London Overground

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Current event marker This article or section contains information about a planned or expected London metro infrastructure or trains.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available.		 Railway station
London Overground
Colour on map Double Orange stripe
Year opened 2007
Line type Primarily surface
Rolling stock Unconfirmed
Stations served 57 (initial network)
Length (km) 86 (initial network)
Length (miles) 54 (initial network)
Depots
Journeys made (not yet operational) (per annum)
Rail lines of
Transport for London
London Underground lines
  Bakerloo
  Central
  Circle
  District
  East London
  Hammersmith & City
  Jubilee
  Metropolitan
  Northern
  Piccadilly
  Victoria
  Waterloo & City
Other lines
  Docklands Light Railway
  Tramlink
  Overground (starts November 2007)

London Overground [1] is the name given to both the network of rail services in London, England, to be provided by the London Rail division of Transport for London (TfL) from 11 November 2007, and the eventual holder of the franchise to operate services on the network. It will initially include the routes that are currently operated by Silverlink Metro, and will include the East London Line (to be renamed East London Railway) upon completion of its phase one extension in 2010.[2]


Contents

[edit] Network

[edit] History

(For early history of some of the lines making up the London Overground, see East London Railway and North London Railway. Also see the North London Line, Watford DC Line, East London Line, West London Line and Gospel Oak to Barking Line.)

On 20 February 2006, it was announced that Transport for London would take over the provision of services that were being provided by Silverlink Metro. Tenders were invited from potential operators for this service under the provisional name of the North London Railway. On 5 September 2006, the London Overground branding was announced, and it was confirmed that the extended East London line would form part of this service.

There are a number of reasons why this set of routes was seen as attractive for direct control by Transport for London.

  • Although the Overground routes cover many areas of London, there is some concentration in the north-east, and services to Stratford, and these are expected to support the 2012 Summer Olympics.
  • Many of the lines pass through less affluent areas, and the services are seen as part of the regeneration of these areas.[3]
  • The North London Line and Gospel Oak to Barking Line have been considered by some to be neglected and not developed to their full potential. [4]

[edit] Scope

The network will consist mostly of railway lines connecting areas outside Central London that avoid the busiest part of the city. A considerable portion of this network will be in Zone 2. However, the initial network will use Euston Station in central London as the terminus of the Watford DC Line.[2] As the name implies, the majority of the network will be above ground, but there are sections of the East London Line that are in cut-and-cover tunnel, and this line also includes the Thames Tunnel.

The routes will be operated by a single franchisee selected in early 2007, and will be branded with a version of the familiar London Underground roundel. [2] The line will appear on tube maps [1], and will be depicted by a double orange stripe. [2] Although services will be provided by Transport for London, the railway lines will be maintained by Network Rail. The franchise itself will be only the third on the National Rail network to be awarded by a body other than the Department for Transport (the others being the Scottish domestic franchise, awarded by Scotland's devolved government, and the Merseyrail franchise, awarded by the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive).

[edit] Routes

[edit] Initial operations

Initially, the London Overground will consist of the following lines. All of them are currently operated by National Express under the Silverlink Metro brand and are part of National Rail:

The exact nature of operation on these lines is still to be announced but it is likely that there will be a number of through services from Clapham Junction to Stratford.

[edit] East London Line extension

The possible extent of the London Overground, with confirmed routes shown in orange. The section in brown may be transferred to the Bakerloo Line with the section through Primrose Hill reopening, leaving the Euston section without services. The section beyond Stratford is due to close before the network opens. The blue section is phase 2 of the East London Line extension and is currently unfunded.
Main article: East London Line

The East London Line (as the East London Railway) will be part of the network when the extension opens in 2010. This will incorporate new southern termini at Crystal Palace and West Croydon as well as the existing terminus at New Cross. The northern extension of the line will be mostly along the Broad Street viaduct and the original Phase 1 plans were that the extension would terminate just south of the North London Line at Dalston Junction. However, the mayor has stated his intention that the link between the North London Line and East London Line be delivered as part of this phase. When this link was initially mooted, it was stated that trains on the East London Line would travel as far as Highbury & Islington, but the mayor implied that there may be through services between Richmond and West Croydon using much of the existing North London line and extended East London line. [6]

[edit] Other proposed routes

  • Plans to re-extend the Bakerloo Line to Watford Junction have been approved in principle, but no timeline has been set out. If this is done, it is possible then that the entire section from Queens Park to Watford Junction will be taken over by the London Underground. London Overground services may be diverted to a line currently not used for passenger operations, between Primrose Hill Junction and Camden Road via Primrose Hill, and there could be a through service from Queen's Park to Stratford. The DC line from Euston to Primrose Hill Junction would then see no passenger service.
  • The East London Line extension Phase 2 plans incorporate an extension from Surrey Quays to the South London Line, and then along this line to Clapham Junction. This would then create an orbital network around London: the Orbirail concept. However, this phase of the extension is currently unfunded.

