|
Post by wirewiper on Mar 10, 2024 14:08:34 GMT
So if the Charlton - Blackheath tunnel is having problems, then it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that the Blackheath - Kidbrooke tunnel would be having the same problems, so see the same fate for that in the near future. Kidbrooke Tunnel is newer - the Bexleyheath line did not open until 1895 whereas the line from Blackheath to Charlton opened in 1849. Kidbrooke Tunnel is also 'cosmetic' - the tunnel was only built to hide the railway line from the view of the Cato Estate, owned by a local landowner.
|
|
|
Post by greenboy on Mar 15, 2024 9:41:33 GMT
|
|
|
Post by wirewiper on Mar 15, 2024 10:12:42 GMT
Interesting suggestion that people from West London wanting to go to the North Kent coast might prefer to travel via Abbey Wood, rather than make their way to Charing Cross, Cannon Street or Victoria. Elizabeth Line Reading to Ramsgate, anyone? Maidenhead to Margate? Maybe not so far-fetched as the District Line once had through trains from Ealing Broadway to Southend-on-Sea ....
|
|
|
Post by Dillon95 on Mar 17, 2024 9:06:39 GMT
I just read that the Victoria to Dartford via Bexleyheath services are being extended to Gravesend when the new timetable starts. It’ll apparently be stopping at Greenhithe but skipping Stone Crossing, Swanscombe and Northfleet.
|
|
|
Post by route53 on Mar 18, 2024 15:44:04 GMT
I just read that the Victoria to Dartford via Bexleyheath services are being extended to Gravesend when the new timetable starts. It’ll apparently be stopping at Greenhithe but skipping Stone Crossing, Swanscombe and Northfleet. They’re reducing the link between Gravesend to just two tph by extending the Bexleyheath service, so Gravesend will now have to rely on the unreliable Thameslink to get them to the Liz Line connection at Abbey Wood. Its a bizarre decision quite frankly, all The demand is for Medway/Gravesend to the Liz Line now but this just sums up South Eastern these days
|
|
|
Post by Dillon95 on Mar 18, 2024 16:16:25 GMT
I just read that the Victoria to Dartford via Bexleyheath services are being extended to Gravesend when the new timetable starts. It’ll apparently be stopping at Greenhithe but skipping Stone Crossing, Swanscombe and Northfleet. They’re reducing the link between Gravesend to just two tph by extending the Bexleyheath service, so Gravesend will now have to rely on the unreliable Thameslink to get them to the Liz Line connection at Abbey Wood. Its a bizarre decision quite frankly, all The demand is for Medway/Gravesend to the Liz Line now but this just sums up South Eastern these days I guess they could get the DLR to Canary Wharf from Lewisham on this new service. That would probably be the more reliable route from Gravesend and Greenhithe going forward rather than the Thameslink service on the Woolwich Line. But I agree, it seems like a mistake to me to eliminate a service connecting with Abbey Wood and Woolwich.
|
|
|
Post by ADH45258 on Mar 18, 2024 17:28:19 GMT
They’re reducing the link between Gravesend to just two tph by extending the Bexleyheath service, so Gravesend will now have to rely on the unreliable Thameslink to get them to the Liz Line connection at Abbey Wood. Its a bizarre decision quite frankly, all The demand is for Medway/Gravesend to the Liz Line now but this just sums up South Eastern these days I guess they could get the DLR to Canary Wharf from Lewisham on this new service. That would probably be the more reliable route from Gravesend and Greenhithe going forward rather than the Thameslink service on the Woolwich Line. But I agree, it seems like a mistake to me to eliminate a service connecting with Abbey Wood and Woolwich. For Gravesend and Medway, the fastest route into London would presumably be HS1 (though is a more expensive option). But Dartford/Greenhithe should really have a more frequent link to Abbey Wood. Not just for access to Canary Wharf, but changing at Abbey Wood will be a faster way of getting to some parts of Central London compared to rail services via London Bridge. Ideally the Elizabeth Line really should have just continued beyond Abbey Wood, at least as far as Dartford - allowing passengers from various directions to connect. How difficult would it be for an extension beyond Abbey Wood any time soon? One of the tracks at Abbey Wood does connect to the line via Belvedere, though I suppose the main issue if that the 345s may not be compatible with the third-rail lines.
