North London Line

North London Line

A Class 378 "Capitalstar" at Canonbury in June 2010
Overview
Type Commuter rail, Suburban rail, Freight rail, Heavy rail, Rapid transit
System National Rail
London Underground
Status Operational
Locale Greater London
Termini Richmond
Stratford
Stations 23
Services 1
Operation
Opened 1869 (fully)
June 2010 (Gospel Oak - Stratford re-opened)
2011 (full service resumed)
Closed 2006 (Stratford - North Woolwich)
February 2010 (Gospel Oak - Stratford for engineering works)
Owner Network Rail
Operator(s) London Overground
London Underground (District line)
Depot(s) Willesden TMD
Rolling stock Class 378 Capitalstar
London Underground D78 Stock
London Underground S7 Stock
Technical
No. of tracks 2-4
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 25 kV AC OHLE
750 V DC third rail

The North London Line is a railway line of the London Overground, which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail and London Overground.

Although much of it originated as part of the North London Railway, the current route is the result of a series of amalgamations, closures and reopenings; and has a mixed third-rail and overhead electrical power supply. It is an important freight route and is used by the Richmond to Stratford service of the London Overground, as part of the National Rail network.[1] Also between Richmond and Gunnersbury, London Underground's District line shares tracks with London Overground services, although this part is also owned and maintained by Network Rail.

The line closed in February 2010 between Gospel Oak and Stratford for the installation of a new signalling system and the extension of 30 platforms, ultimately to allow four-car trains to run on the London Overground network. The line reopened on 1 June 2010 with a reduced service and none on Sundays,[2] and with the upgrade work completed the full seven-day service resumed on 22 May 2011.

History

Formation

North London Line

Legend
Waterloo to Reading Line to Reading
Richmond National Rail London Underground

Shared tracks with District line
from Richmond to Gunnersbury

Waterloo to Reading Line to Waterloo

Kew Gardens London Underground

Kew Railway Bridge over River Thames

Hounslow Loop Line ǀ Chiswick ǀ Kew Bridge

Kew (1853–1866)

Gunnersbury London Underground

District line via Earl's Court
Former freight/Super Outer Circle link

District and Piccadilly lines
South Acton Junction
→ Former link to Acton Town

South Acton
Former freight link
Former branch to Hammersmith & Chiswick
Acton Central
Great Western Main Line
South Wales Main Line

Hub = Acton Wells Junction

Central line
New North Main Line

to West Coast and Dudding Hill Lines

West London Line to Clapham Junction
Old Oak sidings

West Coast Main Line (→ via Watford Junction)
Watford DC and Bakerloo lines (northbound)

Willesden Junction London Underground
Watford DC and
Bakerloo lines (southbound)

→ to West Coast Main Line
Kensal Green turnback siding
Kensal Green and Harlesden
Kensal Rise
Brondesbury Park
Brondesbury

Chiltern Main Line
Metropolitan line (wraps Jubilee line tracks)

Jubilee line

West Hampstead National Rail London Underground

Midland Main Line (→ via Kentish Town)

Thameslink
Finchley Road & Frognal
Hampstead Heath tunnel above Northern line
Hampstead Heath
Freight link

Gospel Oak  Gospel Oak to Barking Line

Midland Main Line
Kentish Town West
West Coast Main Line to Euston
Watford DC Line to Euston
Primrose Hill

Northern line
Camden Road
← to St. Pancras
Midland Main Line (← to St. Pancras)
High Speed 1 (← to St. Pancras ↓ to Channel Tunnel)
Maiden Lane
East Coast Main Line (← King's CrossEdinburgh)
Piccadilly line
Caledonian Road & Barnsbury (first site)
Caledonian Road & Barnsbury

Highbury & Islington National Rail London Underground

Victoria line

Northern City Line
to East Coast Main Line
Canonbury
Canonbury (first site)
Mildmay Park
Dalston Kingsland

