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Derelict tunnel at Barbican.

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greyman42

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I noticed a tunnel at Barbican station that is now sealed of. What was it used for?
 
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edwin_m

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I noticed a tunnel at Barbican station that is now sealed of. What was it used for?
Do you mean the was a parallel line from Farringdon to Moorgate, south of the Circle Line, which carried various services over the years and most recently a few peak hour Thameslink trains? It was closed when enlargement of Farringdon for longer trains blocked the route at that end, and last time I was there the portal at the west end of Barbican station was blocked off because of Crossrail works. It will eventually become stabling sidings for the Underground, and the junction is already laid to connect them in at the Farringdon end.

If you mean some other tunnel, you will have to be more specific!
 

swt_passenger

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The recently seen track layout in the area just west of Barbican station is much simplified in comparison to its greatest historic extent. There were a number of sidings under Smithfield Market, some south of the Thameslink running tracks, and others in the space between the present LU tracks and the Thameslink pair. IIRC there were 3 tunnel portals a bit to the west of the Thameslink platforms, but for a long time before the Crossrail builders came along they were hidden underground.

Does this photo on Flickr help with what you have seen? That whole area was underground a few years ago.

Crossrail works, Smithfields to Barbican by Alan Benzie, on Flickr
 

JonathanH

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This might help too (I assume I don't need to paste it all out).


 

swt_passenger

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This might help too (I assume I don't need to paste it all out).
[…]
I’m not seeing any images in those articles Jonathan, just the text and placeholder names where the pics should be. Is that happening to anyone else?
 

edwin_m

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I’m not seeing any images in those articles Jonathan, just the text and placeholder names where the pics should be. Is that happening to anyone else?
I'm getting that too - may have been lost in the recent move of London Reconnections to a new format? Which is a shame as when I looked before they were absolutely fascinating.
 

John Webb

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I think the photos are trying to be viewed as 'pop-ups' - possible most people have for good reasons set their browsers to block 'pop-ups' hence the lack of view?
 

urbophile

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Change goes back a long way. It used to be called Aldersgate and John Betjeman wrote a poem about it (or rather, inspired by it): 'Snow falls in the buffet of Aldersgate station...'
 

biko

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I think the photos are trying to be viewed as 'pop-ups' - possible most people have for good reasons set their browsers to block 'pop-ups' hence the lack of view?
The photos seem not uploaded when I tried to look into the source code. Clicking on the source files, I got a 404 error, also with pop-ups and cookies enabled.
 

30907

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Worth mentioning for completeness' sake that the line East of Aldersgate was realigned (to the south IIRC) as part of the Barbican redevelopment.
 

swt_passenger

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High Dyke

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The platform shown in the foreground is the former link to Moorgate, used by national rail services until 2009. Here is a picture from the platforms looking towards the tunnels.
 

swt_passenger

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Is it known if the stabling sidings plan involves a fence along the platform at Barbican?
 

Dstock7080

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Is it known if the stabling sidings plan involves a fence along the platform at Barbican?
not specifically mentioned. There will be a diamond crossing in the platform area at Barbican.
trains will be stabled in tunnel sections, with just cabs accessible from platform 3.
 

edwin_m

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I'd expect some kind of highly secure barrier. LU wouldn't want the public in general, and graffiti artists in particular, wandering around their sidings.
 

rebmcr

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Surprising that there isn't one additional scissors crossover in the vicinity of the 'New link' label, to allow the westernmost stabling berths to enter & leave with minimal activity on the running lines.

Though, if these units are destined to begin services from Aldgate, there will be reversals at Farringdon regardless.
 

edwin_m

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Surprising that there isn't one additional scissors crossover in the vicinity of the 'New link' label, to allow the westernmost stabling berths to enter & leave with minimal activity on the running lines.

Though, if these units are destined to begin services from Aldgate, there will be reversals at Farringdon regardless.
Looking at an aerial view the open air section between the junction at Farringdon and the portal will need to be very tightly curved, and looking at the orientation of Barbican this curve must continue into the tunnel and reverse within it, so it would be virtually impossible to lay any switches and crossings unless some highly bespoke designs were used. With the scissors at Barbican it's only the two trains between there and Farringdon that are constrained in the directions they need to enter and leave.
 

SargeNpton

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May 2017 at Barbican, looking westbound towards Farringdon. Haven't been there since 23rd March so no idea what it looks like now.
 

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greyman42

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Do you mean the was a parallel line from Farringdon to Moorgate, south of the Circle Line, which carried various services over the years and most recently a few peak hour Thameslink trains? It was closed when enlargement of Farringdon for longer trains blocked the route at that end, and last time I was there the portal at the west end of Barbican station was blocked off because of Crossrail works. It will eventually become stabling sidings for the Underground, and the junction is already laid to connect them in at the Farringdon end.

If you mean some other tunnel, you will have to be more specific!
It is the tunnel in post 23.

May 2017 at Barbican, looking westbound towards Farringdon. Haven't been there since 23rd March so no idea what it looks like now.
That side of the station now looks very run down. It is hard to imagine that it looked so appealing.
 

swt_passenger

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It is the tunnel in post 23.
We’ve possibly been over-analysing this topic then! :D

“Sealed off” can mean different things, using that phrase suggested to me something a bit more permanent than “hoardings in place while building work continues”?
 
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I've walked the section of tunnel between moorgate and barbican and it's pretty intresting what's down there. It's also what's known as a "floating track" where theres a void underneath the track bed and it's not actually on the ground, i even went under it, it was a strange feeling. I'll try and find some pictures

Before anyone says anything, I wasn't tresspassing, I got bored on a night shift!
 

hpknow

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I've walked the section of tunnel between moorgate and barbican and it's pretty intresting what's down there. It's also what's known as a "floating track" where theres a void underneath the track bed and it's not actually on the ground, i even went under it, it was a strange feeling. I'll try and find some pictures

Before anyone says anything, I wasn't tresspassing, I got bored on a night shift!
It must be a strange feeling as you said, I havent been down there at all but it must be weird as the tunnels are floating the whole thing is on rubber supports! Yet no-one in the tube trains running through realise this at all.

I have some pictures (its very hard to find any I must add) of the floating track sections on my blog they are further down the page.
 
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