Gospel Oak to Barking line to get four extra trains

Passengers on London Overground, one of the most successful rail services in the country, will benefit from extended and extra services that are being introduced on the network in time for the festive season.

From December 14, permanent timetable changes will boost services across the network. Four extra trains will be added to the Gospel Oak to Barking line to help relieve congestion. Four services on the East London line will also be extended so that they terminate at the interchange at Highbury & Islington, rather than terminating at Dalston Junction as they do now.

These improvements are in addition to the increased capacity being delivered through the new five-carriage trains, which Transport for London (TfL) began to roll out earlier this month. The new carriages are being introduced on the East London and North London routes and have space for an extra 170 customers in each carriage, adding 25% extra capacity to the network. This will make journeys better for the hundreds of thousands of people who use the network every day.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: `London Overground has been a fantastic railway success story and these increased services will help to open up East London even further and support economic growth, new homes and jobs. As London's population continues to rise, it is investment in our transport network like this which will ensure London remains the best big city in which to live, work and invest.'

Under TfL, London Overground has become one of the most popular and punctual railways anywhere in the country. It has brought previously under-used parts of the urban network back into full use. Services have been radically improved with continuing investment and expansion to parts of the capital which were once not well served by rail. Stations have been brought up to modern standards, with CCTV, better security, a turn up and go service for disabled Londoners and staff present at every station at all times.

Overall customer satisfaction on the London Overground network has steadily increased, with the latest score reaching 91% and the railway is consistently one of the most reliable in the country. In October and November of this year 93.6% of London Overground trains arrived at their destination within five minutes of their scheduled time. The national average for that period was 84.6%.

Director of London Overground, Mike Stubbs, said: `Demand on the London Overground network is increasing all the time and we are pleased to be able to boost services to meet this demand.

"The extra services will help relieve congestion on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. In addition, earlier starting services and service extensions on the North London and East London routes will perfectly complement the fifth carriage that we are adding to our trains, boosting capacity by 25 per cent and making life better for our customers.'

From 31 May 2015, TfL will operate three quarters of all journeys in and out of Liverpool Street station - having integrated West Anglia and Liverpool Street to Shenfield rail services into the TfL network. The West Anglia services will join the London Overground Network, and the Liverpool Street to Shenfield services will be run by TfL as the first phase of the introduction of TfL-operated Crossrail. As has been witnessed in other parts of London, integrating these services will stimulate jobs, economic growth and unlock regeneration.

Consultations are currently underway on extending London Overground to Old Oak Common in the west of London and Barking Riverside in the east. Research indicates that the entire Old Oak regeneration scheme could be worth up to £6.2 billion for the London economy with a London Overground station essential to fulfilling wider plans to create 55,000 jobs and build 24,000 homes. Some 950 acres of industrial land is available for regeneration.

At Barking Riverside, approximately 6,000 jobs would be generated as a result of the new housing scheme, including around 2,500 permanent jobs in the planned 65,500 m2 retail, commercial and leisure development. A London Overground extension would enable the delivery of up to 10,800 new homes, many of which will be affordable, as well as a new school and healthcare and other facilities.

Additional and extended services:

Gospel Oak to Barking Line additional services:

  • 06:06am Barking to Gospel Oak;
  • 17:18 South Tottenham to Gospel Oak;
  • 17:37 Gospel Oak to Barking;
  • 18:58 Barking to Upper Holloway

East London Line - Monday to Saturday

  • Four East London Line trains - two early services and two later services - will be extended from Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington and therefore run earlier and later.

East London Line - Sunday

  • The 07:20 Clapham Junction to Highbury & Islington will start from Battersea Park.

North London Line - Monday to Friday

  • The 14:31 and 15:01 Clapham Junction to Willesden Junction services will be extended to terminate at Stratford
  • Two Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction services will be extended to start back from Stratford at 15:21 and 16:05
  • London Overground is set to carry 135m people per year - a four fold increase in passenger numbers since TfL took over management of the network in 2007

Please see https://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/london-overground/london-overground-timetables after December 14 for details of changes to the East London Line services.