Victoria line to close Seven Sisters - Walthamstow for much of August

[class303]

Stella Creasy, the Walthamstow MP has just tweeted a newsletter saying the victoria line will be closed between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow central from the 8th to the 30th august 2015. :cry:

http://ymlp.com/z0qL0n

"This week I received advance notice that from 8th to 30th August there will be no Victoria Line trains between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow central due to engineering work to increase train service. To reduce disruption, I have been informed that there will be rail replacement bus services between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central. I recognise that this news will be a source of much frustration to local residents. As soon as I have more information about these proposals I will share them with local residents via this e-newsletter. "

To be fair we've had it pretty good on the Victoria line the last few years - very few weekend closures - but this is a big one. What a pain.

Anyone have any idea what they are doing for such a vast closure?

 

[telstarbox]

At least all those stations are on a National Rail line so there are alternatives.

 

[greatkingrat]

They are replacing the scissors crossover at Walthamstow Central.

 

[Busaholic]

All being done prior to the 24 hour Saturday and Sunday operation from September. Expect to see lots of other prolonged engineering works before then on other Underground lines.

 

[leytongabriel]

Here's the text of a letter from tfl to Stella Creasy MP which she has put on FB


Victoria line works this August to support the increase in frequency of service

Victoria line passengers already get one of the highest frequency train services in the UK – 34 trains per hour at busiest times, a less than two minute wait between trains. However in order to meet increasing demand we aim to significantly increase this capacity by running 36 trains per hour in 2016. We will also run all peak time trains the full length of the line up to Walthamstow Central from Brixton.

Work required

The current layout and aged condition of the track outside Walthamstow Central limits the frequency of trains we can run on this section of the line, so in order to deliver a more frequent service we need to replace the concrete slabs forming the track-bed and track ironwork that forms the crossover outside of Walthamstow Central. This crossover allows northbound trains terminating at Walthamstow Central to cross to the southbound line for their return journey.

Due to the challenges involved in installing heavy units in a relatively confined space and the need for significant testing prior to bringing the track into use, it is not possible to conduct these works during weekends or overnight. We plan to undertake these works between 8 and 30 August 2015. Therefore there will be no Victoria line trains between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central during this period.

We do understand and apologise for the inconvenience this will cause customers; however, this work is essential to enable the increased train service. We have chosen to do the work in August in order to minimise customer disruption, as demand during this period is typically lower than the average.

Alternate travel options

To reduce disruption for our customers we will:
· Run rail replacement buses calling at all stations between Walthamstow Central and Seven Sisters Tube stations
· Run rail replacement buses non-stop between Walthamstow Central and Stratford / Stratford International stations.
· Supplement existing bus routes with an additional service between Chingford Mount and Seven Sisters, calling at Blackhorse Road and Tottenham Hale

Existing train services will provide alternative options including the line between Walthamstow Central and Liverpool Street, which will be operated by London Overground from May 2015.

Worksites in Walthamstow

The work itself will mostly take place inside the tunnel, although we will need to use the car park by Walthamstow Central station to access a shaft for the delivery of materials. We will endeavour to keep noise to a minimum, and we will ensure that residents close to the site are informed in advance of the work starting.

We also need to upgrade a Victoria line ventilation shaft located on Pretoria Avenue to enable the higher frequency service in 2016. This isn’t expected to be particularly disruptive to local residents and we would put measures in place to ensure any inconvenience is kept to a minimum. We will engage with the local community in advance of that starting which is expected to be from spring this year.

Customer information

To publicise these works we will use targeted emails, social media, notices and announcements in stations, and information online and in the press well in advance of the work to enable our customers to plan ahead. We will also meet customers at the disrupted stations to provide further information.

There is likely to be some impact on the frequency of trains on the rest of the line during the work; we are still working through how many trains we will be able to operate and will come back to you with this detail once finalised.

Once the work is complete and the new timetable comes into force in spring 2016, customers across the entire line will be able to take advantage of more trains per hour at peak times than ever before.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I wonder what the response will be re the GOBLIN line. Any chance of a few weeks of reinforced service ( divert freight trains?) or is that too much joined -up wrting to ask and will they just shut Blackhorse Rd completely?

 

[100andthirty]

Whilst they quote 34 TPH, in reality the current service to Walthamstow is about 24 TPH. Replacing the crossover - whose basic fabric (ie most parts except the rails themselves) is nearly 50 years old, is necessary due to old age. It would not have kept going reliably for much longer. However the upside for those using stations beyond Seven Sisters is that the whole service will go to Walthamstow in the peak - a 36 TPH service - 50% more than now. Worth a couple of weeks of pain?

