Archives for April 2010

Quiz question: Where in London do you pay a Zone 1 fare when you're actually in Zone 2?

Answer: Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction, Whitechapel, Shadwell, and Wapping when you start your journey at Shoreditch. (One point for each correct answer .....)

Many thanks to HenryW and FJFlos' comments for pointing out that the new Shoreditch overground station on the East London Line has been moved from Zone 2 to Zone 1.

A Mind the Gap exclusive: It has indeed moved as you can see here in this PDF map.

Transport for London says it was part of the condition of a Department for Transport funding agreement.

TfL say the East London Extension will still reduce fares as TfL fares are cheaper than using the existing train network.

But they do concede it would have been even cheaper if the line was still in Zone 2 - a Zone 2 single is £1.30 on Oyster.

So not sure commuters will like that one - basically moving the station in many cases will cost you 50p more each single trip.

TfL sent me this:

"The new station is physically located within the Zone 1 boundary, whereas the old LU Shoreditch station was further east. The East London Line extension will actually reduce fares to some destinations with Oyster pay as you go fares set on the TfL tariff (i.e. not charged for a combination of national rail and Tube), for example:

From Crystal Palace, which is in Zone 3, the Peak Oyster pay as you go fare to LU stations in Zone 1 via the East London Line extension and LU will be £2.70 using Oyster pay as you go versus £3.70 at the moment; the fare to Canary Wharf will fall to £1.30 using pay as you go versus £3.70 at the moment."

Also, as the quiz question at the top shows, if you start your journey at Shoreditch and get off at Hoxton, Haggerston and Dalston Junction in the north and Whitechapel, Shadwell, and Wapping stations in the south, TfL will only count it as a Zone 1 fare.... i.e £1.80.. so you don't pay the Zone 1 £2.30 peak fare.

However, if it was still in Zone 2 it'd be £1.30 ... so again you're paying 50p more. And what about New Cross? Surrey Quays? They're also in Zone 2 so why doesn't this ticketing anomaly apply to them?

So why did the DfT allegedly request to "move" the station into Zone 1? All they have said to me so far is:

"The zoning of Shoreditch High Street Station was agreed by both DfT and TfL."

But it does look very much like revenue raising. I have asked for more information so watch this space.

There are other anomalies in london's ticketing system - please do get involved on the blog and post them. Or let me know what you think about this curious case...

UPDATE: 15:51 PM

Jo De Bank at London Travelwatch says they think the move to put Shoreditch in Zone 1 was made to protect revenues as it deters people from using Shoreditch instead of London Bridge. They're unhappy with the decision and would have much rather Shoreditch had stayed in Zone 2.

Also in way of clarification from the Department for transport, they say they didn't "impose" the conditions on Transport for London it was part of an agreement agreed by all sides:

"As part of the funding agreement for the East London Line, DfT and TfL agreed to re-zone Shoreditch High Street to help ensure that the scheme would have a robust and viable funding package."

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The East London line is open again for business as part of London Overground. Over the next year, the line will run to Crystal Palace with an aim to extend to Clapham Junction.

We've written a few times on Mind The Gap about the ELL, including the trip I made and Tom gave an overview of the whole project. You can also see a gallery elsewhere on this site.

In this video below, Tom gives you a sneak peak inside the new trains and gives a brief outline of the new Overground service.

Given that we will have slightly more stations than before south of the river, there is still a bias of services to the north, especially on the Tube.

So faithful traveller, are you under-served by the rails? Where would you most like to see a new Tube or train station?

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Transport is still high on the political agenda in the build-up to the general election - ash clouds and rail strikes see to that.

In London there is far more reliance on public transport than elsewhere in the country.

The main differences in policy in London between the three main parties are over Heathrow, high speed rail and, to some extent, Crossrail.

Heathrow

Heathrow is the issue where it is easiest to see clear water between the parties.

Labour want a third runway with strict environmental limits for pollution and noise - even though most of their candidates, particularly those standing for election near Heathrow, are opposed to it.

The party is supported by many unions and the business and aviation community.

And there is a significant number of people living locally who want expansion.

One in 10 people in Hayes, west London, work at Heathrow.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats would scrap the third runway.

Both say the noise and the pollution would wreck lives, as would the demolition of the village of Sipson where there are 700 homes.

They are supported by a strong coalition of local councils, environmentalists and residents.

Both sides claim the other is wrong in terms of economic benefit and environmental benefit.

High Speed Rail

Labour have set out their support for a high speed railway to the north, with trains travelling at 250mph.

The scheme is also part of the Conservative manifesto, with the Lib Dems saying they would set up an infrastructure bank to invest in public transport.

But the Conservatives and Labour disagree over the route. The most detailed plan is from Labour.

It has the main terminal at Euston with the route arcing under Camden to a hub near Wormwood scrubs.

It would then head along the route of the A40, just to the south of Amersham.

While many can see the benefits of high speed rail travel, many residents along the route have concerns over blighted properties and the prospect of disruption caused by construction.

The Conservatives do not have as much detail in their plan, but they favour a previous route planned by the firm Arup.

In their manifesto they state they will "focus on making Heathrow better not bigger, bringing it directly into our high speed rail network" which means other properties on whatever the route would be into Heathrow, would also be blighted.

