Issue 5 - Sept/Oct2007 - South London Business

September/October 2007 London transport 15
Whitechapel and Highbury and Islington will
be made.
This major project will connect the East
London and North London Rails together,
forming a semi-circle around London.
However, phase two – a £75 million
project that has yet to receive funding – will
extend the Overground services further
from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction
– completing the orbital rail link.
TfL’s London Rail managing director Ian
Brown said: “We are looking forward
to the publication of the Government’s
Comprehensive Spending review, which is
due out later this year.
“London Overground will connect 20 of
London’s 33 boroughs and all Londoners
– both south and north of the river – will
benefit from its high frequency services
on new, air-conditioned trains which will
have much more passenger room and be
completely accessible to all.”
Instead of going into central London
just to come back out, passengers will be
able to access a link from an Overground
station, cutting journey times and easing
congestion.
Mayor Ken Livingstone said the London
Overground will “start the much needed
revitalisation of London rail services,
bringing the standards of service up to the
levels of the tubes and buses.”
Map shows the East London Railway extensions
He said that by joining up the North and
East London Railways, new opportunities
will be created for Londoners. It will
“encourage inclusion across our diverse
economic and cultural centres,” and “will
also be a vital means of increasing capacity
on public transport as London’s population
grows over the next
twenty years.”
As well as developing
the train lines, 44 new
trains are being madeto-order
through a
£223 million contract
with Bombardier. These
trains will run like
tubes, on a frequent,
turn-up-and-go basis.
And will include 24
three-car trains for the
North London Railway from 2009, and 20
four-car trains for the East London Railway
when it opens in 2010.
Another £36 million order has also been
placed with Bombardier to produce an
extra 36 rail carriages, which will be added
in early 2011. These carriages will provide
a further 24 per cent capacity on the
Overground during peak hours and 33 per
cent on the North London Railway alone.
MTR Laing, a joint venture between
manager of the Hong Kong Metro, MTR,
The Overground
trains will display a
new livery
© Transport for London
and manager of the Chiltern Railway,has
been contracted to manage all Overground
services. As part of this contract, all stations
are to be staffed during every open hour
– an attempt to create cleaner, safer and
more attractive stations.
All stations – some of which will be owned
“We want the London Overground
to be as comfortable and familiar to
Londoners and visitors to the capital
as the London Underground. We’re
entering a new era for London Rail
and this is just the beginning.”
by TfL; others rented from Network Rail
– will be gated and have Oyster and payas-you-go
ticketing facilities – an important
step towards making London’s transport
network integrated.
“TfL’s service is to put passengers first,”
added Brown. “We want the London
Overground to be as comfortable and
familiar to Londoners and visitors to the
capital as the London Underground. We’re
entering a new era for London Rail and this
is just the beginning.”
www.southlondonbusiness.co.uk