London’s trusty transport network is a topic that’ll never fail to get me yapping. And today’s transport talk comes in the form of a north London rail route that could soon become the latest London Overground line. The route in question currently runs from Moorgate to various spots in Hertfordshire, and Transport for London have formally applied to take over the train line and increase the number of services running along it.
The railway line that could soon become the proud property of TfL is a section of the Great Northern route called the ‘Great Northern Inners’. The rail route runs from Moorgate to Alexandra Palace (via the likes of Essex Road and Finsbury Park) before splitting and heading to Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage via Hertford North.
The information comes from a Freedom of Information request (submitted by IanVisits) detailing the business case that was proposed by TfL.
The business case includes plans to double the number of off-peak services running from London to Welwyn Garden City from two to four per hour. TfL also plans to potentially increase the frequency of trains running on the Hertford North line to six per hour (which is supposedly the maximum number of train that the line can facilitate).
If all goes to plan, 20 stations could be added to the London Overground networkincluding Finsbury Park, Essex Road, and Alexandra Palace. The proposal would require Transport for London to invest in station upgrades, as their branding, roundels, seating, ticket machines and departure display boards would all need to be TfL-ified.
The takeover would supposedly cost around £47 million (more if Crews Hill were to be included in the upgrades). And if the proposed plans get the green light, the wheels could be fully in motion by autumn 2027.
You can read the details provided in the Freedom of Information request here.
