Monday 23 May 2011
HUGE BOOST FOR OLYMPIC RAIL ROUTE AS UPGRADE IS COMPLETE
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
A three-year £550m upgrade is complete and a new timetable has been launched on Transport for London’s (TfL) London Overground services this weekend which will deliver up to double the number of trains on this key Olympic rail route.
The upgrade, funded by TfL, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Stratford City Implementation Group, means that London Overground services from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford will run four times an hour every day, increasing the total number between Willesden Junction and Stratford to eight trains per hour in the peak. This is an increase from the 4 trains per hour (tph) that currently operate on that section.
In addition four trains per hour will run every day on the Gospel Oak to Barking line and up to eight trains an hour between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction on the East London route.
As part of the upgrade Transport for London also funded a fleet of 57 brand new air-conditioned trains, and a station refurbishment programme that has delivered cleaner and safer and well-staffed stations with better access, new information, help points, lighting and CCTV.
The work is the latest example of 2012 transport infrastructure improvements delivered well ahead of the Games, and means an early transport legacy for Londoners that will be enjoyed for many years after the Games.
The new timetable is the result of the first major revamp of the line since 1869, which saw intensive civil engineering and complex signalling work take place in more than half of London’s boroughs. Network Rail upgraded and replaced more than 200 signals, renewed more than seven kilometres of track and 69 sets of points, lengthened 30 station platforms and carried out additional improvements at seven other stations.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said: “Three years ago London Overground was rundown, neglected and an embarrassment to the capital. Three years later we have transformed it into one of the nation’s top performing railways, running double the number of trains, and it has been named the most punctual service in the country. It will be immensely popular with 2012 Games goers but will be of benefit to Londoners for many years beyond the Olympics.”
Mike Brown, Managing Director of TfL’s rail division which manages the railway, said: “The new timetable provides the high frequency, highly reliable, air conditioned service TfL promised when it took over the railway.
“London Overground is now providing a turn up and go service, attracting 55 million passengers each year with direct links to the Tube network for parts of the Capital not previously well served by rail. When the South London extension is completed in 2012, London Overground will be a complete orbital network around our city.”
Hugh Sumner, Director of Transport for the Olympic Delivery Authority, said: “Spectators using the London Overground to get to and from sporting events across the capital will benefit from a service which will not only be more frequent, but also more spacious, comfortable and punctual.
“In addition to improvements made on the East London Line, upgrades to the North London Line will also play a key role during the Games in bypassing central London to get spectators to the Olympic Park. This investment is helping create a transport legacy long before the Games have even started.”
Robin Gisby, Director of Operations at Network Rail, said: "The London Overground network is a perfect example of how investment in rail can boost services for passengers and leave a legacy which will help support economic growth. The partnership we have in place with TfL is delivering results for London and we will continue working together to deliver a high performing and reliable railway in the capital, every day."
London Overground has just been named as the UK’s most punctual railway in a Network Rail survey. London Overground ran 96.7per cent of its trains on time during March and 96.3 per cent in April, placing it second and first respectively in Network Rail’s national monthly performance survey. With almost 19 out of 20 (94.9%) trains arriving on time over the last twelve months – it has the highest annual figure for any train operator in the country.
Notes to editors
London Overground ran 96.7per cent of its trains on time during March and 96.3 per cent in April, placing it second and first respectively in Network Rail’s national monthly performance survey. With almost 19 out of 20 (94.9%) trains arriving on time over the last twelve months – it has the highest annual figure for any train operator in the country.
The independent Passenger Focus survey, undertaken in autumn 2010, found that:
· Eighty-five per cent of passengers are satisfied with London Overground service overall, up from 82 per cent the previous year. The average figure for South East rail services in 2010 was 83 per cent;
· Seventy-four per cent were impressed with the frequency of London Overground trains, up by 14 per cent year on year;
· Passengers satisfied with train punctuality rose to 76 per cent, up from 68 per cent in 2009;
· Eighty-four per cent said they were satisfied with customer information during their journey, up a whopping 24 per cent on 2009 (65 per cent);
Average passenger satisfaction with the overall environment on the railway has increased by 13 per cent since TfL took it over from Silverlink - from 44 per cent in 2007 to 58 per cent now.
Fare evasion on the network has been reduced from 15% to 3% since TfL began managing the service.
Network Rail will require access to the network for maintenance work, during the less busy periods such as overnight or at weekends.
Network Rail will also require access to the tracks between Gospel Oak & Stratford every Sunday, the service will start after 9am on Sundays.
Since TfL created London Overground in 2007, £1.4bn has been invested in building the East London line route connecting Dalston Junction in the north with New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the south in May 2010. This included building four new stations in Hackney. The East London line route was connected to the North London line route with a link between Dalston Junction and Highbury and Islington in February this year. A further extension in South London will be completed by the end of 2012.
A new fleet of 57 air-conditioned, high capacity trains has also been introduced across the network
All London Overground stations have been refurbished. This includes deep cleaning and painting, upgrading passenger information and CCTV systems, the installation of help points and platform improvements.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - South East route
020 3357 7969
southeastroutecomms@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk