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| Re: London news (63745) | |||
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Re: London news |
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Posted by Rail Blue on Tue Mar 15 04:57:23 2005, in response to Re: London news, posted by David Fairthorne on Mon Mar 14 22:51:25 2005. That suggests that a better Crossrail route would run between Lewisham and Raynes Park. Hard to do above ground because of those brick viaducts, and I'm not sure if there is room for more tracks on the surface as you get near Lewisham or Raynes Park. It would probably have to go underground, and ideally it should run via the City and West End.The western part would be very easy. You make Wimbledon (District) station through, and put in a flyover immediately SW of the station. That can take over the Sutton/Epsom/Chessington Lines, leaving enough capacity on the Main Slow for everything else. Then you build the proposed Chelney alignment under the King's Road from Parson's Green to Victoria (intermediate stops at Chelsea West, Chelsea, Sloane Sq). Continue it under the parks to Charing X, then under the Strand (Aldwych), Fleet St (Ludgate Circus), Ludgate Hill, St Paul's Chyd, Cannon St (Cannon St - Monument), Gracechurch St, Fenchurch St (Fenchurch St - Aldgate), Aldgate, Aldgate High St, Whitechapel High St, Commercial Rd, West India Dock Rd, then some alignment through the Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf), then via either Deptford or Greenwich to an underground station at Lewisham, with ramps up South of the station to the SE Main Slow and Mid Kent Lines. And 4-tracking through Borough Market Junction. Without Thameslink 2000 or something similar, that may not be strictly necessary, but there could be some operational simplification in that the fast and slow tracks could be kept separate. The limiting factor is not so much the viaduct but the platform capacity of Charing Cross and London Bridge stations. Overcrowding on the South Eastern could be alleviated by completing the suburban platform lengthening to 12 cars and actually running 12 car trains. Even without sending the trains to the Great Northern, there is spare terminal capacity at Blackfriars. The problem is that Blackfriars is a bit of a middle-of-nowhere station. Platform extensions to the south would block the station approach. Platform extensions to the north would encroach on the concourse. However you could reduce the number of platforms and lenghthen the remaining ones. To run more trains you would need better signalling. Double-decker suburban trains are another possibility, but there may not be enough height. Reducing the number of platforms at Waterloo is the last thing anyone wants. You need a lot of platforms when you have 8 approach tracks. Double deckers wouldn't work without altering practically every overbridge. |
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