Some will remember that there was a similar closure at Brixton some years ago for the same purpose. Although that crossover was newer and replaced earlier, it had seen many more trains over it than the Walthamstow one

 

[Busaholic]

Whilst they quote 34 TPH, in reality the current service to Walthamstow is about 24 TPH. Replacing the crossover - whose basic fabric (ie most parts except the rails themselves) is nearly 50 years old, is necessary due to old age. It would not have kept going reliably for much longer. However the upside for those using stations beyond Seven Sisters is that the whole service will go to Walthamstow in the peak - a 36 TPH service - 50% more than now. Worth a couple of weeks of pain?

Some will remember that there was a similar closure at Brixton some years ago for the same purpose. Although that crossover was newer and replaced earlier, it had seen many more trains over it than the Walthamstow one

An impressive rail replacement bus service too in marked contrast to the Network Rail London Bridge scheme.

 

[duncanp]

I wonder what the response will be re the GOBLIN line. Any chance of a few weeks of reinforced service ( divert freight trains?) or is that too much joined -up wrting to ask and will they just shut Blackhorse Rd completely?

I doubt whether they will shut Blackhorse Road completely. It would be useful to have some extra trains and/or an earlier start on the GOBLIN if that is possible, even if only as far as South Tottenham.

What would also help is an increased frequency at peak hours on the Chingford to Liverpool Street line, or at least making sure that all trains are 8 carriages long.

They should also encourage people who are able to work from home to do so during the period of the closure.

It is a bit of a pain, but as with the work on the tram network in Manchester, it has to be done to be able to have a better service in the long term. When the Victoria Line first started in 1968 , the service frequency between Walthamstow and Seven Sisters was every 5 minutes during the peak hours, and every 15 minutes on Sundays, with the first train leaving Walthamstow just before 06:00.

 

[306024]

What would also help is an increased frequency at peak hours on the Chingford to Liverpool Street line, or at least making sure that all trains are 8 carriages long.

The only way to increase the Chingford line frequency is to rob trains from the Enfield line, but with no Victoria line from Tottenham Hale passengers may choose that route instead where they have a choice. No paths or platforms available at Liverpool St for anything additional, but 8 cars all day should be possible.

 

[duncanp]

Maybe they should divert the Stansted Express via Seven Sisters for the three weeks. That would relieve pressure on the replacement buses at Tottenham Hale

 

[306024]

Maybe not - try timetabling it. Besides why should airline travellers across Europe be affected by Victoria Line engineering work at Walthamstow. No doubt it will be inconvenient for some but it may well be best to limit the effect on others.

 

[Hadders]

Maybe not - try timetabling it. Besides why should airline travellers across Europe be affected by Victoria Line engineering work at Walthamstow. No doubt it will be inconvenient for some but it may well be best to limit the effect on others.

But airline passengers will be inconvenienced by the Walthamstow closure. For many passengers getting the Stansted Express from Tottenham Hale is the most appropriate option (I'm thinking of journeys via Kings Cross, St Pancras, Euston, Paddington, Victoria etc.)

It would be good if airport services could go via Seven Sisters to connect with the Victoria Line during the closure although I don't know how practical this is in reality.

 

[tranzitjim]

What other works would people like to have happen along that section that could have been done at the same time?

 

[IanD]

What other works would people like to have happen along that section that could have been done at the same time?

Would have preferred that they had done this work the last time we suffered a long series of closures.

 

[Dstock7080]

A further 52-hour shutdown will occur in early 2016 to renew the pointwork at Seven Sisters for speedier access to/from Northumberland Pk depot, ready for the new WTT39 from April 2016.

 

[Deerfold]

Whilst they quote 34 TPH, in reality the current service to Walthamstow is about 24 TPH.

They also mention that one of the improvements is that all peak services will go to/from Walthamstow, so it should be obvious they do not all do now.

I wondr how many will only go to Seven Sisters in the off-peak periods - will it be a substantial number or just however many are needed to get trains in and out of the depot?

Would have preferred that they had done this work the last time we suffered a long series of closures.

But then they say they needed a prolonged closure to do this work.

 

[IanD]

They also mention that one of the improvements is that all peak services will go to/from Walthamstow, so it should be obvious they do not all do now.

I wondr how many will only go to Seven Sisters in the off-peak periods - will it be a substantial number or just however many are needed to get trains in and out of the depot?



But then they say they needed a prolonged closure to do this work.

That's what NR said about Watford Junction but the still managed to do it in a series of shorter closures.

 

[Robertj21a]

That's what NR said about Watford Junction but the still managed to do it in a series of shorter closures.

But Kings Cross at Christmas wasn't quite so good......

