London – 10 years of The Overground

'The history of the Overground

The London Overground launched in 2007, taking over from Silverlink Metro services. Customer numbers have risen from 33 million in 2008/09 to more than 189 million in 2016/17 and improvements delivered over the last 10 years include:

• Increased frequency of trains across the network, from 400 per day in 2007 to nearly 1,500 per day in 2017
• Improved reliability of trains, up by 80 per cent since June 2015
• Customer satisfaction score of 85 per cent in the first quarter of 2017/18, its highest ever level
• Greater passenger safety, with all stations manned from first train to last
• ‘Turn-up-and-go’ service across the network for customers with reduced mobility
• Three extensions to incorporate extra lines – East London Line (2010), South London Line (2012) and West Anglia lines (2015)
• Introduction of Oyster and contactless payments, as well as cheaper fare options and all TfL concessions
• Six new stations which have opened up areas of London such as Hoxton, Imperial Wharf and Dalston
• Improved accessibility, with more than half of the 112 London Overground stations now step-free from street to platform
• Sixty-five new walk-through and air-conditioned trains
• A fifth car added to many trains, providing 25 per cent more capacity
• All routes integrated with TfL’s real-time information and Journey Planning tools'

Tube train arriving at old Shoreditch Station (2006)

 

Looking north east of Shoreditch Station (2006)

train heading into Liverpool Street

Dramatic old signal box on line into Liverpool Street

The old East London Line
before renovation and expansion north and south

 
My view from Forest Hill, SE23
It was on 23rd May 2010 that Forest Hill along with other stations on the line from New Cross Gate to Crystal Palace started properly to benefit from The London Overground. This day saw the first trains running directly from Forest Hill through to Dalston Junction using from New Cross Gate the renovated old East London Line that used to run from New Cross Gate and New Cross to Whitechapel. During rush the service was extended to Shoreditch. 

Not only did this mean that there are now many more trains serving Forest Hill, it opened up parts of East London that had previously been awkward to travel to by public transport.  Making it easy to go to Shadwell encouraged us to start going to the wonderful Lahore Kebab House – amazing good food at a bargain price and it's Bring Your own Drink at no charge. 

Equally it opened up access by way of Canada Water to Canary Wharf and to Central London along the Jubilee Line. However, whoever designed the the interchange at Canada Water between Northbound Overground and the Jubliee Line is a dangerous idiot! A single escalator for such a busy interchange is now clearly inadequate and often has to be shut during morning rush hour. 

When traveling northwards from Forest Hill I no longer check the times of the trains before leaving home because they are so frequent. It is only ever a short wait for a Southern train into London Bridge or an Overground to Canada Water or Whitechapel and the District or the Hammersmith and City. 

The link from Surrey Quays through to Clapham Junction was opened in December 2012.   

24 hour service (to come)
Apparently Sadiq Khan is soon to announce that the service between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate will run 24-hours a day. Then early in 2018 this service will be extended to Highbury & Islington. I haven't seen any plans to extend the service south of New Cross Gate. Presumably Sadiq believes that anyone living south of New Cross Gate goes to bed early.... 

New Cross Gate – potential line southwards
prior to work starting

 

From London Overground: What does the future hold?

'Further improvements in the coming years will include:

• An extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking line to the Barking Riverside development, helping to unlock 10,800 new homes by 2021
• Electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line enabling the introduction of cleaner and more reliable electric trains from spring next year
• The introduction of 45 new air-conditioned walk-through trains next year to replace 30 year old rolling stock on West Anglia lines out of Liverpool Street and Romford to Upminster routes
• The upgrade of ticket machines across the network, offering customers greater functionality'