| North London Line | |
|---|---|
 A Class 378 at Hackney Central | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Locale | Greater London |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 23 |
| Service | |
| Type | Commuter rail, Suburban rail, Freight rail |
| System | National Rail |
| Operator(s) | London Overground |
| Depot(s) | Willesden TMD |
| Rolling stock | Class 313 Class 378 "Electrostar" |
| History | |
| Opened | 1869 (fully) |
| Closed | 2006 (Stratford-North Woolwich) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
The North London Line is a railway line in London, England, owned and maintained by Network Rail. It is part of the London Overground network and is an important freight route. At its fullest extent it described roughly a semicircle through the inner northern suburbs from Richmond in the west to North Woolwich in the east, avoiding central London. In 2006 the section from Stratford to North Woolwich was cut off for conversion to a Docklands Light Railway line.
History edit
Formation edit
Although much of it was part of the North London Railway, the route is the result of a series of amalgamations, closures and re-openings of connecting sections which were opened over 25 years from 1846:
- The easternmost section opened as the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway in 1846/7 between Stratford and North Woolwich. When the Royal Victoria Dock was constructed later a swing-bridge was put south of Canning Town on the original route and the main line was rerouted in 1850 via Custom House and the Connaught Tunnel. The original route remained as the Silvertown Tramway, a local freight loop off the new main line.
- The main central section opened from 1850 to 1852 as the East & West India Docks & Birmingham Junction Railway (renamed the North London Railway (NLR) in 1853). This linked the London and North Western Railway main line near Primrose Hill to the docks at Poplar via Bow.
- In the west, the North & South Western Junction Railway was opened in 1853 from Willesden to a junction with the Hounslow Loop Line near Kew Bridge.
- The last link in the east was opened between the NLR near Victoria Park and Stratford in 1854.
- To obviate NLR trains running on the busy Euston main line, the Hampstead Junction Railway was opened from the NLR at Camden Road to Willesden via Hampstead Heath in 1860.
- To give the NLR direct access to the City of London the City Extension to Broad Street was opened from Dalston Junction in 1865.
- The last part of the route was the line from South Acton to Richmond opened by the London and South Western Railway in 1869.
Developments edit
The LNWR electrified the lines fron Broad Street to both Richmond and Kew Bridge in 1916 on the 4th rail DC system.Passenger service to Kew Bridge ended in 1940.
NLR Poplar branch passenger service ceased in 1944. Freight traffic continued on the branch until the docks on the Isle of Dogs closed during the 1960s and 1980s. The trackbed of the southern part of the branch, from Poplar to Bow, was used for the Docklands Light Railway branch to Stratford.
In 1979 the North Woolwich to Stratford service was extended to Camden Road as the "CrossTown LinkLine" service using the same Cravens-built diesel multiple unit trains. There were no intermediate stations until in 1980 Hackney Wick opened near the site of the former Victoria Park station, and Hackney Central re-opened; Homerton re-opened in 1985 (both those stations had closed in 1944). Platforms were built at West Ham for interchange with the adjacent Underground station.
After Broad Street closed in 1986 NLL services ran between Richmond and North Woolwich,. and the Tottenham Hale–Stratford link and the station at Lea Bridge ceased to be used by regular passenger trains >>>>>>>>>>>> The NLL now has a mixed third-rail and overhead electrical power supply. The line between Dalston and North Woolwich was electrified on the third-rail system and Broad Street services were diverted to North Woolwich using former Southern Region 2-EPB types built in the 1950s. The two-coach trains soon proved too small and were replaced by Class 313 electric multiple units. The new service was branded by British Rail as the North London Link, and some signs using this name still exist. >>>>>>>>>>>>>
In December 2006, the line between Stratford and North Woolwich was permanently closed to make a way for a future Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension from Canning Town to Stratford International (Opening December 13, 2009). The section south of Canning Town is largely duplicated by the DLR King George V branch and the stretch of track from Canning Town to Stratford follows the Jubilee Line..
The whole of the remaining Silverlink Metro became part of Transport for London's (TfL) London Overground in 2007.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX To resignal the NLL and to extend thirty platforms to allow four-car trains to run, the line is to be closed between Gospel Oak and Stratford from February 2010 until 1 June 2010. Engineering work will continue further until May 2011, with services reduced and Sunday services suspended.[1]
Former services edit
Besides the primary Broad Street to Richmond service, Broad Street was linked to Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction on the West Coast Main Line usually via South Hampstead and Camden Road, calling at Primrose Hill, but some ran via Hampstead Heath and joined the Watford line at Willesden Junction. By the time Broad Street closed the Watford services were rush-hour only, and they were then diverted to Liverpool Street by the new single-track Graham Road Curve in Hackney. However trains were often cancelled and some timings to and fron Liverpool Street after the start oid not fit the working day and so patronage was very low and after a few years they were withdrawn.
