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Revision as of 18:10, 30 September 2007
The North London Line is a railway line through northern London, England, from Richmond in the west to Stratford in the east. It crosses many of the arterial routes radiating from central London, offering a faster and more convenient way of traversing north London than travelling into the centre and out again. Until 2006 it extended eastwards to North Woolwich, but this section has been sacrificed to allow the Docklands Light Railway to expand into the same area.
The line carries passenger trains operated by Silverlink and goods trains. It was sometimes referred to as the North London Link and is also classed as one of the North London Lines along with the Gospel Oak to Barking Line with which it connects at Gospel Oak. Silverlink currently run 4 trains an hour in each direction during off peak hours, with additional services during the peaks, including a few to Clapham Junction over the West London Line.
History
Formation
The North London Line was formed from an amalgamation of two lines:
- The western section of the line, the North London Railway, ran from Richmond to Broad Street (near Liverpool Street) via Dalston, and opened in 1869. The NLR had a spur line from Dalston linking it with Stratford, which since 1944 had been used by goods trains only.
- The eastern section was part of the line between North Woolwich and Tottenham Hale via Stratford. It opened as the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway in 1846 and services at one time ran to Palace Gates (Wood Green) (near Wood Green). This was rerouted to Tottenham in 1963 in the wake of the Beeching Report.
In 1979 a new service, known as the CrossTown LinkLine, commenced between North Woolwich station and Camden Road, this was effectively an extension of the North Woolwich to Stratford service and used the same Cravens-built diesel multiple unit trains. At first there were no intermediate stations, with Hackney Wick and Hackney Central, both on the sites of stations closed in the 1940s, opening later, and that at Homerton later still. Concurrent with the commencement of the CrossTown LinkLine, new platforms at West Ham were constructed to permit interchange with the Underground station adjacent.
In the 1980s Broad Street was earmarked for closure and demolition, while the Tottenham Hale–Stratford link and the station at Lea Bridge ceased to be used by regular passenger trains. Thus, the two lines were merged in 1985, initially as the CrossTown LinkLine service detailed above. When Broad Street was closed the line between Dalston and North Woolwich station was electrified on the third-rail system with Broad Street trains diverted to North Woolwich. The trains initially used were former Southern Region 2-EPB types built in the 1950s. Two-coach trains were soon too small and they 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 extension from Canning Town to Stratford International. The section south of Canning Town is largely duplicated by the DLR's King George V branch and the stretch of track from Canning Town to Stratford follows the Jubilee Line. The section south of Stratford had always been the Cinderella end of the line, when there were operating problems it was common for trains to be turned short at Stratford.
Former services
In addition to the primary Broad Street-Richmond service there were services that linked Broad Street with Harrow & Wealdstone and Watford Junction on the West Coast Main Line. Most of these were routed via the line between South Hampstead and Camden Road, calling at Primrose Hill, although some travelled via Hampstead Heath and switched to the Watford line at Willesden Junction. By the time that Broad Street closed in 1985 the Watford services operated only in the rush hours, and they were diverted to Liverpool Street by way of a new link in Hackney, known as the Graham Road Curve. However, with trains frequently cancelled, and some timed to arrive at Liverpool Street Station after the start of the working day (plus the evening workings also being timed to not be suitable for office workers), patronage was very low and after a few years they were withdrawn.
In 2000 Anglia Railways (now 'one') started a service between Basingstoke and Ipswich, utilising parts of the North London Line. The service was called London Crosslink and ran up to five times a day at roughly two-hourly intervals. The service called only at principal stations such as Staines, Feltham, and Brentford. On the North London Line the trains called only at Stratford, Highbury & Islington, Camden Road (some services) and West Hampstead. The service was withdrawn after just just a few years.
Due to the congestion, services did not operate to an easy to remember clockface pattern. The journey around the North London Line was very slow and trains only operated at quieter times of the day - all these being factors which resulted in lower than expected patronage. Some critics have also suggested that the service was unpopular with the railway operators, and that had it been operated differently and marketed with greater enthusiasm it would have been more successful. Many of those passengers who did use the service very much appreciated being able to travel through London without needing to change 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 (deep level tube) and Kings Cross (suburban) 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
The majority of the line runs in a curve across north London with only Richmond and Kew Gardens stations at the western end of the line being 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, now 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. Both were third-rail electrified at time of closure.
The line is electrified using the third rail system from Richmond to Acton Central, Camden Road to Dalston Kingsland (southern pair of lines only) and Dalston Kingsland to Stratford. 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).
When the through electric service to North Woolwich started in 1985 trains used the 3rd 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 3rd 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.
Current operations
Rolling Stock
The Silverlink 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 Silverlink Metro routes. They are due to be replaced by 24 three car Class 378 trains in 2009 as part of the London Overground, which will be extended to four cars in 2011.[1]
Service levels
The North London Line is regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service, with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service with some trains cancelled shortly before they are due to arrive. A recent London Assembly report described the current service as "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded." The imminent transfer of the service to Transport for London (TfL) has the potential to improve the quality of the service [2] due to upgrade plans [3] 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[4].
Closed stations
A number of stations on the line have been closed. These include:
Broad Street spur
A spur line from the junction at Dalston led into the line's central terminus at Broad Street:
Although the track was lifted after closure, much of the trackbed remained in place. Most of this stretch of line will be utilised in the extension of the East London Line, with the stations at Haggerston and Dalston Junction rebuilt. As a consequence, only 3.6km of brand new railway will need to be built, linking Whitechapel to the Broad Street viaduct.
North Woolwich branch
On 10 December 2006, the line between Stratford and North Woolwich was closed, to make way for a future Docklands Light Railway extension to Stratford International. This will take over the section of the line between Stratford and Canning Town, with other parts of the line earmarked for the future Crossrail development.[5]
- West Ham station
- Canning Town station
- Custom House station
- Silvertown station
- North Woolwich station
All but the last two stations are still open, served by the DLR and/or the Jubilee Line. The DLR's King George V branch (opened 2006) runs parallel to the North Woolwich branch, and serves much the same area.
Future
Confirmed
- From November 2007, management of the North London Line will transfer to TfL, becoming part of the London Overground network. As well as promises of investment in infrastructure and more frequent services, TfL management will bring the North London Line under the Oystercard ticketing system.[6]
- By June 2010, the extended East London Line will connect to the NLL with ELL services joining the line west of Dalston Kingston, running to Highbury & Islington.[7]
Unconfirmed
- The route between Custom House and North Woolwich is proposed to be used by the Crossrail project as part of the Abbey Wood branch.
- The service may be extended to Kingston, calling at all intermediate stations. This would see services on the Kingston Loop Line between Kingston and Richmond increased to four trains per hour.
- Maiden Lane station may be reopened by Camden Council.[8]
Trivia
- The line is notable for being the only National Rail route shown on the London Underground map. It was added in 1977 [citation needed] following pressure from campaigners for integrated transport policies. Tube maps have also shown the Thameslink line from Kentish Town to London Bridge and Elephant & Castle, and the Waterloo & City Line prior to its transfer to London Underground. The Northern City Line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park also sometimes appears on maps - this used to be part of the Northern Line but is now operated by First Capital Connect.
- The North Cross Route, one side of the Ringway 1 inner ring road, would have paralleled the North London Line.
References
- ^ Transport for London - £36m contract to bring extra rail carriages for London Overground
- ^ 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 - Stratford International Extension
- ^ Transport for London - Introducing 'London Overground'
- ^ Transport for London - East London Railway project status'
- ^ King's Cross Development plan (PDF)
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