Northern Line Battersea Extension - Opened September 20 2021

[bramling]

The updated London Rail and Tube map is out now as well, the Nine Elms-Battersea section is more simple, without the downward drop it has for Battersea on the regular Tube map. The Kennington-Nine Elms section however, has become somewhat more convoluted having to go around Vauxhall, which has been pushed upwards into what would be the path of a straight line from Kennington. Also the gap between the Charing Cross and Bank parts of Kennington is even bigger than the one on the regular Tube Map!

The map certainly needs a re-think. Apart from being a mess, what they’ve come up with introduces a few potential confusions.

It doesn’t help with the silliness of Battersea being in zone 1 for political reasons, when it really shouldn’t be. Money has spoken on that one.

 

[johncrossley]

Presumably it also means a worse service for High Barnet branch customers?

Unlike the Edgware branch, which has seen large amounts of new flats built around Colindale, the High Barnet branch hasn't seen the same level of new housing?

Bizarrely there are a huge number of new houses near Mill Hill East. Of course the house builders trumpet the tube access, but they don't mention that the tube service is only 4 trains per hour.

 

[jon0844]

Lovely that it's all opened now (and looking forward to having a visit), I just wish Social Media would drop the "Battersea Power Station station" joke, because YES WE GET IT NOW!

Is this picture correct or Photoshopped to play along with the joke?!


(Picture showing CIS with 'Battersea Power Station Station' on it.)

Source

 

[MikeWh]

Is this picture correct or Photoshopped to play along with the joke?!

Photoshopped

 

[Warrior2852]

The updated London Rail and Tube map is out now as well, the Nine Elms-Battersea section is more simple, without the downward drop it has for Battersea on the regular Tube map. The Kennington-Nine Elms section however, has become somewhat more convoluted having to go around Vauxhall, which has been pushed upwards into what would be the path of a straight line from Kennington. Also the gap between the Charing Cross and Bank parts of Kennington is even bigger than the one on the regular Tube Map!

Looking at it in more detail, I don't see why Vauxhall can't be pushed down on the Rail and Tube Map to allow a straight line along the whole Northern Line extension, rather than the up-and-down twisty route they went with; the SWR station can have that diagonal section it is on moved down, the Victoria line station can have it's connector blob shifted a bit further down the line (possibly moving the diagonal line towards Stockwell closer to the SE line, the gap between the two widens when both lines change direction at the moment for some reason), and the name text box can move more into the large empty space bordered by the two Northern Line branches, the Victoria line to Stockwell, a bit of SWR and the oversized Kennington connection.

 

[Hadders]

I travelled on the Northern Line yesterday and overheard a conversation between two passengers who were looking at the fare zones on the in-car diagram.

'I see they've introduced a new half zone, must mean cheaper fares...'

I hadn't got the heart to correct them.

 

[Mikey C]

Bizarrely there are a huge number of new houses near Mill Hill East. Of course the house builders trumpet the tube access, but they don't mention that the tube service is only 4 trains per hour.

There was a big military barracks site there, which is being built on.

A direct 15 minutes service might be more attractive than a shuttle?

 

[ijmad]

Just watching Geoff Marshall's video, and according to the TfL rep interviewed a few minutes in, the service levels will increase to 12tph to/from BPS during the Bank blockade next year, then be "reviewed" after that.

This confused me too. 12tph to BPS would mean only around 20tph from Morden would be able to continue through on to the Charing X branch, which seems unsustainably low given its historical peak loadings. Perhaps the pandemic has worked to TfL's advantage and they don't expect passenger levels to have returned to a point where this would be a problem by Q1 next year. Or perhaps they are planning on turning some trains from Morden at Kennington in P3/P4, which is possible without cutting across anything. Perhaps passengers will be told to change to the Vic at Stockwell?