In 2000 Anglia Railways started a service called London Crosslink between Basingstoke and Ipswich which ran over part of the North London Line. It ran up to five times a day at roughly two-hourly intervals calling only at principal stations such as Staines, Feltham and Brentford. On the NLL the trains called only at Stratford, Highbury & Islington, sometimes Camden Road, West Hampstead and Willesden Junction. The service was withdrawn in 2002, despite the limited stop timetabling the trains often crept, trappped by the undependable NLL service.
Between Camden Road and the junctions for Broad Street the NLL had four tracks, the south pair for the electric passenger services and the northern pair for steam hauled trains. <><><> The AC electrification of the eastern part of the North London Line uses the previously unelectrified northern pair of tracks, which were also partially singled at the same time. Between Canonbury and Highbury & Islington there is a line which links to the East Coast Main Line at Finsbury Park. This used to carry passenger trains to / from various North London stations (such as Edgware, Alexandra Palace, High Barnet, Welwyn Garden City and others) over part of the North London Line to Broad Street Station, however since the opening of the Great Northern Electrics suburban electrification which in the 1970s saw trains being diverted into Moorgate and London King's Cross stations; this link has only been used for freight trains. It too was singled concurrent with the AC electrification of the eastern part of the North London Line.
Route edit
Track edit
Most of the line runs in a curve across north London. Only Richmond and Kew Gardens stations at the western end are south of the River Thames. The river crossing is made by Kew Railway Bridge on tracks which are shared with the London Underground District Line. The location of the eastern extremity has varied over the years. Between 1944 and 1986 it was at Broad Street station, then it switched to North Woolwich. It was cut back to Stratford. A tunnel, the Hampstead Heath tunnel, runs under Hampstead between Finchley Road & Frognal and Hampstead Heath. The line is double track throughout with a mix of triple and quadruple track between Camden Road and Dalston Kingsland. The former North Woolwich branch included a section of single track between Custom House and North Woolwich stations, and the Broad Street branch was at one time formed of quadruple track.
Electric supply edit
The line is electrified using the third rail system from Richmond to Acton Central and Camden Road to Dalston Kingsland (southern pair of lines only). Overhead lines are used from Acton Central to Camden Road, Camden Road to Dalston Kingsland (freight lines only) and Dalston Kingsland to Channelsea Junctions (link to Temple Mills, Stratford High Level and Liverpool Street). The line to Broad Street used third rail supply and when the through service to North Woolwich started in 1985 trains used the third rail throughout. When the trains were replaced a few years later by dual-system Class 313 trains it became possible to use the overhead electrification system which had been added to parts of the line for the benefit of freight trains. There had been some unexpected difficulties with earth currents from the third rail system which this overcame. This usage was steadily extended and the trains now make a number of changes between electrification systems during their short journey. These are at Dalston Kingsland, Camden Road and Acton Central.
The line is now electrified thus Third rail Richmond to Acton Central and Camden Road to Dalston Kingsland. It is electrified at overhead 25kv between Acton Central and Camden Road and Dalston Kingsland to Stratford. This will change during the year 2010. When the only section of line to third rail will be Richmond to Acton Central. The rest of the line between Acton Central and Stratford will be at overhead 25kv.
Connections edit
The line crosses or comes into contact with a very large number of railway lines, especially lines radiating from central London. This does provide opportunities to move between separate sectors of suburban London without having to enter the central zone.
Interchanges shown on the tube map edit
- at Richmond, to and from South West Trains services including the Kingston loop line.
- at Gunnersbury, connecting NLL services north of the station to District line services east of the station.
- at Willesden Junction, with the Bakerloo line, Watford DC Line and West London Line.
- at West Hampstead, with the Jubilee line and First Capital Connect stations, each situated a short walk either side of the NLL station.
- at Gospel Oak, to and from the Gospel Oak to Barking line of London Overground.
- at Highbury & Islington, to and from the Victoria line and the deep-level main line tube via Finsbury Park to Moorgate, currently operated by First Capital Connect (and from January 2011, the East London Line).
- at Stratford, to and from the Central line, Great Eastern Main line National Express East Anglia services between East Anglia and Liverpool Street, the Jubilee line, and Docklands Light Railway.
Other interchanges edit
- at Brondesbury, to and from Kilburn station on the Jubilee line.
- at Finchley Road & Frognal, to and from Finchley Road station on the Metropolitan and Jubilee lines, a walk of about 400 m.
- at Camden Road, which is about 400 m from Camden Town on the Northern line.
- at Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, which is about 1/2 km from Caledonian Road on the Piccadilly Line.
- at Hackney Central which is about 500 m from Hackney Downs station for National Express East Anglia services.
- at South Acton, to and from Acton Town station on the Piccadilly and District lines. This is a walk of a little over 1km.
