Overground Expansion

September seems another big expansion of the London Overground (LO) as it takes over stations on route to Croydon ahead of next years running of services on the East London Railway (ELR). The following stations will be taken over on the 20th September;

• New Cross Gate
• Brockley
• Honor Oak Park
• Forest Hill
• Sydenham
• Crystal Palace
• Penge West
• Anerley
• Norwood Junction
• West Croydon

This will lead to a re branding of the stations ahead of the East London Rail services expected to start serving these stations in Spring next year. It remains to be seen if the first services using Oyster at these stations will be Southern's or London Overground's.

This comes along with the news that Imperial Wharf station is to open of the 27th of this month. The new station which has been in the planning stage for years is the second completely new station opened since TfL took control of the Overground network and also the second new station on the West London Line.

377/5 update

Slowly and surely the 377/5 are being delivered by Bombarider. Current First Capital Connect have now 12th units meaning we are now half way through the delivery programme and the current final unit, the 23rd is due mid november. 377506 made its passenger debut today, working along side 10 other Electrostars. So far the units have come into service as such

377501 - 24th March
377504 - 28th March
377502 - 30th April
377507 - 11th May
377508 - 18th May
377505 - 29th May
377509 - 27th July
377510 - 30th July
377511 - 5th August
377512 - 18th August
377513 - 1st September
377506 - 2nd September

377506 on the return leg of its first jounery in passenger service.

377504 showing off the livery of the 377/5's thats now been applied to 377501/502/504/505/507/508/510/511

Currently units 377516 and 377520 are still on comissioning test and both due at FCC's Cauldwell depot by the first week of October. No moves from Bombardiers Derby workshop where the 377/5 are being built to Southern's Selhurst depot are booked at the moment meaning there will be a gap after 377520 is delivered, but units 377503/514/515/517/518/519/521/522/523 are still due to leave Derby. The quickest a 377/5 was comissioned was three weeks with unit 377505. During the testing, normally done at night, the units have been to many distant places that they won't visit for a few more years including Tonbridge, Milton Keynes and Littlehampton.

Blackfriars Update - 2nd September 2009

Just a quick update with some pictures of Blackfriars. Over the bank holiday wekend the passenger bridge linking platforms 4 and 5 was lifted into place. as you can see from the following pictures, work has progressed rather well.

Not in the pictures is the new front entrance to the station which is completed. It will open along side the new station control room in around two weeks time.