Docklands all the way

DLR Canary Wharf



Originally derided as the “Toytown Railway” when it opened in 1987 from Canary Wharf to a slightly off centre City terminus at Tower Gateway, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has developed to become a serious contributor to the transport infrastructure in East London and a critical component in the transport infrastructure for next years Olympics 2012 in London. The reputation of the DLR was further damaged by unreliability which plagued it for the first 5 years but it has developed in robustness and capacity over the years and is a firm favourite with visitors and natives alike – as they say in East London – “Don’t be a knocker, be a Docker!”





DLR with the Dome in the background



This innovative, driverless railway serves parts of East and South East London. Commuters and tourists alike enjoy views of lesser-seen London locations from the easily accessible DLR. It connects with the Tube network at Bank and Tower Gateway (Tower Hill) stations and also at Shadwell, Stratford, Bow, Heron Quays, Canning Town and Canary Wharf. The DLR serves Beckton, Stratford and London City Airport to the East and North East and the Docklands, Greenwich and Lewisham to the South.









DLR Network - Diagramatic & geographic maps



Being a light railway many of the routes use existing and often abandoned rail routes in East London which once served the huge Docks complexes which stretched for many miles along the River Thames. This has allowed cheaper, quicker construction with less planning issues and delays as part of the overall regeneration of an area which had experienced years of decline as the docks and associated industries closed.





DLR 3 car configuration



The Toytown Railway has comprehensively proved its detractors wrong as it extended its reach to London City Airport, Woolwich and Lewisham (taking in Greenwich) south of the river and Beckton and now Stratford International north of the river. Other capacity enhancements increasing the trains to 3 cars and connecting underground to the major Tube interchange at Bank Station have greatly increased the usefulness of the DLR network. Passengers for their part appreciate the easy access, automatic ticketing (integrated with TfL’s Oyster system) and the security from having onboard Train Captains. Kids and tourists alike love the fact that these are automatic driverless trains and there is always a rush to occupy the front row which gives a driver’s eye view of the route. This is particularly popular on the tunnel section from Bank where the trains emerge from the darkness and climb steeply on a viaduct which gives excellent views of Limehouse and the towers of Canary Wharf.







With just under a year to go to the London 2012 Paralympic Games the fully accessible Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Stratford International extension opened today (31 August), bringing this key link into the heart of the Olympic Park. This will also be the terminus for the “Olympic Javelin” which will ferry up to 25,000 people an hour to and from the Olympic Park. The journey time from St. Pancras in Central London to the Olympics will be only 7 minutes, an Olympic sprint indeed!



See; St. Pancras Reborn



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-pancras-reborn.html



Spectators will get free use of public transport with their tickets to Olympic events but a separate Javelin pass may be issued to manage crowds. The project is a key part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic transport network and will improve accessibility on London's transport network for people with restricted mobility. It was due to open in July 2010, however the extension is opening well ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.





System Map @ Elverson Road



The 3.7-mile (6km) expansion from Canning Town to Stratford International forms a key part of the London 2012 Olympic Games transport network. There are four new stations along the new route, which connects the Olympic Park to five arenas in east London. The four new stations are Stratford International, Stratford High Street, Abbey Road and Star Lane. This will be the last extension of the DLR system until the branch to Dagenham is completed in 2017.





Docklands integrated with the TfL transport network



The extension completes a £500m upgrade of the Docklands Light Railway, which Transport for London (TfL) says will improve capacity by 50%. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "This expansion of the DLR is a further demonstration of the improvements that the London 2012 Games are making to our city.” This work will be of permanent benefit for Londoners and all those travelling in the capital from here on in. It's fantastic news and another example of London's lasting legacy of playing host to such a momentous event."





DLR train interior



Director of transport for the Olympic Delivery Authority, Hugh Sumner, said: "The opening of the new DLR extension is the last piece in the jigsaw for major upgrades and improvements to networks serving the Olympic Park. We have worked closely with TfL to fund and deliver a much-improved service which will leave east London better connected after the Games."