- at Dalston Kingsland, where interchanges can be made 270 yards away with the East London Line at Dalston Junction railway station from May 2010
former interchanges edit
- at North Woolwich passengers could cross the Thames via the Woolwich foot tunnel or the free ferry to Woolwich Arsenal station for connections on the North Kent line to Medway Towns, Gravesend, Dartford, Sidcup, Abbey Wood, Blackheath, Lewisham, Greenwich and Central London
Current operations edit
Rolling stock edit
The London Overground passenger service uses Class 313 dual voltage electric trains compatible with both 750v DC third-rail and 25kV AC overhead power sources. Each train is made up of three coaches each and are part of a fleet of 23 units shared with other London Overground routes. They are in the process of being replaced by 24 three car Class 378 trains in 2009, which will be extended to four cars in 2010.[2]
Service levels edit
Despite published performance figures[3] the North London Line is regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service,[4] with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service[5] with some trains cancelled shortly before they are due to arrive. A 2006 London Assembly report described the current service as "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded", proposing the transfer of the service to Transport for London (TfL) as a potential solution to improve the quality of the service [6] due to upgrade plans [7] which coincide with the extension of the East London line.
A report on the future of the line can be found on the London Assembly website[8].
Development edit
Confirmed edit
- By February 2011, the extended East London Line will connect to the NLL with ELL services joining the line west of Dalston Kingsland, running to Highbury & Islington.[9]
- By 2011, according to TfL, all lines will be provided with a 'turn up and go' service, which means a minimum of 4 trains per hour in both directions.[10]
- Planned service patterns[11] are:
- 4 tph Stratford - Camden Road - Gospel Oak - Willesden Junction - Richmond (as current service)
- 2 tph Stratford - Camden Road - Gospel Oak - Willesden Junction - Clapham Junction
- 2 tph Stratford - Camden Road
Proposed edit
- The route between Custom House and North Woolwich is proposed to be used by the Crossrail project as part of the Abbey Wood branch. There were plans for this section to be used temporarily by the Royal Docks Heritage Railway but the present status of this project is unclear.
- Maiden Lane station may be reopened by Camden Council[12] however the Office of Rail Regulation has not included this in the current plans[13].
- Hounslow council have proposed that part of the North London Line be used as a branch of Crossrail to Hounslow.[14] This would see Crossrail services stopping at Acton Central and South Acton. It is unlikely to be included in the initial Crossrail bill, but could form part of a later extension.
Closed stations edit
Closed stations apart from those on the closed sections of the line are:
City Extension edit
On 1 November 1865 the NLR opened its City Extension mostly on a viaduct from a triangular junction at Dalston to Broad Street in the City with these stations:
- Dalston Junction
- Haggerston
- Shoreditch
- Broad Street.
The extension closed on 30 June 1986, but although the track was lifted the viaduct remains in place and is partially used for the East London Line development.
The extended East London Line will be operated by London Overground, the operators of passenger services on the North London Line, with services eventually running as far as Highbury & Islington in the north for interchange with the Victoria line.
North Woolwich section edit
On 10 December 2006 the line between Stratford and North Woolwich was closed to allow building between Stratford and Canning Town of a Docklands Light Railway line to Stratford International. Part of the south end of closed section is to be used for Crossrail.[15]
NLL stations closed were:
- Stratford low level
- West Ham
- Canning Town
- Custom House
- Silvertown
- North Woolwich
DLR and Jubilee line services are not affected at the first three of those stations.
The DLR line to Stratford International will use the former NLL low level platforms at Stratford. NLL trains now terminate at new platforms on the north side of the high level station.
Trivia edit
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (November 2009) |
- The line was for long the only National Rail route shown on the London Underground map. It was added in 1977 [citation needed].
- The North Cross Route, one side of the Ringway 1 inner ring road, would have paralleled the North London Line.
References edit
- ^ "London Overground to close from Gospel Oak to Stratford as part of £326m upgrade to deliver longer, more frequent trains". TfL. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 06 February 2010.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Transport for London - £36m contract to bring extra rail carriages for London Overground
- ^ "Silverlink rises to second position in the national performance league". 2006-09-18. Retrieved 2007-10-26. Association of Train Operating Companies [1] Press Releases
- ^ Sharp, Rachel (2007-10-24). " TfL to take on rail network". Ealing Times. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
{{cite news}}: line feed character in|title=at position 37 (help) - ^ " Braced for rail strikes". Hackney Gazette. 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
{{cite news}}: line feed character in|title=at position 37 (help) - ^ London Assembly - Light at end of the tunnel for London's forgotten railway
- ^ Always Touch Out - London Overground & Orbirail
- ^ London Assembly - London's forgotten railway (PDF)
- ^ Transport for London - East London Railway project
- ^ Next steps | Transport for London
- ^ Sections 17/18 : Current applications : Track access : Access consultations : Consultations : Office of Rail Regulation
- ^ King's Cross Development plan (PDF)
- ^ Sections 17/18 - Section 17 and 18 - new track access contracts : Office of Rail Regulation
- ^ A4
- ^ Transport for London - Stratford International Extension
Bibliography edit
- HP White. 1971. A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain, Volume 3 - Greater London. ISBN 0-7153-5337-3
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