You are looking at all the articles with the category "thameslink"

Over and Under: Thameslink, Crossrail and Woolwich Questions

19 May, 2013 by Mwmbwls

Images bring to life many London Reconnections pieces. We are lucky to have a band of chums willing to brave frostbite, heat stroke and going rusty to capture stuff on our behalf. Therefore our thanks and copyright acknowledgements go to Steam 60163 and Unravelled for these images enabling us to update earlier articles. Over with Steam 60163 Earlier this year we published an article about the new graded junction at Hitchin. Steam 60163 has assiduously recorded the construction of this … Continued

Switchin’ at Hitchin: A Quick Update

19 March, 2013 by Mwmbwls

Map courtesy of Network Rail In 2009, we described how Network Rail planned to debottleneck the ECML at Hitchin by building a flyover from the Down Slow to the Down Cambridge at Cambridge Junction. This, together with the chord at Saint Pancras and works at Finsbury Park and Hornsey are integral to the projection of Thameslink services to Cambridge. The main over-bridge structure was completed by June 2012 and the revised North Junction at Christmas. The project is on schedule … Continued

Postscript: Thameslink and The Transport Committee

14 March, 2013 by Pedantic of Purley

We really were going to take a break from Thameslink and look at a few completely different topics. We recently covered Thameslink twice – here and here. Then along came the GLA Transport Committee and their questioning of almost certainly the most appropriate person to ask about what is going on with Thameslink. The relevant answers given by Paul Harwood, Chief Network Planner at Network Rail, may only occupy three minutes (1:47 to 1:50) of the Transport Committee’s deliberations but … Continued

What’s it all about, Thameslink?

20 February, 2013 by Pedantic of Purley

The intention was to hold off from writing another article about Thameslink until the routes involved were finally decided. Our article in 2011 was rather speculative due to lack of decision making and definite information on decisions that have been made. It was felt at the time we would steer clear of an update until details were finalised which we thought would be fairly soon. We are nearly two years further on and to some extent the situation is unchanged. … Continued

The Past and Future of Finsbury Park

12 February, 2013 by Arkady

Finsbury Park Station. Its very name has been known to elicit a shudder from the passengers condemned to use its narrow winding passageways, inadequate (and largely un-weatherproof) ticket offices, and grimy stairwells. That’s a lot of shudders for Finsbury Park is, by some measures, the fourth busiest station outside Zone One. For years, locals and interchanging commuters have been assured that the station would be overhauled, with the introduction of step-free access and other improved facilities. Due to lack of … Continued

Thameslink: Losing The Plot Whilst Looping the Loop?

31 January, 2013 by Pedantic of Purley

In the late 1970s the Chrysler Corporation of America was in deep financial trouble. No-one wanted to buy their cars. Lee Iacocca, a former president of Ford Motors who was fired when he fell out with Henry Ford II, was headhunted and persuaded to to take on the presidency of Chrysler to sort out the problems there. It was a smart appointment as Iacocca knew all aspects of the car industry extremely well, having started in engineering but moved over … Continued

Tanners Hill Flydown – Part 2

3 January, 2013 by Pedantic of Purley

In Part 1 of this series we saw how and why the Tanners Hill Flydown came into existence. We also reported on the apparent need to double it in advance of enhanced Thameslink services, and the desire to do the work before major Thameslink construction at London Bridge commenced, during which fewer platforms would be in use at London Bridge. In July 2011 Balfour Beatty was awarded the contract to carry out the work. Work at the site started in … Continued

Unlocking Herne Hill and the Kent route to the City

9 November, 2012 by Lemmo

The extensive RUS process has already yielded a long shopping list of potential projects, including some big ticket items such as Crossrail 2. We are more likely, however, to see a package of more modest investments in CP5 (Control Period 5, 2014-2019) which will pave the way for more ambitious projects in CP6. Following the government’s recent High Level Output Statement (HLOS), the “rail industry” will need to prioritise the key problem areas around the London network that need to … Continued

Blackfriars: Safeguarding The Future

28 August, 2012 by Lemmo

The subject of safeguarding has cropped up in several of our recent posts, and here we explore a current example: at Blackfriars. As the Thameslink work at Blackfriars progresses apace, the opening of the South Bank entrance drew our eyes towards the station throat – most particularly to those naked piers that used to support the old west bridge, also known as the ’409′. These piers raise a number of questions. Could the ’409′ piers be used again for an … Continued

Intermission: The Angle and Wangle at Farringdon

4 March, 2012 by Mwmbwls

Some readers have spotted that we have not reported on the developing situation at Farringdon for a while. It’s nice to know you noticed and care and we are sorry to have kept you waiting. The general approach we were/are taking with Thameslink is almost on the basis of an “annual review,” and Spring is always a good time to review new works (the “then” and “now” scenario provides a handy hook upon which an article can be based). We’ll be starting that review this year with London Bridge, but in the meantime here are a couple of teasers with regards to Farringdon.