The Olympic venues served by the DLR are;



• Olympic Park: a 2.5 km2 site that will form the centre stage for the Games. It features purpose-built and accessible facilities including the Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and Olympic Stadium.



• ExCeL: is London’s largest exhibition and conference centre. During the Olympic Games it will host the Weightlifting, Judo, Fencing, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Wrestling and Boxing. During the Paralympics it will host Table Tennis, Judo, Wheelchair Fencing, Boccia, Powerlifiting and Volleyball (Sitting).



• Greenwich Park: covers 74 hectares and is part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. During the Olympic Games it will host the Equestrian events and Modern Pentathlon. During the Paralympic Games it will host the Equestrian Dressage.



• Royal Artillery Barracks: is owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence and will have a temporary venue beside Woolwich Common to host the Olympic Shooting event and the Paralympic Archery and Shooting events.





Stratford station in December 2009, showing the new DLR line and platforms under construction, this was formerly the North London Line platforms. The Olympic Park and Westfield Shopping Centre site is in the background.



The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London. It covers several areas of London, reaching north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, and west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.









Stratford International DLR Station



The DLR is now 23 miles (37 km) long, with 44 stations along the route. There are five branches: to Lewisham in the south, to Stratford in the north, to Beckton and to Woolwich Arsenal in the east, and to Central London in the west, splitting to serve Bank and Tower Gateway. Although the layout allows many different combinations of routes, at present the following four are operated in normal service:



• Stratford to Lewisham

• Bank to Lewisham

• Bank to Woolwich Arsenal

• Tower Gateway to Beckton



There is an additional shuttle service from Canning Town to Prince Regent, operated when exhibitions are in progress at the ExCeL exhibition centre, to double the normal service. These trains reverse direction in the eastbound platform at Canning Town and on a crossover at the high point where the line crosses the Connaught Crossing road bridge between Prince Regent and Royal Albert stations.







Making transport accessible to all is important in London and has an added impetus for the Paralympic Games in 2012. All DLR stations have lift or ramp access to the platforms, with level access onto the trains. All lifts have alarms enabled, which allow you to talk directly with a member of DLR staff should you experience any problems. Platforms are as level with trains as possible for easy access. The gap between the platform edge and the train is approximately 7.5cm wide and the step up/down from the platform to the train approximately 5cm high. Most wheelchair users find boarding/alighting smoothest with the largest wheel first – this may mean reversing as appropriate.







Elsewhere on the TfL transport network all of London's 8,500 buses are fully accessible, all 22,000 taxis have wheelchair ramps and all stations and trains on the DLR network are fully accessible. 62 Tube stations are now step-free from street to platform, and this will rise further with the imminent completion of works at Green Park, which will be a key step-free station during the Games. By the time of the 2012 Games 65 Tube stations will be step-free.



The DLR runs from 5.30am to 12.30am Monday to Saturday and from 7am to 11.30pm on Sunday. Fares are the same as those on the Tube and Oyster and Travelcard holders can use the DLR.



The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony. Odds are that many attending the ceremonies and events of London 2012 will be travelling on the Docklands Railway.







Docklands Light Railway website;



www.dlr.co.uk



See also;



London Olympics 2012 – Stratford Station



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/01/london-olympics-2012-stratford-station.html



Paralympic Games



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/paralympic-games.html

One’s first wedding

The soon to be new Duke and Duchess of somewhere

Verily I have refrained with all my R(r)epublican fibre from commenting on the “Great Event.” But the demand for information on the Royal Wedding has been insatiable, particularly from my Blogistas across the pond who previously rejected the tea and taxes of Farmer George and his rapacious redcoats. Ever since I revealed my chance meeting with Wills and Kate (at Marylebone Station of all places!) and then, in a moment of untypical hubris precipitated by The Royal Magic, revealed that One was invited to the Great Event I have been deluged with requests for snippets of Royal Fairy dust to share with my impoverished readers. It is with no great pride I must report to you that, by popular acclamation, I have been made into that strangest of creatures, A Royal Expert!


