Lea Bridge station

[DynamicSpirit]

Extend the Victoria line from Walthamstow to Stratford, via Leyton Midland Road and Leyton? (Expensive, but opens a lot of new connections and would serve a lot more people than any route via Lea Bridge).

 

[Class 170101]

Extend the Victoria line from Walthamstow to Stratford, via Leyton Midland Road and Leyton? (Expensive, but opens a lot of new connections and would serve a lot more people than any route via Lea Bridge).

That assumes you can board this line - its busy. I doubt the Victoria line will ever be extended.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

That assumes you can board this line - its busy. I doubt the Victoria line will ever be extended.

I wondered if someone would say that. But I'm not sure that extending the Victoria line this way would cause crowding problems:

1. Quite a few people who currently travel West from Walthamstow central would find it more convenient with an extension to head to Stratford and change to CrossRail there, which will reduce crowding on the existing line.
2. Realistically, almost no one from Stratford or Leyton is going to use the Victoria line to get to central London - it's such an indirect route. So most new traffic generated west of Walthamstow by the extension would be going no further than perhaps Tottenham Hale, maybe at a stretch, Finsbury Park - to connect to national rail there.
3. Once CR2 is built, that is likely in any case to reduce crowding on the Victoria line west of Tottenham Hale.

 

[Ianno87]

During last year's Victoria Line blockade, an express bus ran between Walthamstow and Stratford, apparently managing some pretty decent journey times. Perhaps that is the solution?

 

[Busaholic]

During last year's Victoria Line blockade, an express bus ran between Walthamstow and Stratford, apparently managing some pretty decent journey times. Perhaps that is the solution?

The trolleybus routes 697 and 699 used to do that journey pretty speedily too, even though they had a few stops to call at (in theory, anyway).


I seem to remember reading once somewhere that it would be almost physically impossible to extend the Vic from Walthamstow to anywhere without an inordinate amount of expenditure. Can anyone confirm/deny? Such memories of mine usually have some basis in fact.

 

[Taunton]

I seem to remember reading once somewhere that it would be almost physically impossible to extend the Vic from Walthamstow to anywhere without an inordinate amount of expenditure. Can anyone confirm/deny? Such memories of mine usually have some basis in fact.

Moving past the point that it seems impossible to do any civil engineering job on rail nowadays without inordinate expenditure, the Vic Line was originally laid out to facilitate just such an extension. It was designed to continue from Walthamstow to emerge on the surface by Wood Street until quite late in the authorisation process, and there had been multiple plans after that, either to take over the Chingford line or to continue through Snaresbrook to Wanstead (it's not that far) and take over the Hainault loop.

 

[Hophead]

Think that the cost of additional depot space would be the issue. Northumberland Park is full, I believe, and a few trains already spend the night in platforms.

 

[Class 170101]

Moving past the point that it seems impossible to do any civil engineering job on rail nowadays without inordinate expenditure, the Vic Line was originally laid out to facilitate just such an extension. It was designed to continue from Walthamstow to emerge on the surface by Wood Street until quite late in the authorisation process, and there had been multiple plans after that, either to take over the Chingford line or to continue through Snaresbrook to Wanstead (it's not that far) and take over the Hainault loop.

Think that the cost of additional depot space would be the issue. Northumberland Park is full, I believe, and a few trains already spend the night in platforms.

Depot space wouldn't be an issue if it went to Hainault - already one there and if it took the branch over from the Central Line that line itself would need fewer trains. Chingford similar.

 

[jopsuk]

we're a long way from Lea Bridge, but to connect the Hainault loop to the Victoria:

For one thing, unless you go with both line operating on the loop, you'll need an interchange station- because otherwise you're cutting off journeys.

Major engineering challenges- you're connecting a tunnel to a tunnel with a tunnel. So you need to dig a massive shaft somewhere to get the tunnel boring machines in. At the end of the drive, you either need to have another shaft, figure out how to dismantle from behind the shield or, as in the channel tunnel, drive off to one side and bury the machine. You'll likely have at least four drives, unless you can sink a shaft right by one end.

Plus, no-one wants to be loading up Victoria line trains further out. The core is suffering badly as it is, that's why a line built as an express relief (for the Picadilly but also the Northern line- both branches in parts) now needs a further relief line built (Crossrail 2).

Reality is that alongside Crossrail 2 the other "metro" project here, and actually using Lea Bridge, is STAR - nominally "Stratford To Angel Road", but quite clearly due to go right up the Lea Valley to terminate at a still to be determined point- Broxbourne, Hertford, Harlow or even Bishops Strotford being possibles.

