New London Overground link carries one million people in one month

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New London Overground link carries one million people in one month

New London Overground link carries one million people in one month

11 January 2013

London Overground the most punctual UK rail service, according to new survey.

Demand has been growing steadily since it opened as the new service offers a faster and more comfortable journey option.
Howard Smith, Transport for London's (TfL) Chief Operating Officer for Rail

The new Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays link on the London Overground network carried its one million passenger yesterday (Thursday January 10) after being open for only a month.

The link, which was opened by the Mayor Boris Johnson and the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on 9 December 2012, completed the London Overground orbital network.

The last orbital rail network built in London was London Underground's Circle Line, opened 128 years ago.

Transport for London's (TfL) Chief Operating Officer for Rail, Howard Smith, said: 'The popularity of the new service across South London is as we expected given that it connects the major interchange of Clapham Junction in the west with the developing area of East London.
Most punctual UK rail operator

'Demand has been growing steadily since it opened as the new service offers a faster and more comfortable journey option to increasing numbers of Londoners.'

This milestone in passenger numbers comes just as new Network Rail punctuality tables make London Overground the most punctual UK rail operator during 2012.

The new tables measure the number of trains arriving within 59 seconds of schedule and London Overground had 88.4 per cent of its trains arriving within that time.

'These two sets of figures reveal that London Overground is the most punctual and popular railway in the UK and provides the sort of rail service Londoners deserve,' said Mr Smith ....

Notes to editors:

    Network Rail has two punctuality ratings. The Passenger Performance Measure (PPM) measures the number of trains arriving within five minutes of their scheduled time. The new measure of Right Time Performance (RTP) measures the number of trains arriving within 59 seconds of their scheduled time
    London Overground's PPM for 2012 was 96.8 per cent and its RTP was 88.4 per cent
    Four trains an hour will operate on the new link, increasing the frequency of trains between Surrey Quays and Dalston Junction from 12 trains per hour to 16 trains per hour
    London Overground runs 938 services from its fleet of 65 air-conditioned trains each day (57 Class 378 Capitalstar and 8 Class 172 diesels) linking 20 of London's 33 boroughs. This is double the number of services it ran at the beginning of the concession and it has also quadrupled the number of passengers it carries to 100 million per year
    Forty-eight new drivers and five extra train support employees have been hired as a result of the new connection which increases the total of London Overground services around the capital from 945 trains a day to 1,090

... The new measure of Right Time Performance (RTP) measures the number of trains arriving within 59 seconds of their scheduled time ...

[BrizCommuter]

For those who are not aware, London Overground is a mainly orbital network with service frequencies generally at 4tph or higher.

[colinw]

Its an interesting system, cobbled together from bits & pieces of old British Rail lines, the former East London Line of the Underground, and even some re-openings of long closed bits of line. One of the bits of line re-opened to make the Overground last saw a train in 1911!

Most of it is electrified, except for the Gospel Oak to Barking line, an orbital that avoids central London, which is diesel operated.

I could spend days just playing trains in London.  Wonderful place!

[SurfRail]

I understand TfL is trying to get some more existing National Rail services under its direct control too.

Crossrail, Northern Line Çharing Cross branch extension to Battersea (Clapham Junction would be nice), Hacksea line, Thameslink upgrades - very interesting times.