Metal detectors and barriers on the streets leading to the Abbey.

So as the wedding of Price William and Kate Middleton approaches London’s streets and corners are being gradually doused in red, white and blue. In the lead up to April 29th, flags, bunting - and, increasingly, people decked out with Union Jack emblazoned t-shirts, umbrellas and picnic blankets - are colouring-in the areas around Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace with. Soon we can look forward to vox pop interviews with toothless grannies in Union Jack T-shirts camping out on pavements to get the best view telling us “it’s luverley innit, it’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our loives, or seven days, whichever is longer!”


The Pearly King of Wandsworth displaying his Cockney charm to a motorist in front of the Abbey

Rather than Canute like resistance to the Royal Curiosity I decided to give in to the flowing tide and sate my Blogistas with details of the Great Event which, let’s face it many of them are paying for. So dejected, hunched of shoulders and shuffling of foot, I took myself the whole five minutes from my office to Westminster Abbey to record the burgeoning preparations for the 29th April in London. You soon realise this is theatre performed by the world’s press but with an edge. Part of the edge is security and the first thing you notice is metal detectors and car bomb proof barriers set up in a ring of steel around the Abbey. Indeed in the days before the wedding even residents of the area have to remove their cars to facilitate the cordon sanitaire which surrounds the event as the Great and Good and dubious rulers from dictatorships around the world make their way to the Abbey.


Horse drawn tourists soaking up The Royal Magic


The flag of Saint Edward the Confessor flying over Westminster Abbey. He founded the Abbey and his shrine and tomb are at the centre of the Abbey in their own chapel. He was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066. Once Patron Saint of England (before St. George) he is the Patron Saint of the Royal Family. This is the flag which is flown except when the Queen is in the Abbey when the Royal Standard is flown. The Abbey is a "Royal Peculiar", under the personal control of The Crown and the clergy are appointed by The Queen, not by the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England.

Two people who won’t be making their way there are former LABOUR Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. This appears particularly ungracious as Tony Blair probably single handedly saved the monarchy after their insensitivity after the death of Princess “The People’s Princess” Diana outraged the world. What we are seeing being played out in London in the run up to this wedding is not really the “Royal Magic” but the “D Factor.” The D Factor is that this is William, the son of Diana, Prince of Wales, who is getting married in the same church where her brother Charles’s Spencer thundered in his polemical eulogy on September 6 1997;

“Diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty. All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity, a standard-bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden, a very British girl who transcended nationality. Someone with a natural nobility who was classless and who proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic.”

Earl Spencer’s words seem slight on their own but in the context of the Life and Death of 36 year old Diana Spencer they were explosive. Knowing what had transpired in Diana's life - the betrayal shortly after her marriage by the man she loved, her divorce, the removal of her title and the apparent coldness of the royal family towards her - you begin to see the real meaning behind the words. Spencer stressed that his sister was essentially a British girl, a definition surely aimed at the German background of the royals. She no longer needed, he said, a royal title (earlier removed) to generate her particular brand of magic.





The Royal Family sat stunned and humiliated at this searing condemnation but worse was to come as the funeral service inside the Abbey was interrupted by the sheer crescendo of applause coming through the thick stone walls of the Abbey. The people had spoken and were with Earl Spencer. Tony Blair saved their bacon and the lead head courtiers and flunkeys surrounding the Royal Family don’t even invite him but have room for the Ambassador of Zimbabwe and the Ruler of Bahrain, fresh from throttling pro-democracy protesters?