 

[duncanp]

It would be good if airport services could go via Seven Sisters to connect with the Victoria Line during the closure although I don't know how practical this is in reality.

They divert the Stansted Airport and Cambridge Services via Seven Sisters on occasions at weekends when there is engineering work on the Lea Valley Line. This is done without disrupting the Enfield Town and Cheshunt services.

So it is certainly possible.

I think they would have to leave the Hertford East and Stratford services running via Tottenham Hale.

If they don't divert the Airport and Cambridge services, then Tottenham Hale in the morning peak isn't going to be a very nice place to be.

You can easily get 100 people getting off a train at the same time and heading for the Victoria Line.

To be followed two minutes later by another train.

 

[class303]

Would be sheer lunacy not to divert Cambridge and Stansted services via Seven Sisters during the closure. As has already been said it happens frequently at weekends & during disruption.

 

[306024]

Would be sheer lunacy not to divert Cambridge and Stansted services via Seven Sisters during the closure. As has already been said it happens frequently at weekends & during disruption.

At the risk of being called a lunatic I'm not clear how you plan to make this work in a Monday to Friday peak situation and get it all to fit in the limited platform capacity at Liverpool St when turnround times have been broken. The Seven Sisters route is slower than the Lea Valley, the Hertford East services already run via Seven Sisters in the peak, and there are additional Enfield Town services in the peak too.

With no Victoria Line at Tottenham Hale, staying on to Liverpool St could be the best option depending on your final destination. Yes a longer journey but that is preferable to getting out at Tottenham Hale.

 

[jopsuk]

As long as it is well advertised, then Tottenham Hale during peak time will probably be quite a quiet place to be- with far less people getting off in the morning/on in the evening.

 

[Dstock7080]

Press release from TfL:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2015/february/major-works-to-improve-the-victoria-line-over-the-summ

 

[causton]

That's what NR said about Watford Junction but the still managed to do it in a series of shorter closures.

Which still aren't done (and won't be for a while) and have resulted in a less reliable railway in the interim period. It must be costing them a lot more as I frequently see track workers slowly working towards the project that could have been done ages ago!

 

[jopsuk]

during the works, will they move heavier items in using engineering trains from the depot? Must be a hugely complicated piece of work to replace such equipment in such restricted location

 

[Nym]

during the works, will they move heavier items in using engineering trains from the depot? Must be a hugely complicated piece of work to replace such equipment in such restricted location

Probably won't bother marshaling engineering trains up at Northumberland Park, chances are they'll move it straight in from Ealing / Northfeilds or even all the way from Ruislip in one hit.

 

[Jonny]

Looking at the way she has written it, you would think that there was an election coming up!

She isn't even acknowledging that sometimes such things are necessary, and August is most likely the least worst time.

 

[Be3G]

I must say, I'm impressed that TfL have had the foresight to run rail replacement buses from Chingford Mount to Seven Sisters, presumably using the 158 route as far as Blackhorse Road. The Chingford to Walthamstow then tube corridor seems to be a busy one, so I'm glad TfL have had a think about how they can try to minimise disruption to people's overall journeys (e.g. through having to change buses) rather than focussing solely on the closed section of track. Ideally the bus would probably start all the way back at Chingford Station, but the bus station there looks like it must be nearly at capacity so it's probably not feasible.

I'm not sure I understand the point of the Walthamstow to Stratford ‘express’ though. Well, such a bus would be useful all the time, but I'm struggling to think of what particular purpose it serves with respect to the Victoria Line closure, considering that NR to Liverpool Street will still be available from Walthamstow.

 

[Busaholic]

I'm not sure I understand the point of the Walthamstow to Stratford ‘express’ though. Well, such a bus would be useful all the time, but I'm struggling to think of what particular purpose it serves with respect to the Victoria Line closure, considering that NR to Liverpool Street will still be available from Walthamstow.

For Oxford Circus passengers to use the Central Line? Presumably not to get Green Park passengers onto the Jubilee, given the huge pressure that line is coming under in Greenwich.

 

[W230]

As someone who uses this section of tune day in day out I totally agree with 100andthirty. The pain is worth the gain. Three little weeks, then a lush and abundant increase in Walthamstow terminators, not to mention we're getting 24hr running at weekends soon enough (unrelated to this work, I know)...

OOI, what is the regular pattern for Walthamstow terminators throughout the day? I know during peak times there are a lot of Seven Sisters terminators (it's these that will be going all the way, right?) but what about late evenings/early mornings? Certainly in the late evening it seems only every other train goes to Walthamstow, leaving a service gap of around 10 minutes. Is this staying the same or also improving?