I think Stratford-Chingford sounds like a potentially good project, but it definitely isn't on any current plans. Ideally it would need a total remodelling of the north side of Stratford- platforms 1, 2, 11 & 12 - to potentially allow through running of STAR and/or Stratford-Chingford to the NLL, and some flyovers and extra tracks to allow GEML stock to access Orient Way sidings without conflicting.

Oh, and maybe a Ruckholt Rd station too, for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park North, as well as the north Walthamstow/south Chingford extra stations.

All that's needed now is for someone to complain about investment in London, and we're done here

 

[mr_jrt]

^^^^ I agree with pretty much all of that.

 

[Busaholic]

Moving past the point that it seems impossible to do any civil engineering job on rail nowadays without inordinate expenditure, the Vic Line was originally laid out to facilitate just such an extension. It was designed to continue from Walthamstow to emerge on the surface by Wood Street until quite late in the authorisation process, and there had been multiple plans after that, either to take over the Chingford line or to continue through Snaresbrook to Wanstead (it's not that far) and take over the Hainault loop.

Thanks for that. I should perhaps have said that I'd heard there was a big problem with extending anywhere other than over the existing line to Chingford, which in the sixties would certainly not have been considered a priority and probably not now either. I think I heard it around 1971/2 when I was working in the Northern/Vic Lines control centre at Euston, but I admit my work didn't really involve the Vic which was problem-free compared to what was then known as the Misery Line.

 

[plcd1]

During last year's Victoria Line blockade, an express bus ran between Walthamstow and Stratford, apparently managing some pretty decent journey times. Perhaps that is the solution?

I used it in the peak once from Stratford. It made reasonable progress until it got to Orient Way / Lea Bridge Road where we sat for about 15-20 mins in a horrendous queue. There is an awful lot of car / van / lorrytraffic on Orient Way now because it is faster than slogging through Leyton High Rd or Church Rd. There is also a lot of commercial traffic into the Argall Way industrial area. Once through the junction we did the "tour de Council depot" at Low Hall to then reach Markhouse Rd where there was a stop within walking distance of St James St. The bus then went via South Grove and Selborne Rd to reach Walthamstow Central. There were about 6 or7 people on the bus, 3 got off at St James St. On balance it was probably faster than the unrelenting slog through Leyton on a 97 bus and obviously had fewer stops than a normal service bus. However it was not really "express" in the terms of being very quick.

The regular RRS from Seven Sisters to Walthamstow plus the special 558 bus were much better used. These were completely packed in the rush hour with vast queues at Seven Sisters in the PM peak as the controllers sometimes struggled to keep a steady flow of buses.

 

[Man19Hey]

I have read some of the recent posts amazed that at times other options are more important.The local borough are spending money elsewhere on water fountains so its good that by chance money has been sprayed into this project by them and other partners.
For me its good to have the use of the line as on its Last Journey which I was on I thought it would never be used again by chance I was on the service and I am not a train "buff" either but saying that I saw the scotsman recently at FP but getting back to this it will work if the station is kept in working order and not left to rot.
I would have liked to be on the 1st train out as I was on the "Last Train To Stratford"
I will check once more on that.
So basicially it will be of use to local people to get to Stratford and to catch trains to southend vic and the place I avoid Westfield lol.
Oh its supposed to open May2016



Happy Travelling

 

[W230]

The regular RRS from Seven Sisters to Walthamstow plus the special 558 bus were much better used. These were completely packed in the rush hour with vast queues at Seven Sisters in the PM peak as the controllers sometimes struggled to keep a steady flow of buses.

I was surprised to learn that Walthamstow Central is now eclipsing Seven Sisters in terms of passenger numbers and that it is this which is the main driving force between having all peak time Vic line trains terminating at Central in the next few months rather than Seven Sisters.

I understand that the extra time required for this is minimal following last August's points replacement just outside Central.

 

[cle]

Would a higher frequency of Chingford/Cheshunt/Enfield line services, combined with upcoming Crossrail interchange at Liverpool Street, help relieve the Victoria line stations?

 

[Class 170101]

Not entirely sure that even if extra Chingford, Enfield, Cheshunt services were possible that you would want to push commuters via Liverpool Street and onto the Central Line instead.

 

[Ianno87]

I was surprised to learn that Walthamstow Central is now eclipsing Seven Sisters in terms of passenger numbers and that it is this which is the main driving force between having all peak time Vic line trains terminating at Central in the next few months rather than Seven Sisters.

I understand that the extra time required for this is minimal following last August's points replacement just outside Central.

Correct. Providing 36tph all through to Walthamstow only requires 1 extra train in service, as the extra running time to Walthamstow is minimal compared to the shunt move required at Seven Sisters.

