Northern Line woes

[Geezertronic]

I travel infrequently between Birmingham and Docklands and take the tube from Euston to Bank as the 2nd leg of my journey. The Northern Line was worse than normal today due to signalling issues and apparently a couple of tugs on the emergency handle so there were delays off and on the train.

Are there any plans in place to do something about the overcrowding on the Northern Line? It's like a cattle market with people all charging for the doors and the amount of people who get hit by the doors is something else (their own fault of course).

I did read that a proposal had been suggested to extend the DLR through to Kings Cross St Pancras & Euston? Can anyone advise please?

 

[robertclark125]

The plans, which are sert for 2025, would see the DLR extended from Bank to the old Jubilee line platforms at CHARING cross, not kings cross. A few difficulties, one being Bank would have to be closed to allow the reversing tunnels to be extended into through tunnels, and also Charing Cross is used to stable trains overnight. In addition, the tunnels in the Charing Cross area would have to be enlarged to accomodate a side walkway, as DLR trains have no drivers normally.

 

[CCF23]

I don't like the Northern Line much, if i was you i would much rather take the Metropolitan Line to Aldgate from Euston Square and then the DLR from Tower Gateway (under 5 mins walk from Aldgate)

 

[Old Timer]

Were you on the 0730 off New St by any chance ?

 

[Daniel]

The Northern line upgrade will consist of a new signal control system and associated changes to trains, trackside equipment and stations as well as a purpose built new Control Centre at Highgate.

(TBTC/ATP/ATO)

It is expected that the upgrade will enable a trunk frequency of 24 trains per hour to be run on the central and northern sections of the line and up to 32 trains per hour on the Morden branch.

Overall the upgrade will bring added benefits to our customers who travel on the Northern line.

It was originally planned to finish by 2012, but I have heard rumors of problems with funding...

 

[Geezertronic]

Were you on the 0730 off New St by any chance ?

No, I was on the 0720 from Birmingham International. I am usually the scruffy one sitting in the lower numbered seats in Coach H (since I do Data Centre work, no need for a suit)

And to top it all off yesterday, the DLR stopped running at 1600!! (having worked for Serco, nothing surprises me!) and since there was no sign of a replacement bus, I had to walk from East India to Canning Town (in the rain), pay an extra £1.60 because I only had a Z12 travel card, get the Jubilee to London Bridge, then get the overcrowded Northern Line from there back to Euston. Made it with 10 minutes to spare!

 

[Old Timer]

I went up on the 0730 from New St and just managed to get into the Underground as the security alarm for the station went off as I was walking across the concourse. I could see Underground service "not stopping" being set up so I may have been lucky to get away before this.

The first Northern Line CX branch was packed but the one immediately behind was, as generally is the case, a lot less busy

 

[A60K]

It was originally planned to finish by 2012, but I have heard rumors of problems with funding...

And with the problems they're having installing the new signalling on the Jubilee line currently, I wouldn't be surprised to see the completion date get rather later.

When the resignalling is complete there is a tentative plan to split the Northern into two entirely separate lines, each with more trains than the current service pattern can give - this may well need to wait until Camden Town is rebuilt though.

 

[aspierail]

I don't particularly like using the northern line (1995 stock) because its sluggish and i only use it for a couple of stops as i don't really enjoy the ride quality to be honest with you.

 

[jopsuk]

There;'s the long mooted plan to split the Northern line permanently into and eastern and western service- Barnet to Morden via Bank, Edgeware to Kennington (and thence Battersea) via Charing Cross. This would in theory improve service reliability. This already happens off peak at the southern end- Charing Cross services use the Kennington turning loop, Bank services to/from Morden. On the North side, the problem is Camden town- to stop that being a giant problem, you'd need to rearrange the platform and track layout to provide easy, ideally cross-platform, interchange between the two lines in each of the north and south directions.

 

[Greenback]

Hasn't the splitting idea always ended up being rejected because of resistance to changing trains? I'm sure I remember North london passengers saying they wanted to retain a choice of direct trains to both the Wesy End and the City?