A reporter in front of the Abbey bringing the joyful news to the world

It is that brand of Diana’s magic being perpetuated today and is the reason that the streets of London are choked with visitors and TV crews from around the world. This does not come cheap; want a photographer to stand on scaffolding on the roof of Methodist Central Hall overlooking the Abbey, that will be £900 for the day. Want a temporary studio in front of Buckingham Palace, that will £60,000 and the lead heads of the Palace will turn off the floodlighting on the facade at 12.30 just as the breakfast bulletins start in New York.




Buck House and the press centre in front of it from which the world will receive detailed analysis of the spontaneous balcony kiss

I saw myself in Westminster light standards and manhole covers being checked and locked days before he was due and whole roads were closed off. At Westminster Abbey Police snipers were on neighbouring rooftops and a search team with 4 sniffer dogs searched the Abbey beforehand. Hidden automatic TV cameras are in the stonework on either side of the Abbey’s Great West Door through which the couple will emerge and the stone dais in front of them is in fact scaffolding for more cameras. Meanwhile the Abbey resembles a giant wiring loom as it is cabled up for the event.


A tasteful selection of priceless memorabilia

Early risers in London were given a sneak preview of the pomp and grandeur to expect on Friday as up to a thousand members of the military carried out a pre-dawn royal wedding dress rehearsal. The full-scale walk through in preparation for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton saw British Army, Navy and RAF members lining the route the couple will take to and from Westminster Abbey. Participants wore full military dress, but marching bands refrained from playing their instruments as the whole exercise was complete before 6.30am.


The pre-dawn royal wedding dress rehearsal

The eyes of the world will be on Prince William and Kate Middleton when they begin their journeys to and from Westminster Abbey. So nothing is being left to chance with the dry run in which timings were tested to the second and all armed forces taking part got the chance to practise their role in their service uniforms.


Remote control cameras being set up in alcoves by The Great West Door of the Abbey

The coverage of Kate Middleton’s family, who seem hardworking and decent, has been patronising and nauseous imbued with class snobbery - it is not as if they are from Wolverhampton! I already feel sorry for the girl as when she goes into a shop every item is plastered over the pages the next day as it seems the Press think her function in life is to be a clothes horse. But who is Kate Middleton who went to a £29,000 a year private school and a prestige University where (like Prince William) she studied “History of Art.” What is this onerous subject for it must have been so difficult as to cure them of their illness as neither of them has shown the slightest artistic inclinations since?




The front and back of Ye Olde Stone camera stand in front of The Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, from which Mr. Prince and Consort will emerge

But who is Kate Middleton for we have no idea of her views on anything for we have never heard her speak or give the slightest pretence at an interview. Like William’s great grandfather George VI in “The King’s Speech” she surely has a voice but we have not heard it?








Westminster Abbey - At £16 entrance charge God and Mammon live in harmony?

And just what is silent Kate getting herself into by joining “The Firm.” In these days of diversity and inclusion we should remind ourselves of a certain institutional prejudice on the part of the British state. The Statute Law of England, in the Act of the Williamite Succession, describes the Pope as “An Anti-Christ and Object of Perdition” – In this of course it is repeating the words of the same King Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up along with his parliament, James VI of Scotland and I of England in his preamble to the official bible of the Church of England, the “King James” Bible. His mummy, Mary Queen of Scots, would have been very cross with him if she had not been beheaded by his predecessor, Elizabeth I. James I of England (James VI of Scotland) will be at the wedding as he is buried in Westminster Abbey between the bodies of two of his male “suitors.” This somewhat inaccurate tract translated from the Greek and Hebrew is 400 years old this year and is hailed as a masterpiece of English literature responsible for the spread of the English Language around the world. Be that as may be did the words of simple fishermen of Galilee require poetic embellishment?




