Transport in London in the 2010s

As we approach the beginning of a new decade, with lots of exciting changes for the London Underground and public transport in London, I take a look back on how the network has changed over the past 10 years. New stations on the DLR and London Overground, the introduction of contactless payments and saying good bye to old tube stock, there have been plenty of upgrades and changes in London. The 2010s, however, maybe remembered for something that should have been completed but has faced numerous delays, Crossrail, or as announced in 2016 the railway that will be named the Elizabeth Line upon opening. 

The last station to be added to the London Underground was Wood Lane in 2008. In fact, only one other station has opened on the tube in the 21st century and that was Heathrow Terminal 5 in the same year. In the 2010s, there have been some major upgrade works at London Underground stations and lines. From major station upgrades associated with the Crossrail programme, to the removal of the remaining wooden escalator at Greenford station, to major signalling improvements on numerous lines, this decade has been very important. It is often hard to imagine that some sections of the London Underground opened over 155 years ago, yet improvements are being made to modernise the tube. 

A major addition to the London Underground in the 2010s was the introduction of the Night Tube in August 2016. Not without its controversy, the Night Tube is currently made up of services on Friday and Saturday nights on parts of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines, and the London Overground, and services on all of the Jubilee and Victoria lines. Over 8 million people used night tube in its first year and will see an economic boost of over £12m a year for London. 

But on the London Underground we said good bye to three stocks in the 2010s. The final 1967 Stock train on the Victoria line ran on 30 June 2011. The 1967 Stock has been replaced by the 2009 Stock, which has a capacity of over 1,175 people. The general reception to the 2009 Stock has been positive with incarriage displays with real time information, nearly 20% more standing room and speed. 

On 26 September 2012 we said goodbye to the A Stock on the Metropolitan line. The A Stock has been replaced by the S8 Stock. In June 2014 the final C Stock ran on the Circle line and on 21 April 2017 the last D78 Stock ran on the District line. The C69/C77 and D78 Stocks have been replaced by the S7 Stock. The S7 and S8 Stocks are fairly similar and are well liked by both commuters and tourists for their c.25% increase in standing room and air-conditioning. I do however, miss the D78 Stock after having fond memories of using this classic stock from the 1970s when I first starting using the tube as a young child. 

New stock has also entered railway services across London, from Azuma, to Class 700, but for me the most exciting additions have been the Class 345 on TfL Rail or the Class 710 on London Overground. The Class 345 will eventually run on the Elizabeth Line, but are currently in operation on TfL Rail. The seven-car sets entered service in June 2017, however, when operational on the Elizabeth line, they will run nine-car sets. The Class 710 entered service in May 2019, although they were initially planned to enter service in March 2018. This delay caused major problems for passengers on the Gospel Oak to Goblin Line. 

I cannot talk about public transport in London in the 2010s without discussing one of the most important events for the city in decades, the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The games brought huge scale development across London, but especially in the East End around Stratford. The International Olympic Committee initially commented that London's "underground, light rail and regional rail networks will [need to] be substantially upgraded and extended, particularly in east London". 

TfL carried out vast improvements in time for the game. On the London Overground, there were improvements on the East London Line and North London Line. The former London Underground line closed in 2007, but reopened on the London Overground in May 2010 following upgrades and extensions which opened between February 2011 and December 2012. A high-speed rail link from St Pancras International Station to Stratford, and on to Ebbsfleet, was developed for the games. During the games, this rail link was branded as the Olympic Javelin and planned to carry 25,000 people an hour travelling to the Olympic Park. 

For the games, the DLR also received an upgrade. An extension from Canning Town to Stratford International, via. Stratford, opened in August 2011. This extension runs alongside the Jubilee line for the majority of its length. Pudding Mill Lane station was closed during the games. The Emirates Air Line, a 1-kilometre gondola crossing the river Thames from North Greenwich to the Royal Docks, opened in June 2012 in time for the games. The O2 at North Greenwich was a venue for the games, hosting Basketball, Wheelchair Basketball and Gymnastics. 

London received two new railway stations this decade, both on the same section of railway, Lea Bridge and Meridian Water. Re-opening in May 2016, Lea Bridge railway station closed in July 1985, however, railway services began running again on this section of railway in 2005. Nearly 390,000 people used the station in 2017/18. Meridian Water station opened on 3 June 2019 just a few days after London's former least used railway station, Angel Road closed on 30 May 2019. Earlier in the year I boarded the final train from Angel Road, the 19:52 service to Stratford. Although I was not prepared to board the 05:57 on a Monday morning, I did visit Meridian Water on its first day of service. 

Away from railways in London, the 2010s has been an important decade for a variety of public transport modes. The New Routemaster bus entered service in February 2012, expansions to the Tramlink in south London and major and minor infrastructure improvements to encourage walking and cycling. 

There is also plenty to look forward to in the 2020s. The Northern line extension will see new stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station and is expected to be completed in Autumn 2021. There is also planned extensions on the Bakerloo line that will see services extend to New Cross Gate and Lewisham, with two new stations between Elephant & Castle and New Cross Gate. Construction is expected to commence in 2023 and TfL is currently running an online consultation. In 2014 TfL announced their plans for the New Tube for London that will increase capacity on the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines. The New Tube for London is expected to enter service in 2024 on the Piccadilly line. Finally, surely we will see the Elizabeth line open in the 2020s?