|
|
|
Post by wirewiper on Mar 18, 2024 18:12:54 GMT
I guess they could get the DLR to Canary Wharf from Lewisham on this new service. That would probably be the more reliable route from Gravesend and Greenhithe going forward rather than the Thameslink service on the Woolwich Line. But I agree, it seems like a mistake to me to eliminate a service connecting with Abbey Wood and Woolwich. For Gravesend and Medway, the fastest route into London would presumably be HS1 (though is a more expensive option). But Dartford/Greenhithe should really have a more frequent link to Abbey Wood. Not just for access to Canary Wharf, but changing at Abbey Wood will be a faster way of getting to some parts of Central London compared to rail services via London Bridge. Ideally the Elizabeth Line really should have just continued beyond Abbey Wood, at least as far as Dartford - allowing passengers from various directions to connect. How difficult would it be for an extension beyond Abbey Wood any time soon? One of the tracks at Abbey Wood does connect to the line via Belvedere, though I suppose the main issue if that the 345s may not be compatible with the third-rail lines. Upgrading Abbey Wood - Dartford to Elizabeth Line standards would involve considerable expense which is why it was ruled out. It's more than a matter of simply running class 345s onto the route. That's not to say it won't happen in the future but it will require substantial investment. The connection is to allow for rolling stock transfers and engineering train access to and from the Elizabeth Line. I do not know if the connection has been commissioned for use yet - a similar connection at Highbury & Islington never has been although the tracks and pointwork are in place.
|
|
|
Post by Dillon95 on Mar 18, 2024 18:27:01 GMT
I guess they could get the DLR to Canary Wharf from Lewisham on this new service. That would probably be the more reliable route from Gravesend and Greenhithe going forward rather than the Thameslink service on the Woolwich Line. But I agree, it seems like a mistake to me to eliminate a service connecting with Abbey Wood and Woolwich. For Gravesend and Medway, the fastest route into London would presumably be HS1 (though is a more expensive option). But Dartford/Greenhithe should really have a more frequent link to Abbey Wood. Not just for access to Canary Wharf, but changing at Abbey Wood will be a faster way of getting to some parts of Central London compared to rail services via London Bridge. Ideally the Elizabeth Line really should have just continued beyond Abbey Wood, at least as far as Dartford - allowing passengers from various directions to connect. How difficult would it be for an extension beyond Abbey Wood any time soon? One of the tracks at Abbey Wood does connect to the line via Belvedere, though I suppose the main issue if that the 345s may not be compatible with the third-rail lines. Hopefully they will one day extend it to Dartford, or even better to Gravesend.
|
|
|
Post by twobellstogo on Mar 18, 2024 20:24:56 GMT
For Gravesend and Medway, the fastest route into London would presumably be HS1 (though is a more expensive option). But Dartford/Greenhithe should really have a more frequent link to Abbey Wood. Not just for access to Canary Wharf, but changing at Abbey Wood will be a faster way of getting to some parts of Central London compared to rail services via London Bridge. Ideally the Elizabeth Line really should have just continued beyond Abbey Wood, at least as far as Dartford - allowing passengers from various directions to connect. How difficult would it be for an extension beyond Abbey Wood any time soon? One of the tracks at Abbey Wood does connect to the line via Belvedere, though I suppose the main issue if that the 345s may not be compatible with the third-rail lines. Hopefully they will one day extend it to Dartford, or even better to Gravesend. The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling!
|
|
|
Post by vjaska on Mar 18, 2024 23:32:50 GMT
Hopefully they will one day extend it to Dartford, or even better to Gravesend. The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling! Does the 345 not have the ability to switch from AC to DC power?
|
|
|
Post by twobellstogo on Mar 19, 2024 7:32:40 GMT
The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling! Does the 345 not have the ability to switch from AC to DC power? Not sure, but it will need shoes regardless.
|
|
|
Post by TA1 on Mar 19, 2024 7:34:04 GMT
The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling! Does the 345 not have the ability to switch from AC to DC power? The class 345 are not dual voltage, so don’t have the capability to change power supply.
|
|
|
Post by Dillon95 on Mar 19, 2024 14:21:20 GMT
Hopefully they will one day extend it to Dartford, or even better to Gravesend. The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling! That was incredibly short sighted of them. You’d think an extension one day through Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green and Dartford would be a natural progression.
|
|
|
Post by twobellstogo on Mar 19, 2024 15:57:14 GMT
The way Abbey Wood is set up makes it very, very difficult to extend the Elizabeth line eastwards and that is before you consider the overhead lines the 345s need. I suspect there’s a little more chance of the line being extended at the other end from Heathrow to Staines, and that requires tunnelling! That was incredibly short sighted of them. You’d think an extension one day through Belvedere, Erith, Slade Green and Dartford would be a natural progression. It’s not unfortunately. Next time you are in Abbey Wood, have a look at platform 4 and you will see what I mean about difficulty. I would personally look at Staines for the next Elizabeth line extension.
|
|