[edit] Franchise

Image:londonoverground.jpg
Franchise(s): London Overground Network
2007-
Main Region(s): Greater London
Other Region(s): Hertfordshire
Fleet size: Unconfirmed
Stations: 57
Parent company: Transport for London
Web site: www.tfl.gov.uk/rail/

[edit] Franchise bidding

Four prospective operators have been pre-selected for the London Overground franchise:

The successful operator will be selected in Spring 2007 and begin operations from 11 November 2007.

[edit] Rolling stock

The service will begin operation using older stock[1]. Silverlink currently operate the routes using a fleet of Class 313 EMUs and Class 150 DMUs, and London Overground will inherit these[citation needed].

From 2009, the franchise will be operated by a fleet of Electrostars to be built by Bombardier Transportation. The East London Line will have 20 four-car units and the remaining lines will share 24 three-car units [7]. However, alternative arrangements for the Gospel Oak to Barking Line will be required - TfL has recommended to Network Rail that the route be electrified, but there are no concrete plans for this. As a consequence, it is likely that DMUs would continue to be used on the Gospel Oak to Barking [8]

The Watford DC line may be switched to newly-retired Victoria Line stock before it is transferred to the Bakerloo Line.[9]

[edit] Trivia

  • The initial London Overground network will interchange with the following London Underground lines: Bakerloo, Central, District, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Northern, Victoria.
  • When the East London Line extension opens, the London Overground part of Whitechapel tube station will be below the London Underground part.
  • When this extension opens, the London Overground will contain the oldest tunnel under the Thames, the Thames Tunnel, originally intended for horse-drawn carriages (though only ever used for pedestrians and trains).

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Transport for London - Introducing 'London Overground'
  2. ^ a b c d BBC London News - London Overground plans unveiled (September 2007)
  3. ^ [1]- Response to Network Rail's Draft Cross London Route Utilisation Strategy.
  4. ^ London Assembly - London's Forgotten Railway: The Transport Committee's review of the North London Railway (PDF)
  5. ^ [2] - Latest Tube Map
  6. ^ Transport for London - Introducing 'London Overground'
  7. ^ Transport for London TfL awards £223m new trains contract
  8. ^ Transport for London TfL welcomes support for North London Railway plans
  9. ^ Always Touch Out London Rail Authority

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Current scheduled passenger train operators in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Domestic: Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect
First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central1 - GNER - Heathrow Connect
Hull Trains - Island Line2 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline - Northern Rail
Northern Ireland Railways3 - 'one' - Silverlink - Southeastern - Southern
South West Trains2 - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains
International: Enterprise3 - Eurostar
Airport Link: Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express4
Sleeper: Caledonian Sleeper5 - Night Riviera6
1 Starts 20 May 2007 - 2 To be replaced by the South Western franchise in February 2007
3 Operated on the Irish railway network - 4 Operated by 'one' - 5 Operated by First ScotRail
6 Operated by First Great Western


Future passenger train operators in Great Britain
New Franchises: Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - London Overground1 - South Western2
West Midlands1
Proposed open-access
operators:		 Grand Union3 - Wrexham & Shropshire4
1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Starts February 2007 - 3 Proposed - 4 Awaiting Approval
edit
Railway lines in London:
North London:  Dudding Hill Line   Hertford Loop Line   Gospel Oak-Barking Line   North London Line   Northern City Line   Lea Valley Lines  
 St Albans Branch Line   Thameslink   Watford DC Line
East London:  Romford-Upminster Line
South London:  Bexleyheath Line   Bromley North Line   Catford Loop Line   Greenwich Line   Dartford Loop Line
 Hayes Line   Hounslow Loop Line   South London Lines   Tattenham Corner Line   Thameslink
West London:  West London Line
Proposed network: London Overground
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