29.07.15
Transformation works begin on Victoria Line crossover
London Underground is set to renew a Victoria Line crossover between 8 and 30 August to allow for greater train frequency.
From Saturday, it will start rebuilding the Walthamstow Central crossover, replacing the concrete foundations and the track and point work. All northbound Victoria Line trains will only go as far as Seven Sisters.
Other improvement works include redeveloping Victoria and Vauxhall stations to increase capacity and make them step-free. RTM’s interview with Craig Prangley, project director of the Taylor Woodrow/BAM Nuttall joint venture, and Glenn Keelan, programme manager at London Underground, about the Victoria station upgrade project is here.
Currently only 24 trains per hour can run beyond Seven Sisters because of the layout of the points at the crossover, which relocates northbound trains to the southbound line for their return journey.
The crossover must be entirely renewed to achieve a frequency of 36 trains per hour, essential to cater for the 200 million yearly passengers using the Victoria Line.
Changes to the layout will provide a train every 100 seconds during peak hours, making the Victoria Line the UK’s highest-frequency railway.
David Waboso, capital programmes director at LU, and a member of RTM editorial’s board, said that peak-time trains would also run the full length of the line, from Brixton to Walthamstow Central, to increase capacity by more than 40% for customers north of Seven Sisters.
He said engineers would “work around the clock” to keep the closure period between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow Central, vital due to the nature and scale of renewal works, as short as possible.
During the closure there will be rail replacement buses for passengers who are advised to plan ahead in order to accommodate the railway developments.