November 2007 News
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Hackney will this month reap the first rewards of a £200million programme to radically improve transport links across London.
Rail passengers using local stations are set to benefit from an ambitious scheme to overhaul the North London Line (NLL).
From Sunday, 11 November, London Overground takes over NLL services from Silverlink Metro, and travellers will be able to use pay-as-you-go Oyster cards on the line for the first time.
It marks the culmination of a four-year campaign by Hackney’s Mayor, Jules Pipe, to secure better public transport for the borough.
From day one, fares will be cheaper with an Oyster card, stations will be fully staffed while trains are running, and faredodging will be reduced by new ticket barriers.
Stations will be deep cleaned next Spring and new trains delivered towards the end of 2008.
The carriages will have room for more passengers, air-conditioning, CCTV, plus improved accessibility with dedicated wheelchair bays.
These are the first of a wide range of benefits, to be rolled out by Transport for London (TfL) between now and 2011 – in time for the Olympics.
Hackney Central and Homerton stations will be rebuilt by 2010, while Dalston Kingsland and Hackney Wick are to be refurbished.
The work is part of a 1.4billion investment programme, which will also give Hackney its first Tube-style link via the extension of the East London Line (ELL).
New stations will be opened at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street by 2010 as part of the ELL project, followed by a link to Highbury & Islington in 2011.
These improvements will see eight trains an hour on the NLL and 12 trains an hour on the ELL by 2011.
Both the northern and eastern railways will eventually form part of the London Overground network – which will ultimately create an orbital rail link around the capital by 2012.
Mayor Pipe ran a four year campaign to get a proper Tube connection for the borough and to improve services on the NLL. He said: “Hackney has been held back for too long by being the only inner London borough without a proper Tube link. Major improvements to the North London Line and the new stations on the East London Line show our campaign to get Hackney properly on every Tube map has been on the right track.”
TfL London Rail Managing Director, Ian Brown, added: “London Overground will put Hackney squarely on the Tube map and bring fast, high-frequency, reliable and safe rail services to a part of London long in need of them.
“This will trigger regeneration within Hackney and also allow residents better access to jobs and leisure in Greater London.
“However, I would also ask passengers for their patience. The North London Line is suffering from decades of under investment and we have a lot of work ahead of us to rectify that neglect. Please bear with us while we turn the railway into an asset Hackney residents will be proud of.”
Page updated: 28 Jan 2008