Press and photo stands in front of Westminster Abbey

More seriously, the same act prohibits both the Sovereign or their Consort from being Catholic or the heir to the throne and their Consort. It goes further and says that neither the Sovereign’s First and Second Lords of the Treasury (namely the Prime Minister and The Chancellor of the Exchequer) nor The Lord Chancellor (The head of the English legal system and successor in office of Sir Thomas More) can be Catholics thus institutionalising sectarianism at the very centre of the British state and legitimising the somewhat snide anti-Catholicism still fashionable in some quarters. They of course can be any other religion or indeed none but they cannot be Catholics. It remains to be seen if Queen Catherine will stay with The Firm, which doesn’t have a good recruiting record, and if the lead heads surrounding the Monarchy will get with the agenda of the modern world. You will need to look elsewhere for updates on these issues.


Royal Wedding Route

Let’s take a look at the route that Kate Middleton will take on her way to Westminster Abbey to her wedding on April 29, 2011 and the schedule for the “big day.”

10:30am – The Princess-to-be and Prince William will leave travel separately to the service. Kate will go by car starting from either Buckingham Palace or Clarence House and head along the Mall, cross the Horse Guards Parade and head towards Parliament Square.

11:00am - The ceremony will start at Westminster Abbey which can hold up to 2,200 guests.

12:00pm – At noon the couple will return along the same route via horse-drawn carriage.

12:30pm – The couple, after being wed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, will go to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony by carriage along a route which will include sights like Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade and the Mall. Once inside the Queen will throw a reception, a fancy one as you can imagine, for the couple and 700 of their friends and family.

1:30pm - Kate and Will are expected to make an appearance on a balcony at Buckingham Palace to kiss for the cameras.

6:00pm – After the “official reception” the couple will enjoy a private dinner with the Prince of Wales… dancing of course will follow.

For now my dear Blogistas whatever side you are on do your best to get through this coming Friday.

Here, for you, are the amazing details of One’s chance meeting with Wills and Kate @ Marylebone Station

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/02/wills-and-kate-marylebone.html

And, even more unbelievable, the details of One’s invitation!

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-is-invited.html


And, this is truly unbelievable, exclusive advance shots of the ceremony!

Pray and Display

Signs in the car park of the Catholic Church in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Not sure what evidence you can give if you get a ticket but finding evidence is always the problem with religion!

Great Missenden at the head of the Misbourne valley is an attractive small town, with a long curving High Street of half timbered and Georgian shops, a graciously proportioned Baptist Church and a number of traditional pubs.


Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Great Missenden

Church Street is full of interesting old houses and leads, via a bridge over the by - pass, to the mainly 14th century Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Missenden Abbey, founded in 1133 as an Augustinian monastery, is now a residential college offering adult education courses.


Chiltern Hills

Great Missenden has been host to a variety of famous people over the centuries, including Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Treasure Island). The village is now best known as home to the late Roald Dahl, the internationally famous children's author.

Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter, born in Wales of Norwegian parents, who rose to prominence in the 1940s with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.


Roald Dahl

His most popular books include The Twits, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches and The BFG. Roald Dahl’s grave is in the graveyard of St. Peter and St Paul Church, Great Missenden. It is covered with a slab of Welsh slate as he grew up in Swansea and a small Norwegian flag is on the grave acknowledging the land of his forefathers. As you go to the grave at the edge of the path, you see an enormous footprint, pointing in the direction of Roald Dahl's grave. Then there are 3 more of these (concrete) footprints in the grass that lead right to his stone. These are footprints of a character in one of his books, The BFG - The Big, Friendly Giant. So it was like the BFG was either visiting his grave or had laid him in it!!


Roald Dahl's Grave St. Peter and St Paul Church, Great Missenden

For the museum devoted to Great Missenden’s most famous resident Roald Dahl see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/01/roald-dahl-museum-and-story-centre.html


For scenes of Spring in the Chiltern Hills see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/chiltern-spring.html

One is invited!

