and Stratford for 16 continuous weeks, from 25 December 2009 until 12 April 201". Many of the other details in the press release tie up with the Rail Magazine article.
Monday, 9 February 2009
PLANNED CLOSURES ON GOSPEL OAK - BARKING LINE
Quote from TfL e-mail:
PLANNED CLOSURES ON GOSPEL OAK - BARKING LINE:
To enable the running of more frequent and reliable services across London, on time for the Olympics in 2012, there will be temporary closures on various lines of the Overground network. TfL will provide alternative travel arrangements to keep passengers connected to the public transport network. The first set of improvements, to enable the running of 4 trains per hour will take place at weekends on the Gospel Oak to Barking line from 7 February until 25 October 2009 during which time there will be a reduced service each weekend.
Works will take place as follows
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 February, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Sunday 22 February, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March, normal service
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 March, normal service
Saturday 14 March, line closed South Tottenham - Barking
Saturday 21 March, line closed South Tottenham - Barking
Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 11 (from 10pm) until Tuesday 14 April, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
ALL Saturdays between 18 April and 1 August (inclusive), line closed South Tottenham - Barking
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 22 August, line closed South Tottenham - Barking
Saturday 29 August, line closed South Tottenham - Barking
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Sundays 4 11 18 and 25 October, line closed Gospel Oak - Barking
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Barking and east London hit hard by weekend tube/railclosures
This weekend there is no District line between Upminster and Embankment, no Jubilee line beween Green Park and Stratford until 1230 No Barking & Gospel Oak line and no Circle line. The Hammersmith and City line, which runs on the same tracks as the District between Barking & Aldgate East, a is running.
I know the work's got to be done, but it is taking a long time. The District line east of Barking seems to be closed weekend after weekend. Last weekend when it was only closed east of Dagenham East I thought the end was in sight.
As to the B and GO, we had a 4 week closure in September and we now have works pretty much every weekend until September. We welcome improvements of course.
I know the work's got to be done, but it is taking a long time. The District line east of Barking seems to be closed weekend after weekend. Last weekend when it was only closed east of Dagenham East I thought the end was in sight.
As to the B and GO, we had a 4 week closure in September and we now have works pretty much every weekend until September. We welcome improvements of course.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Barking & Gospel Oak Line to close for all of September
Press release from the B and GO line's user group. Timetable 62 is the applicable one.
'The new Summer/Autumn rail timetable starting on 18th May shows the Barking-Gospel Oak Line will be closed for engineering works from 1st September until 28th September. Passengers travelling west from Gospel Oak by North London Line trains will have to change at Camden Road and Willesden Junction until 17th November.
Members of the Barking-Gospel Oak Line User Group (BGOLUG) were concerned that Transport for London (TfL) was holding back on announcing serious disruption to passengers using the Barking-Gospel Oak-Willesden Junction rail route this autumn.
BGOLUG Secretary Graham Larkbey said, “TfL managers had warned us of the need to close the lines to finish major works ahead of the 2012 Olympics. We were still waiting for the details from TfL when we found on the Network Rail website that there would be no trains between Barking and Gospel Oak from 1st to 28th September.”
“We were concerned that TfL had yet to make any detailed announcement. There are many schoolchildren among the several hundreds of commuters that cram into these short trains during the rush-hours and they need to know what arrangements TfL are making for their journeys before the summer holidays. TfL Overground managers have now promised us that an announcement will be made in a few weeks.”
“And the misery doesn’t end there,” Committee member Richard Pout added, “Many of our passengers continue their journeys along the North London Line between Gospel Oak, Hampstead, Finchley Road and Willesden. These trains will not be restored until 17th November.”
At the moment no replacement buses are planned, so passengers will need to change trains at least twice at Gospel Oak and Camden Road. A special train service will take passengers from Camden Road to Kilburn, Queen’s Park, Kensal Green and Willesden. These trains normally run from Euston to Watford, so the direct route from Queen’s Park, Kilburn and South Hampstead to Euston will also be lost for 11 weeks.”
'The new Summer/Autumn rail timetable starting on 18th May shows the Barking-Gospel Oak Line will be closed for engineering works from 1st September until 28th September. Passengers travelling west from Gospel Oak by North London Line trains will have to change at Camden Road and Willesden Junction until 17th November.
Members of the Barking-Gospel Oak Line User Group (BGOLUG) were concerned that Transport for London (TfL) was holding back on announcing serious disruption to passengers using the Barking-Gospel Oak-Willesden Junction rail route this autumn.
BGOLUG Secretary Graham Larkbey said, “TfL managers had warned us of the need to close the lines to finish major works ahead of the 2012 Olympics. We were still waiting for the details from TfL when we found on the Network Rail website that there would be no trains between Barking and Gospel Oak from 1st to 28th September.”
“We were concerned that TfL had yet to make any detailed announcement. There are many schoolchildren among the several hundreds of commuters that cram into these short trains during the rush-hours and they need to know what arrangements TfL are making for their journeys before the summer holidays. TfL Overground managers have now promised us that an announcement will be made in a few weeks.”
“And the misery doesn’t end there,” Committee member Richard Pout added, “Many of our passengers continue their journeys along the North London Line between Gospel Oak, Hampstead, Finchley Road and Willesden. These trains will not be restored until 17th November.”
At the moment no replacement buses are planned, so passengers will need to change trains at least twice at Gospel Oak and Camden Road. A special train service will take passengers from Camden Road to Kilburn, Queen’s Park, Kensal Green and Willesden. These trains normally run from Euston to Watford, so the direct route from Queen’s Park, Kilburn and South Hampstead to Euston will also be lost for 11 weeks.”
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