Holborn station - major upgrade planned

[Peter Mugridge]

This notification was forwarded on to me this morning; note that it may spell the end for the use of the Aldwych stub for filming and training as the old branch platform is to be turned into concourse space - although I suppose they could simply wall off the track area:

Transport for London consults on Holborn capacity upgrade 26 Oct 2017

Holborn station is currently used by 63 million passengers a year.

UK: Transport for London is undertaking public consultation until November 17th on proposals to increase capacity at Holborn station on London Underground's Central and Piccadilly lines.

Handling 63 million passengers a year, Holborn is currently the 11th- busiest station on the LU network, and TfL estimates that by 2031 demand will increase by 20% in the morning peak and 29% in the evening peak.

According to TfL, the proposed upgrade would increase the size of the station by 140%, including a new second entrance on Procter Street. Three new lifts would provide step-free access to both sets of platforms from the existing Kingsway entrance, which is to be expanded, and eight additional escalators would increase the total at the station to 15.

Below ground, 700 m of new tunnels would be dug to improve interchange between the Central and Piccadilly line platforms.

Additional concourse space would be provided by using one of the platforms disused since the closure of the Piccadilly Line branch to Aldwych in 1994.

A new traction substation would be built for the planned increase in service frequency on the Central Line. TfL says that funding for the development of the Holborn upgrade 'and to commence construction' has been allocated in its business plan.

 

[D365]

Have the Aldwych branch platforms at Holborn been used for filming anything as frequently as the stub platform at Aldwych?

 

[rebmcr]

Have the Aldwych branch platforms at Holborn been used for filming anything as frequently as the stub platform at Aldwych?

I believe the implication is that rolling stock movements to/from Aldwych Station could be severed.

 

[edwin_m]

Holborn originally had a through platform and a dead-end platform for the Aldwych service, but the track in the dead-end and one of the tunnels was removed many years ago with the shuttle then having just a single track. I think it is this dead-end platform that is converted for other uses, and if so the track connection to Aldwych may not be affected.

 

[jon0844]

This notification was forwarded on to me this morning; note that it may spell the end for the use of the Aldwych stub for filming and training as the old branch platform is to be turned into concourse space - although I suppose they could simply wall off the track area:

While it might be a shame for filming, I am sure any studio could build a replica station quite easily. It's not a if it has to actually be underground. It could also be made to look more modern to fit newer stations/lines.

Imagine it TfL contributed to this in return for making it suitable for training!

 

[bramling]

While it might be a shame for filming, I am sure any studio could build a replica station quite easily. It's not a if it has to actually be underground. It could also be made to look more modern to fit newer stations/lines.

Imagine it TfL contributed to this in return for making it suitable for training!

Charing Cross is available for filming, and this is very unlikely to disappear as they need the reversing facility for the Jubilee Line. They could quite easily vinyl out one of the two platforms there in an old-style décor to resemble Aldwych. Getting an older train in and out of Charing Cross might be more difficult though.

I'm not sure if any consideration has been given, however one wonders if thay could put some kind of false floor over the track in Holborn platform 5 so that trains could still work through there during engineering hours. The main consideration would be having some form over over-run protection for a train approaching from the Aldwych direction into what would now be a passenger concourse. Cheaper not to bother, of course. The other consideration is that somewhere along the line the Picc Line will be resignalled, and a decision would need to be made how Aldwych would be included in that. They could keep the branch as is and just have the points detected, with an ITMP/possession used for the very rare occasions a train needs to move on or off the branch.

There's also the question of whether the Holborn capacity work will survive the current TFL financial situation as a result of Sadiq Khan's fares freeze. Bank seems to be the main priority, which ironically also indirectly affects another disused station.

 

[rebmcr]

There's also the question of whether the Holborn capacity work will survive the current TFL financial situation as a result of Sadiq Khan's fares freeze. Bank seems to be the main priority, which ironically also indirectly affects another disused station.

I imagine the cancellation pausing of MLE and WCC mean that other projects will be better able to proceed.

 

[PeterC]

While it might be a shame for filming, I am sure any studio could build a replica station quite easily. It's not a if it has to actually be underground....

With modern cameras it seems to be cheaper to go on location than to build stuff on set.

 

[jon0844]

With modern cameras it seems to be cheaper to go on location than to build stuff on set.

Yeah, that's true.

 

[bramling]

I imagine the cancellation pausing of MLE and WCC mean that other projects will be better able to proceed.

The Holborn work certainly is needed. But then so were the extra trains - on the Jubilee at least! Time will tell I guess.

 

[Malcolmffc]

Yeah, that's true.

But cheaper still to use a green screen