Gospel Oak to Barking - What is going on?

Since being established in 2007 the London Overground has largely been regarded as successful. Comprising of 112 stations and nine routes, the London Overground serves 189 million people a year. In recent years the Gospel Oak to Barking line (GOBLIN) has however been viewed as less successful. The line that serves 12 stations over 22.1km of track is now down to just three operational trains, and operates half hourly services rather than the regular 15 minute service.

Until recently, only short amounts of the line were electrified. The line was operated by diesel Class 172s and they were due to be replaced by new electric Class 710s in November 2018. The new Class 710s have still not entered service and the leases for the Class 172s have now ended. Transport for London have moved three Class 378s onto the GOBLIN until the new trains are ready for operation. Class 378s operate elsewhere on the London Overground in five car formations, but the three trains on the GOBLIN have temporarily been reduced to four cars. 

TfL have stated that despite less frequent services, capacity should not be affected. This is because the Class 172s operated with just two cars every 15 minutes. The new Class 710s will operate with four carriages which will have capacity for 195 seats and 480 standing passengers, compared to the Class 172s which had capacity for 120 seats and 135 standing passengers. Similar to the Class 345s that are operating on TfL rail and due to operate on Crossrail, the new Class 710s will not have a yellow front. 

The £133 million electrification project began in June 2016 and works were complete by January 2018. During this time, however, the line was closed for ten months and has been beset by delays and cancellations. Overall TfL have ordered over 50 Class 710s from Bombardier for the London Overground. TfL have told Rail magazine that they are pressing Bombardier daily to resolve the GOBLIN crisis, but they have no indication as to when the Class 710s will enter service. 

There are also additional plans for the GOBLIN with the planned extension to Barking Riverside due to open in 2021. This will accommodate the 10,800-home Barking Riverside housing development. There may also be plans to extend the line beyond Barking Riverside and over the River Thames to Thamesmead and onto Abbey Wood. The Barking to Gospel Oak Rail User Group (BGORUG) have campaigned to reopen Junction Road railway station, located in Tufnell Park. The station was closed in May 1943 and is located Tufnell Park Underground station and would provide a second interchange between the GOBLIN and the Northern line. Upper Holloway London Overground station is also within close proximity to the Archway Northern line station. 

For more information on the GOBLIN and for provisional timetables, visit the Gospel Oak to Barking trains page on the TfL website. The website also includes information regarding refunds for regular passengers who use Zone 1 was a result of the temporary timetable changes.

25/270 - Greenford

I start this blog with an anecdote. A few months ago I went to a pub quiz and there was a London Underground round - huge pressure when you are a massive tube geek! The question was 3 Central line stations that relate to the following three clues:

• Harry Potter
• Green space for the smallest people in Europe
• Incline

You may be wondering what this has to do with Greenford, but I will reveal the 'answers' at the end of the blog. 

Greenford is a Central line station on the West Ruislip branch. There has been a national rail station at Greenford since 1904, but the present Central line station opened in June 1947 and was built adjacent to the national rail station. The national rail station closed in 1963, although a bay platform for national rail services is sandwiched between the Central line platforms. This platform serves the Greenford branch operated by Great Western Railway. A new 'ghost train' operated by Chiltern Railway uses the Greenford branch for their once a day 11:02 service from South Ruislip to West Ealing. 

Greenford was the first London Underground station above street level to have escalators up to platforms. Greenford was the only station to have such escalators until platform 3A on the Central line at Stratford opened in 2010 providing improved connectivity between westbound Central line services and the Jubilee line and DLR. Until 2014, Greenford was the final station to have a wooden-treaded escalator in service. 

Greenford station became step-free in October 2015 when an innovative and unique incline lift was installed. The incline lift or 'inclinator' was one of the first of its kind in any railway station in the UK. Another example of an inclinator in London is on the northern side of the Millennium bridge in central London. There are also plans for Farringdon and Liverpool Street to receive incline lifts as part of Crossrail.

The semaphore signals on the National Rail line at Greenford are well worth looking for if you visit the station. These signals are one of the last remaining examples in London. This section of railway never replaced its semaphore signals as the decline in rail traffic did not justify the costs of modernisation. 

Greenford is a unique station and is well worth a visit. Riding the incline lift or inclinator is a particular highlight, as well as visiting the first escalator from street level to London Underground platforms. 

Finally, back to the pub quiz! 

1. Wandstead 
2. Holland Park (an earlier question in the quiz revealed that the population of Netherlands is on average the smallest in Europe in terms of height) 
3. Bank (It was a play on words and not a clue making reference to the first incline lift on the London Underground)