Dalston Junction
(originally on City Branch;
now on East London Line)

Graham Road curve
← to Liverpool Street Lea Valley Lines
Hackney Central
Homerton
High Speed 1
Victoria Park
Former North London Railway
Hackney Wick
River Lea
to Lea Valley Lines

DLR to Stratford International

Stratford National Rail London Underground Docklands Light Railway Crossrail

 (HL) to Richmond

 (HL) Great Eastern Main Line

 (HL) Central line

 (HL) DLR to Lewisham

 (LL) DLR via Canning Town

 (LL) Jubilee line to Stanmore

Former EC&TJR route
to North Woolwich

Stratford High Street
Abbey Road

District and Hammersmith & City lines

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway

West Ham National Rail London Underground

Star Lane
DLR to Bank or Tower Gateway
Canning Town
Jubilee line to Stanmore
from Tidal Basin to beyond Pontoon Dock,

 DLR is elevated on line of Silvertown Tramway

Tidal Basin
Royal Victoria
Crossrail (under construction)
Custom House

DLR to Beckton
West Silvertown → to Gallions
Pontoon Dock
Connaught tunnel (27 ch long)
DLR to Woolwich Arsenal
Silvertown Tramway (left) was first EC&TJR route

Silvertown
North Woolwich
Crossrail under River Thames
to Abbey Wood (under construction)

The North London Line between Richmond and North Woolwich derives from five connecting sections which were opened over 25 years from 1846:

Developments

The line between Broad Street and both Kew Bridge and Richmond was electrified by the LNWR in 1916 on the 4th rail DC system.

In 1944 passenger service on the NLR Poplar branch ceased. Freight traffic continued on the branch until the docks on the Isle of Dogs until 1980. The trackbed of the southern part of the branch, from Poplar to Bow, was used for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) branch to Stratford.

The service was listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report, with losses claimed as being £69,000 per year - £1.1 million in today's money. It was saved after a huge campaign. The line was Grant Aided under the 1986 Transport Act and was under threat when the Conservative Government of 1970-71 proposed to reduce Grant Aid funding. That threat - eventually removed - led to the founding of a new campaign group, the North London Line Committee which tried to work with British Rail management to promote the service.

In 1979 the North Woolwich to Stratford service was extended to Camden Road as the CrossTown LinkLine service using the same Cravens-built diesel multiple unit trains. There were no intermediate stations until in 1980 Hackney Wick, near the site of the former Victoria Park station, opened and Hackney Central re-opened, Homerton re-opened in 1985 (both those stations had closed in 1944). New platforms were built at West Ham for interchange with the adjacent Underground station.

Closures

In the 1980s Broad Street station closed and the Tottenham Hale–Stratford link and the station at Lea Bridge ceased to be used by regular passenger trains. The line between Dalston and North Woolwich was electrified on the third-rail system and Broad Street services were diverted to North Woolwich using former Southern Region 2-EPB types built in the 1950s. The two-car trains soon proved too small and were replaced by three-car 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, as with the Poplar branch (see above), the line between Stratford and North Woolwich was permanently closed to make a way for a future DLR extension from Canning Town to Stratford International (opened February 2011). The section south of Canning Town was not used by the DLR as it is largely duplicated by the DLR King George V branch. Instead, the section will become part of Crossrail's branch to Abbey Wood (opening 2018). 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.

Poor performance before the TFL take over

Despite published performance figures[3] the North London Line used to be regarded by frequent travellers as offering a poor service,[4] with extremely congested trains and an unreliable service[5] with trains often cancelled shortly before they are due to arrive. A 2006 London Assembly report described the current service as "shabby, unreliable, unsafe and overcrowded", proposing the transfer of the service to Transport for London (TfL) as a solution to improve the quality of the service[6] due to upgrade plans[7] which coincided with the extension of the East London line. A report on the line can be found on the London Assembly website.[8]

TfL

The North London Line, as part of Silverlink, along with the West London Line, Gospel Oak to Barking Line and the Watford DC Line, was transferred to Transport for London (TfL) in 2007 to form its new London Overground service. TfL began to remodel stations, integrate lines and following the transfer and extension of the East London Line, aims to create an orbital rail service. TfL also brought in new trains and the line, which previously appeared on tube maps following a public campaign, gained its own colour. TfL extensively refurbished and upgraded the line.