 

[AlbertBeale]

This confused me too. 12tph to BPS would mean only around 20tph from Morden would be able to continue through on to the Charing X branch, which seems unsustainably low given its historical peak loadings. Perhaps the pandemic has worked to TfL's advantage and they don't expect passenger levels to have returned to a point where this would be a problem by Q1 next year. Or perhaps they are planning on turning some trains from Morden at Kennington in P3/P4, which is possible without cutting across anything. Perhaps passengers will be told to change to the Vic at Stockwell?

It's a pity (both for the frequency of the Morden service and for City connections) that it's not possible to run some Morden trains at least a little way up the Bank branch then Bank itself is closed; surely a crossover at London Bridge would be good for flexibility and on occasions like this. Was it not possible to add one when the lines at London Bridge were being reshuffled a few years back to increase platform capacity there?

Will any services from the north go part-way down the Bank branch, given there certainly are places they could reverse short of Bank?

Given the rush-hour loadings on the Morden branch, then if everything from the south has to cram onto the ChX branch during the Bank closure, it might make sense to send more to and from Morden rather than increase the Battersea spur to 12tph - this seems a bit excessive.

 

[bramling]

It's a pity (both for the frequency of the Morden service and for City connections) that it's not possible to run some Morden trains at least a little way up the Bank branch then Bank itself is closed; surely a crossover at London Bridge would be good for flexibility and on occasions like this. Was it not possible to add one when the lines at London Bridge were being reshuffled a few years back to increase platform capacity there?

Will any services from the north go part-way down the Bank branch, given there certainly are places they could reverse short of Bank?

Given the rush-hour loadings on the Morden branch, then if everything from the south has to cram onto the ChX branch during the Bank closure, it might make sense to send more to and from Morden rather than increase the Battersea spur to 12tph - this seems a bit excessive.

There used to be a crossover at London Bridge until the extra platform was added, but the decision was taken not to provide it in the new layout. In fact, the way the new layout was designed, there is a complete empty tunnel which could allow its relatively easy reinstatement, but for the fact some passenger concourse tunnels (and perhaps a modern lift shaft) cut through it.

Whether it would be much use for the Bank works is a matter for discussion, as it would be quite close to the works.

A case of what might have been though.

I’d treat the Geoff Marshall figures with some caution - TFL are fully aware of the heavy demand from Morden, and one of the reasons Battersea is opening with a fairly light service is for that very reason that they don’t want to give with one hand and take away with the other.

 

[AlbertBeale]

There used to be a crossover at London Bridge until the extra platform was added, but the decision was taken not to provide it in the new layout. In fact, the way the new layout was designed, there is a complete empty tunnel which could allow its relatively easy reinstatement, but for the fact some passenger concourse tunnels (and perhaps a modern lift shaft) cut through it.

Whether it would be much use for the Bank works is a matter for discussion, as it would be quite close to the works.

A case of what might have been though.

I’d treat the Geoff Marshall figures with some caution - TFL are fully aware of the heavy demand from Morden, and one of the reasons Battersea is opening with a fairly light service is for that very reason that they don’t want to give with one hand and take away with the other.

I hadn't realised they'd actually removed a crossing when London Bridge was revamped! That seems a bit short-sighted.

 

[ijmad]

Will any services from the north go part-way down the Bank branch, given there certainly are places they could reverse short of Bank?

London Reconnections had a best guess that 16tph would run down to Moorgate, but this seems optimistic to me given the single crossover (only Platform 8 can be used to turn trains back North). But to bring things back on topic, this guess was made when the blockade was expected before the extension opened, and before the coronavirus pandemic began, so it seems like all bets are off now.

 

[bramling]

I hadn't realised they'd actually removed a crossing when London Bridge was revamped! That seems a bit short-sighted.

I guess it was simply a cost thing. Whilst the civil work for the diversion actually maintained the crossover route (more through luck than design though), the area would have needed completely resignalling with a new interlocking, as one set of points would have moved some distance south of the station.

When the JLE works were factored in, evidently retaining the facility was decided against.

 

[AY1975]

Is there anything worth seeing from these new stations?
Or is a quick bus to another station in order?