Additionally, you get some efficiency in shortening turnround times at Walthamstow necessary to operate 36tph anyway (so trains "come back") sooner.


Also, in response to the other post, good luck getting extra Chingford trains into Liverpool Street (which already has 22tph in Platforms 1-7 fed by a two track approach)...

 

[Bald Rick]

Also, in response to the other post, good luck getting extra Chingford trains into Liverpool Street (which already has 22tph in Platforms 1-7 fed by a two track approach)...

Those timetabling people just aren't trying hard enough :roll:

 

[swt_passenger]

Not entirely sure that even if extra Chingford, Enfield, Cheshunt services were possible that you would want to push commuters via Liverpool Street and onto the Central Line instead.

I haven't checked the latest route study yet, but the London and SE RUS was quite detailed on this subject, and it stated in a number of places that Crossrail would not provide for any extra peak paths for "West Anglia" services, they were already allocated to GEML services, with the Bow Junction area being altered to provide extra parallel fast line paths between Stratford and Liverpool St in the peak flow direction (i.e. 2 up fast lines in the morning peak, and 2 down fast lines in the afternoon peak).

 

[Kite159]

So is there any news on any possible delay to the reopening of the station from the new timetable on Sunday (with the 19:39 Hertford East to Stratford the first passenger service?)

 

[Sleepy]

AGA staff info states station opening on that date AFAIK

 

[Taunton]

Crossrail would not provide for any extra peak paths for "West Anglia" services, they were already allocated to GEML services, with the Bow Junction area being altered to provide extra parallel fast line paths between Stratford and Liverpool St in the peak flow direction (i.e. 2 up fast lines in the morning peak, and 2 down fast lines in the afternoon peak).

There were 6 tracks back in the 1960s from Bow Junction out to Stratford, four Fast and two Electric lines, so no big shakes there. Fasts used to be run alternately on either track out to the country end of Stratford, where they merged back, as this helped performance, especially with diesel powered services followed by an EMU with better performance but which was stopping at the Fast Line platforms at Stratford. An extended Modern Railways article of the period described the operation in detail. Overall there were notably more services out of Liverpool Street in the peak than nowadays, particularly before the Victoria Line opened in 1968 when a very intensive service was run to Chingford.

The number of times it is written that both Main Line and Underground services in London are now running "at their absolute maximum", when 50 years earlier they were getting through more services per hour in the peak, is quite notable.

 

[Bald Rick]

There were 6 tracks back in the 1960s from Bow Junction out to Stratford, four Fast and two Electric lines, so no big shakes there. Fasts used to be run alternately on either track out to the country end of Stratford, where they merged back, as this helped performance, especially with diesel powered services followed by an EMU with better performance but which was stopping at the Fast Line platforms at Stratford. An extended Modern Railways article of the period described the operation in detail. Overall there were notably more services out of Liverpool Street in the peak than nowadays, particularly before the Victoria Line opened in 1968 when a very intensive service was run to Chingford.

There still are 6 tracks Bow to Stratford, and at least 5 of them are used in the peak. The issue is Bow to Liverpool St.

 

[306024]

And the 6th track (the down Temple Mills) will send you to.Cambridge unless you cross back to the 5th track. Regardless of what happened in the past, you can only play with what the current infrastructure allows.

Those timetabling people just aren't trying hard enough :roll:

Indeed. Need to hand the keys to the experts on here

 

[Kite159]

AGA staff info states station opening on that date AFAIK

Excellent, thanks for the confirmation

 

[Man19Hey]

Looks like station will open soon

 

[Kite159]

Hi Lea Bridge Road Station Is to Open W/C 16 June 2016.
I have stated actual facts In my initial joining feed I was among a two carriage load of people who travelled on the on Last Train From Lea Bridge to Stratford the was as documented a Band called "Aumt Fortescus Blues Rockers" I and a friend got talking to them we went to a gig in Praed Street ,Paddington but never turned up.
Also on the train was a female news reporter from LBC covering the event.

From Man19Hey posted 10/5/2016 -1947

That date is different to what AGA are saying on the website (https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/leb)?

 

[Man19Hey]

That date is different to what AGA are saying on the website (https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/leb)?

Hi Sorry your correct I,m reading wrong info as I don,t come on here often.

 

[JaJaWa]

That date is different to what AGA are saying on the website (https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/leb)?

Fixed link and quote:

https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/leb

Lea Bridge station is scheduled to open on 15 May 2016.
Services will start at 2000hrs that day.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Fixed link and quote:

https://www.abelliogreateranglia.co.uk/travel-information/station-information/leb

It will be interesting to see what happens in real life this coming Sunday, 15th May, after 2000 hours.