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 1986 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. Trains were frequently cancelled as British Rail management needed to prioritise other services, and this led to falling patronage. British Rail applied to close the service in 1990 and the last trains ran wo years later.

In 2000, Anglia Railways 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), West Hampstead and Willesden Junction. The service was withdrawn in 2002.

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 main line 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, with the electrification of the Great Northern Electrics suburban lines in 1976, trains were diverted into Moorgate and London King's Cross stations, 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

Geographical map of the North London Line

Track

Most of the line runs in a curve across north London. Only Richmond and Kew Gardens stations at the western end are 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. It was 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.

During the February–May 2010 bloackade, the Caledonian Road & Barnsbury, Highbury & Islington and Canonbury stations were rebuilt to allow the extended East London line to serve Highbury & Islington on fully segregated tracks on the south side of the cutting. Under the reinstated four-track arrangement, the North London line moved to the north side of the cutting between Dalston Kingsland and Highbury and Islington, before switching to the inner pair of tracks towards the former Maiden Lane station, leaving the outer pair for freight use only.

Traction current supply

The line is electrified using the third rail system from Richmond to Acton Central. Overhead lines are used from Acton Central to Stratford. The line to Broad Street used third rail supply and when the through service to North Woolwich started in 1985 trains used the third rail throughout. When the trains were replaced a few years later by dual-voltage Class 313 trains it became possible to use the overhead line equipment 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 third rail system which this overcame. This use was steadily extended and trains had to make a number of changes between traction current supplies during their short journey. These were at Dalston Kingsland, Camden Road and Acton Central. With the final upgrade of the line between Camden Road and Stratford, the need to change traction current systems on this stretch was eliminated, and now the only changeover takes place at Acton Central.

Connections

The line crosses or comes into contact with a very large number of railway lines, especially lines radiating from central London. This does provide opportunities to move between separate sectors of suburban London without having to enter the central zone.

Interchanges shown on the tube map

Other interchanges

Former interchanges

Current operations

Rolling stock

Old vs new: a Class 313 and its replacement, a Class 378 Capitalstar at Richmond

Between 1955 and 1985 the North London Line passenger services were operated by Class 501 units which were based at Croxley Green depot near Watford. These also operated an all stations service between Watford Junction and Euston. These were succeeded by Southern Regions Class 416 EMU for a short period with these units being allocated to Selhurst depot in south London.

These were succeeded by Class 313 EMUs which worked the route until 2010.

London Overground (the operator at this date) purchased Class 378 Capitalstar four-car dual-voltage electric trains, compatible with both 750 V DC third-rail and 25 kV AC overhead power sources,[9] and a number of these units are now operating in 5-car formations to address the additional demand on the route.

Service levels

Trains run seven days a week day from approximately 06:00 (09:00 Sundays) until 23:30. During peak times, there are four trains per hour between Richmond and Stratford; and four trains per hour operate between Clapham Junction and Stratford on the West London Line service, making up a total of eight trains per hour between Willesden Junction and Stratford. During off-peak times, there are four trains per hour between Richmond and Stratford, and four trains per hour on the West London line between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction, with two of these per hour continuing to Stratford, making up a total of six trains per hour between Willesden Junction and Stratford.

The introduction of the new four-car, air-conditioned trains, combined with improved signalling and passenger information has dramatically overhauled the service, making it a very effective alternative to travelling through central London for many orbital journeys.