Looking at Google Maps I see that there's a pub called the Duchess Belle almost opposite Battersea Power Station station which looks quite nice: https://www.bellepubsandrestaurants.co.uk/duchessbelle

Here are a couple of YouTube clips from the opening day yesterday which are well worth watching:

 

[ChiefPlanner]

All quite impressive and loving the "new" feel of the line and stations. Quite busy too and one of the station staff mentioned they had a proper "peak" yesterday. (construction workers)

Station finishes seem a bit brighter than the eternal grey of the JLE.

Stockwell has a well established Portugese population , and across the road from Nine Elms can be found some cafes / a resturaunt / and a deli that does epic coffee and a range of excellent food, including the celebrated custard tarts.

 

[Bayum]

Looking at Google Maps I see that there's a pub called the Duchess Belle almost opposite Battersea Power Station station which looks quite nice: https://www.bellepubsandrestaurants.co.uk/duchessbelle

Here are a couple of YouTube clips from the opening day yesterday which are well worth watching:

I find it disheartening that Wandsworth offered developers the chance to reduce the number of affordable housing built to pay for a project that would ultimately increase the value of their developments.

 

[Royston Vasey]

The design of the updated tube map would also suggest that Charing Cross branch trains cannot access the Morden branch, which isn't the case.

It seems like they've prioritised showing that there's NO link from Bank to Battersea, rather than showing that there IS a link between Charing Cross and Morden

I realise that the Charing Cross branch couldn't come down to Kennington and then "back up and across" to Battersea Power Station, but showing two white dots in effect for the same southbound platform would surely be a better solution

New tube map:

The onboard maps are ok

I played around in MS Paint to try to improve on this and it's very difficult to make it work and also to make sure that it doesn't appear possible to connect the Bank branch with Batterseaa Power Station.

The best I could come up with was this (either a solid or dotted line) - even though the same platform is essentially represented twice (and with a massive walkway between it and itself)

It would have been a lot easier to represent the Battersea branch as a simple horizontal line from Kennington, and place Vauxhall above it, but it then becomes impossible to represent Vauxhall being in Z1/2 without the Battersea branch also passing through Z2, which it doesn't.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Looking at Google Maps I see that there's a pub called the Duchess Belle almost opposite Battersea Power Station station which looks quite nice: https://www.bellepubsandrestaurants.co.uk/duchessbelle

Here are a couple of YouTube clips from the opening day yesterday which are well worth watching:

Geoff Marshall, pointing out the indicator with the first train from P1 to Kennington, and the second to Edgware, says - in reference to the latter - that he doesn't know whether it's going via ChX or Bank. He of all people should know that only one of those is possible!

Also, despite the fact that trains from the extension can only go via ChX (or perhaps because...) the indicators surely ought to say a "via" along with the final destination, as is normal on the Northern Line?

 

[LUYMun]

When it restarts, is Battersea Power Station qualifiable for a Night Tube service?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It will be 60 mph, however the Northern has been running with a line-wide TSR of 50 mph for many years due to rolling stock issues. There has been work going on to lift this, not sure if they actually have though.

It reminded me today of the first trip on the "new" JLE many years ago - goes like a proverbial bomb - and a superb ride on new track.

How long I wonder till the tube mice find it......?

 

[AY1975]

All quite impressive and loving the "new" feel of the line and stations. Quite busy too and one of the station staff mentioned they had a proper "peak" yesterday. (construction workers)

Station finishes seem a bit brighter than the eternal grey of the JLE.

Stockwell has a well established Portugese population , and across the road from Nine Elms can be found some cafes / a resturaunt / and a deli that does epic coffee and a range of excellent food, including the celebrated custard tarts.

Yes, and Vauxhall is also within walking distance of Nine Elms station. There are a few good eating and drinking establishments round there, including the Bonnington Cafe, a very nice vegetarian restaurant on Vauxhall Grove: www.bonningtoncafe.co.uk

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Yes, and Vauxhall is also within walking distance of Nine Elms station. There are a few good eating and drinking establishments round there, including the Bonnington Cafe, a very nice vegetarian restaurant on Vauxhall Grove: www.bonningtoncafe.co.uk

Such a lovely day - I walked all the way back to Blackfriars along the river as much as possible. Whilst Nine Elms is quite an established residential area , the new developments twixt there and Vauxhall is amazing. I think the new line will do very well. Yes I know it is not all social housing.