The cost could be up to £20bn and with funding already squeezed there are commentators who are sceptical we will ever see high speed rail become a reality.

Crossrail

Labour say they will guarantee funding for the £16bn east-west line through London, as do the Liberal Democrats.

However while the Conservative manifesto says it "supports Crossrail" they will not guarantee funding until they have been through the books. This means that, as they have admitted, it might be scrapped.

The Mayor of London's office says it understands why the party leader David Cameron cannot give a 100% cast iron financial guarantee.

Trains

Differences in rail policy are harder to detect but they do exist.

The Liberal Democrats say they would change the rail fares formula that sets ticket prices.

Contracts with train companies would be changed so regulated fares would fall behind inflation by 1% each year.

They would also make Network Rail refund a third of your ticket price if you have to take a replacement bus service.

The Conservatives would give longer franchises to railway companies. They think that would increase investment from the train operating companies.

They would also turn the rail regulator into a passenger champion.

Labour wants to carry on "enhancing" the rail network with further electrification of lines and increasing capacity with projects like Thameslink.

They also want to simplify ticketing.

Funding

Some say the real elephant in the room is the issue of funding.

If transport budgets are cut by whoever gets into Downing Street it could have a knock-on effect on London's infrastructure investment.

What could that mean? Could the tube upgrade be cut back? Could Crossrail become less extensive?

Would we see some of Boris Johnson's key projects like the new Routemaster bus parked in the long-grass?

At the moment we simply do not know.

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Just been at a presser with Boris Johnson and shadow transport minister Theresa Villiers.

They want to introduce lane rental schemes where the utility companies have to rent the lane while they carry out roadworks.

The companies say they'll just pass on the cost. The Tories dispute that and say roadworks are actually costing the economy millions.

And I have a world photo exclusive. The Mayor Boris Johnson not on his bike but departing in a Fiat 500. Quite spacey for a small car.

Got the mayor, three advisers and a parliamentary candidate in it.

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All smiles up at City Airport this morning with passengers happy just to be getting on planes.

The decision happened so quickly last night it nearly caught the airport by surprise.

The blame game's now in full flow.

British Airways say the airspace didn't have to be fully closed all of the time and have said NATS overreacted.

Now old hacks sometimes say every story needs a scapegoat, but in this case it might be worth pointing out 41% of NATS is owned by The Airline Group.

And who's one of the main shareholders?

Yup. British Airways.

UPDATE: 16.40PM:

I've just been told by BAA at Heathrow that they're going to be allowed 32 night flights tonight instead of the normal 16.

It's a serious crisis and exceptional circumstances, no doubt, yes.

But will those living under the flightpath like it? Will anti-expansion campaigners? I doubt it...

A DfTspokesperson said:

"The events of recent days have clearly been exceptional and our priority is to get people home as quickly as possible. In order to achieve this we have agreed that those airports where night flight regimes are controlled by the Government can run extra flights tonight. The situation will be reviewed on a daily basis depending on the needs of passengers."

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There is still no date for the opening of the East London Line.

Safety checks, I'm told, although there is a political row about electioneering going on in the background.

And when it comes to transport projects the politics are never far away.

However when (if) it opens - maybe this week - there's no doubt the opening of what was once the old east london line will change how millions of commuters get around. Steve's already touched on it and it will improve transport links in areas that have previously been left behind.

Some have called it the "Regeneration Railway" or "the new Thameslink" and it will make north-south travel in the east far, far easier.

This upgrade was also part of London 2012's bid for the Olympics.

For example from Hackney you'll be able to get on a train, change to the Jubilee Line at Canada Water and get to Canary Wharf. From June, in Sydenham in the south, you'll be able to catch a train direct to Shoreditch High Street and walk to the City.

In turn that will also help ease congestion at places like London Bridge but it will also link relatively deprived areas with areas with jobs.

The old East London Line was closed in 2007. The project got started under the former mayor Ken Livingstone and with the present Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson both will claim credit especially with an election looming.

If you've seen Shoreditch High Street station though, much of the credit should go to the engineers who've constructed a brand new line right through the heart of the East End. 22 bridges have been replaced.

Transport for London are keen that it's understood to be part of London Overground rather than the Underground - more like an East London Railway. Eventually it will go down to Crystal Palace and out to Clapham Junction becoming part of an outer london orbital railway.

It has not been without controversy.

The closure of the old line for three years angered many local businesses and residents. But it is unlikely there are many moaning now especially in Hackney where they have four new stations. Residents in some areas are still angry they didn't even get a station.

Where's the downside now? Is there one?

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So it was with bated breath that after two years or so, I was lucky enough to get on a train at New Cross Gate and travel up through my old stomping ground of Rotherhithe and Wapping.

The new section of the London Overground opens shortly, still sporting its old moniker, The East London line.

There's a gallery of my travels online now, but essentially it was a 20-or-so minute trip from New Cross to a brand new station at Dalston Junction.

The gleaming new train passed through gleaming new stations at Hoxton and Haggerston. So, will you use it? Are London Overground going to get it right?

The new extension has already been given the blog treatment by Dáithaí C and London Reconnections amongst others, and is clearly a project eagerly awaited by the commuter.

Whatever the answer, it shortened a journey that used to take a lot longer by bus.

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