One's majestic invitation

One is acutely embarrassed for had one not promised One’s Blogistas no more on *The Royal Wedding*? Then one’s principles go out the open window in the West Wing of one’s Castle for one receives unexpectedly one’s invitation to the Great Event which will cheer up Britannia and make it feel at ease with itself. When one has been subjected to the *Royal Magic* what is one to do?



With one being a republican with both a big and a small R the Celtic Sage is hardly an admirer of The British Crown. How could one be given their history in Ireland and one's belief that it is the people who are sovereign – One believes in being a citizen, one is not a subject?

Indeed one is also aware that the term “British” is somewhat of a misnomer. For the Britons were a Celtic people and one resents that strange union of two Low German Tribes, the Anglo-Saxons, expropriating the term used by Queen Boadicea and other true Britons to legitimise their Germanic hegemony. However they did give England its name, its language, its boundaries and its character so one must not be too intolerant – that in itself would be Germanic! But since poor King Harold bit ye Hastings dust in 1066 there have been no English Sovereign’s of England. There have been Norman French, Plantagenet French, Welsh Tudors, Scottish Stuarts, Dutch Orange Nassau’s and lastly German Hanover’s who have today (with only partial success) rebadged themselves as Windsor’s after toying for a while under Victoria with the snappy Saxe-Coburg Gotha!


One's son (say no more!) and grandson

So now one is left with important choices between now and the Great Event on the 29th April. One perforce must accept for one is commanded! But after that what is one to wear, Uniform, Morning Coat or Lounge Suit? If one chooses uniform is one to wear Kilt, Military, Boy Scout or Nurse? What does one give as a present? Diego Garcia has already been given to the Yankee Colonists despite their disloyalty to Farmer George, the Punjab is just not the same after partition and Ireland has already been given to the IMF and the European Central Bank? The invitation is also not just for one’s self but also for one’s Consort. But does one bring one’s Official Consort or one’s unofficial Consort? Tricky one this, one must take advice from an expert like HRH Prince Andrew who is presently reconnecting with the people of this United Kingdom after losing his Air Miles Card.



No doubt one will be pressurised to share the base cynicism of the vulgar press about the Royal Guffitis between now and Friday April 29th as the Royal Propaganda machine and its fellow travellers gets into “God Bless you Ma’am “mode with every inconsequential detail puffed up for posterity. No doubt the low point for one will be when the leaders of the ConDem Coalition Dave “Common Man” Cameron and Nick Clog take time off from Nation Breaking to jointly broadcast that they are sharing “The Joy of the Nation!” However now one has an invitation one will have no truck with such proletarian rabble who should be transported to the colonies without delay for one is now different. One is invited!

One's chance meeting with Wills and Kate at Marylebone Station

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/02/wills-and-kate-marylebone.html


One's future Head of the Firm and Consort

Indeed speaking of the aforementioned Republic of Éire one is gratified that her Britannic Majesty is visiting that benighted Isle with its equally benighted people, the first visit by the head of the firm in 100 years. Indeed one is confident Her Majesty will ignore the Little Leprechaun carping of a person with a beard (never a good sign) called Gaddafi Adams who meanly whines;

“There are still a lot of legacy issues that need to be resolved. I don't think this is the right time for the English queen to come here. I don't think we can afford it, apart from anything else. As we continue to build a new dispensation, then all of those things are possible, but not now.”


Gaddafi Adams leader of the group renamed "Gerry and the Peacemakers." Note the dreadful beard, one should never have one unless one is in the Navy.


Indeed one suspects with Gaddafi Adams timing is everything. A time to kill, a time to live, a time to bomb, a time to vote, a time to be a Fascist, a time to be a Democrat, a time for an Armalite, a time for the ballot box, a time for War, a time for Peace. One would not be surprised if the Provisional Shinners had as one’s slogan for the unwashed masses “One’s time is come.”

But truly one does not care for truly one is invited. One is most gratified!

See the story of the "Great Day."

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/04/ones-first-wedding.html




One's ancestor Queen Victoria visiting the Celts