I love the comment in tonight's Standard by Andy Byford how the line is going to play a pivotal part in the regeneration , and delighted to note that the first trains left to the tune of The Jam - "Going Underground" (sung by a local choir)

 

[the sniper]

Geoff Marshall, pointing out the indicator with the first train from P1 to Kennington, and the second to Edgware, says - in reference to the latter - that he doesn't know whether it's going via ChX or Bank. He of all people should know that only one of those is possible!

May well have been joking, maybe just tired...

 

[AlbertBeale]

Such a lovely day - I walked all the way back to Blackfriars along the river as much as possible. Whilst Nine Elms is quite an established residential area , the new developments twixt there and Vauxhall is amazing. I think the new line will do very well. Yes I know it is not all social housing.

I love the comment in tonight's Standard by Andy Byford how the line is going to play a pivotal part in the regeneration , and delighted to note that the first trains left to the tune of The Jam - "Going Underground" (sung by a local choir)

"Not all..."!? Virtually none is social housing as far as I can discover! Some isn't lived in at all.

 

[Mikey C]

May well have been joking, maybe just tired...

And he corrected himself later in the video anyway

 

[Royston Vasey]

"Not all..."!? Virtually none is social housing as far as I can discover! Some isn't lived in at all.

Jago Hazzard's video mentioned that the social housing share had been reduced from 20%+ to only 9% as a stipulation by the developer to fund their >£200 million share of the extension project costs.

 

[trebor79]

Strictly speaking, it's Battersea Power Station station of course, because the Station in the title relates to Battersea Power. By a remarkable coincidence, the station nearby at Vauxhall could be called, if translated into Russian, Vauxhall vokzal, as a word for station in Putinland is vokzal (I hesitate to say THE word out of ignorance). Google is your friend if you wish to delve into this further.

Coincidentally, I'm reading a historically-inspired novel at the moment which explained why the Russian for "station" is "vokzal". Apparently it's because before the first railways were built in Russia, a Russian was shown Vauxhall station and saw signs proclaiming "Vauxhall", and assumed that he was looking "at a vauxhall", rather that looking at "a station called 'Vauxhall'". So they Russianised vauxhall to vokzal.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Coincidentally, I'm reading a historically-inspired novel at the moment which explained why the Russian for "station" is "vokzal". Apparently it's because before the first railways were built in Russia, a Russian was shown Vauxhall station and saw signs proclaiming "Vauxhall", and assumed that he was looking "at a vauxhall", rather that looking at "a station called 'Vauxhall'". So they Russianised vauxhall to vokzal.

That's an urban myth. Another explanation is that Vauxhall entered the Russian language as the word for a pleasure garden and then came to mean a railway station.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, public places of entertainment were apparently called "Vauxhalls", in reference to the London Vauxhall Gardens. For a century and a half, Vauxhall was a household name, and was generalized in some languages. Polish, for example, still has "foksal" for a pleasure garden, and Dutch has (had?) "vauxhall" for public attraction or funfair.

In Russia, the Pavlovsky voxal terminus was designed, in 1838, to attract the public, and the name was generalized for the second time to mean all train stations, and later also bus stations, with facilities for passengers.

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[Hadders]

I rode the loop on Monday afternoon. A driver waiting on the platform told me the train was terminating and I asked if I could stay on to ride the loop.

‘Ok if you want’ was his reply, so I stayed on

 

[Grumbler]

I rode the loop on Monday afternoon. A driver waiting on the platform told me the train was terminating and I asked if I could stay on to ride the loop.

‘Ok if you want’ was his reply, so I stayed on

One evening over half a century ago, I rode a Victoria line train from Euston to Finsbury Park before it was open to the public south of Highbury and Islington. I remember people looking rather surprised when they got on a supposedly empty train at H&I and saw me already on it!