East London Line extension

From March 2011, the extended East London Line connects to the NLL with ELL services joining the line west of Dalston Kingsland, running to Highbury & Islington.,[10][11]

5-car operation

Transport for London has extended platforms at some stations along the route to prepare the line for 5-car operation in 2015. This project aims to combat overcrowding on the line. The first 5-car trains started in Summer 2015 and now the project has been completed successfully.

Map of the London Overground network, with the NLL connected to other lines

Proposed developments

Maiden Lane

Maiden Lane station may be reopened by Camden Council[12] however the Office of Rail Regulation has not included this in the current plans.[13]

Crossrail to Hounslow

Hounslow council proposed that part of the North London Line be used as a branch of Crossrail to Hounslow.[14] This would see Crossrail services stopping at Acton Central and South Acton. However it was not included in the initial Crossrail bill, but could potentially form part of a later extension.

Old Oak Common

Under the former government's plans for High Speed 2 line from London Euston to Birmingham; a new station called Old Oak Common would be built by 2025 serving the North London Line, West London Line, High Speed 2 and Crossrail. The new government does support this after opposing it at first.[15]

North Acton

Another new station at North Acton is proposed for interchange with the Central line. As this may require the central line station being moved to the east, it is merely an aspiration.

High Speed 2

The planned link between the proposed High Speed 2 line and the existing High Speed 1 line would have used the North London Line alignment around Camden Road station which may have reduced the existing or future capacity of the line. Due to its heavy investment in the line and the passenger growth on it, Transport for London is against the alignment's use as a link between the two High Speed lines.[16] This link has now been removed from the parliamentary bill.

Closed stations

Silverlink Metro 313117 at North Woolwich on 9 December 2006, the final day of service at that station

Closed stations apart from those on the closed sections of the line are:

City Extension

On 1 November 1865 the NLR opened its City Extension mostly on a viaduct from a triangular junction at Dalston to Broad Street in the City with these stations:

The extension closed on 30 June 1986, but although the track was lifted the viaduct remained in place. In 2010, the route was re-opened as part of the extended East London Line, which, like the North London Line, is operated by London Overground.

North Woolwich section

On 10 December 2006, the former Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway line between Stratford and North Woolwich was closed to allow building between Stratford and Canning Town of a Docklands Light Railway line to Stratford International. Part of the south end of closed section is to be used for Crossrail.[17]

NLL stations closed were:

DLR and Jubilee line services are not affected at the first three of those stations.

The DLR line to Stratford International uses the former NLL low level platforms at Stratford. NLL trains now terminate at new platforms on the north side of the high level station.

References

  1. "Route 6 - North London Line and Thameside : 2009 Route Plan" (PDF). Network Rail. 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
  2. "London Overground to close from Gospel Oak to Stratford as part of £326m upgrade to deliver longer, more frequent trains". TfL. 18 December 2009. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  3. "Silverlink rises to second position in the national performance league". 2006-09-18. Retrieved 2007-10-26. Association of Train Operating Companies Press Releases
  4. Sharp, Rachel (2007-10-24). "TfL to take on rail network". Ealing Times. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  5. "Braced for rail strikes". Hackney Gazette. 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  6. London Assembly - Light at end of the tunnel for London's forgotten railway
  7. Always Touch Out - London Overground & Orbirail
  8. London's forgotten railway (PDF)
  9. Transport for London - £36m contract to bring extra rail carriages for London Overground
  10. Transport for London - East London Railway project
  11. Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington now Connected
  12. King's Cross Development plan (PDF)
  13. "Sections 17/18 - Section 17 and 18 - new track access contracts : Office of Rail Regulation". Rail-reg.gov.uk. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  14. "A4" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  15. No business case' to divert HS2 via Heathrow, say Mawhinney Page 6-7, Rail Magazine, Issue 649, 28 July to 10 August 2010
  16. Transport Select Committee, 28 June 2011, House of Commons
  17. Transport for London - Stratford International Extension

Bibliography

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