Squaring the Circle

The Lasso or T-Cup Line

The most historic and iconic Underground line in London (and the first Underground Line in the world) will undergo a radical revamp in operations where the Line known as the Circle will become a T-Cup or Lasso depending on your preference! The Circle line will be extended to Hammersmith from 13th December 2009 and will almost double the frequency of trains between Hammersmith and Edgware Road. On the Tube map the Circle line is shown as a single line. However it shares tracks with the District, Hammersmith & City (H & C) and Metropolitan lines and any disruption on these lines can cause delays to the Circle. As Circle line trains currently move around the line without a fixed terminus any delays are compounded over time, and make it harder to offer a regular or reliable service.



The Circle line is to be extended to Hammersmith for commuters on one of the Tube's most unreliable routes. In the most radical change since the service was first created more than 120 years ago, trains will be redirected to create what Underground insiders are already calling the “T - Cup”. From December, Circle line trains will start in Hammersmith, run along the current Hammersmith & City line to Edgware Road and then do a clockwise lap of the Circle line and head back to Hammersmith. They would then do the journey anti-clockwise.


The "New" Circle

At present the Hammersmith & City line has only seven trains an hour. Under the new service, there will be a train every four minutes, or 15 an hour. Engineers believe the change will have a positive effect on the whole network, which is often jammed at peak times by the “backing up” of Circle line trains stuck in tunnels. The 14-mile line, which was created in 1884, carries 75 million passengers a year but its circular pattern means it suffers from crippling delays when a train breaks down or is hit by a signal failure. Unlike other lines, it lacks a maintenance depot on its route. By giving the Circle line a start and end point the Underground will be able to recover the service quicker if there is disruption on the Circle or any of the lines that it shares tracks with.


Existing Circle Line C69 Stock at Royal Oak

Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer of London Underground, said: “The changes to service patterns on the Circle line will come into effect in December 2009 and will improve the reliability of the line, enabling services to recover more quickly if there is a disruption. It will still be called the Circle line and shown as a circle on the Tube map but with the additional extended service out to Hammersmith.” This is the first phase of the Sub Surface lines upgrade, which will include a new fleet of air conditioned and accessible trains and a new state of the art signalling system.

Under the new plans, the service will double the number of trains running to Hammersmith. It will feed demand in west London, including the new station at Wood Lane near Westfield shopping centre. Residents in south-west London will benefit as the extra capacity will mean more District line trains from Wimbledon to the City. The East End will also get more trains as off-peak Hammersmith & City line trains will no longer start/terminate at Whitechapel but will run all the way to Plaistow or Barking – a consequence of forthcoming work to construct a new CrossRail station.


This way to Barking!

The Circle line’s operations are complicated by the domino effect of service disruptions on the parts of the H & C, District and Metropolitan Lines which run over its tracks and the fact that it seems to attract more than its fair share of "Passenger Incidents", suicide attempts, getting ill on train and security alerts. Hopefully after the changes customers will experience a more frequent, reliable and robust service. This is important as the Circle joins most of the London Mainline stations and is of particular importance for passengers in transit through London as well as the regular commuters. The next stage in making it user friendly will be complying with Phase 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act and tackling the very real access issues which limit the use of the line to many passenger groups. These are not just “disabled people” but passengers with children, mobility impairments and luggage. Just look at the number of passengers at Victoria engaging in hernia inducing manoeuvres with heavy luggage and you realise that this is not “World Class” access for the 21st Century!



Regular Blogistas will know that not only is the Circle Line the Sage’s favourite Underground Line but it is also one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World! There are many Great Rail journeys in the world but there is only one which begins and ends at Paddington Station, London, can be done in a day for the price of a TravelCard and brings you through 27 Underground stations and 13 Mainline Railway stations. So check out this link to this adventure in a Day as we make our way to probably the most historic railway platform in the world, platform 16 at London’s Paddington Station from where the world’s first Underground Train departed on 10th January 1863.

THE GREAT CIRCLE LINE JOURNEY

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/great-circle-line-journey.html


London Underground's new comfort cooled and accessible Sub-Surface Stock