It does feel like i've been camped out in Battersea all week
having been here, every day
since 272 Tube Stations were a thing
Nine Elms, and Battersea Power Station here
are the two newest stations, on the Northern Line
and it seems that people have got questions
in the comments, on Youtube, on Twitter
and i thought i'd answer some of them, but to ask them!
i thought i'd get my friend Tim *ding* channel here
to put his voice to those questions
take it away Tim!
Hello Geoff. I've watched your video and ... we all have some questions
the first one is, why don't the new stations have platform edge doors
like the new Jubilee line stations do?
Yeah, this by far is the most popular question that i've seen all week
and it pertains to the fact that people just assume that a new tube station
like the Jubilee line when the extension opened there
would have platform edge doors, PED's ... but!
the Nothern Line doesn't because unlike the Jubilee line
they built their new trains and the new extension at the same time
so the technology for the trains to integrate with the platform edge doors
was there at the same time
the Northern line stock here doesn't have the technology to operate platform edge doors
so they would have have had to upgrade the whole - every single unit on the Northern line stock to do that
so they weren't going to do that, just for two stations
to have platform edge doors, however!
in the future if they were to replace or refurbish
the Northern Line stock, then at that point they could
put in the technology, to enable platform edge doors
which is why the provision has been put in place
at Nine Elms, and Battersea Power Station to have it
if you look up, you can see it - they're just not their, right now
[Tim] How many steps are there? And where are the lifts? Presumably, they're all step free stations?
a good question, Tim. err... the joke doesn't work here as there are no steps at all
so we can't do the 'fifteen stories' gag
but! how does it work for step-free
there is level boarding, there are lifts
and to try it out, i thought why not ask someone
who HAS to use a life, and has much more experience than I do
which is why my friend Sarah is here, hi Sarah! [ Sarah ] Hi there!
Yes, this is Sarah
a wheelchair user for over 10 years
who is also an accessible travel consultant
she's worked with multiple Railway Operating Companies
advising on accessible needs
as well as working on the National Rail passenger assist app
which helps you plan, and book, an accessible rail journey. She knows her stuff.
[Sarah] I found it, a little bit confusing
it's a bit blank ... and metal
i could do with a few more signs like finding my way around
maybe some kind of floor markings?
it's great that there are these wheelchair boarding points
and i havem't noticed those before
so, i quite like it ...
i did notice that the entrance to one of the lifts was quite deep
and certainly, there wasn't much turning space
once i got inside, i think it would be worse for a power chair, or scooter
[Tim] Have the bue stop names changed outside at all to match the names of the stations?
Great question Tim! Got to admit had you more down as a train person
that a bus person, but yes i'm standing here
at Sleaford street, what was Battersea Power Station
and they now renamed both the bus stops here
as well as down at Nine Elms as well
the bus stops are now named, after the tube stations
[Tim] Does this mean the Kennington Loop is no longer in use then?
Great question! to answer it, i've come to Kennington now
and the answer is ... the loop is STILL being used
you still get some trains that terminate here
that have come down the Charing Cross branch
like this one, and they will still go round the loop
there's approxamately 2 or 3 trains that will terminate here
and the one after that will be the one that goes to Battersea Power Station
so the loop .. the Kennington loop! is still in use
In fact, it's now being used in both directions
as it's now been upgraded to be bi-directional
as there are not a small number of trains first thing in the morning
and last thing at which,
use the loops in the ... "wrong" direction
that have come up from Battersea, reverse at Kennington, and go back down to Battersea
this is as well as all the other normal terminating trains at Kennington
during the day, which still go round the loop the normal way
Battersea Power Station to Nine Elms looks like a short distance how long does it take?
and to work this one out I get my stopwatch up on my phone
and I time how long the journey takes
i was just wondering if Battersea Power Station to Nine Elms
might be a new entry into the Top 10 list of
shortest time between two tube stops, but ... sadly it doesn't
but here are the timings anyway!
Have you updated your Station Master App, and what are the best exit positions?
Great question, what it the optimum point so that when you
get off the train, you're right here
by the foot of either set of escalators
yup, there's be two new 3D maps along with all others, in the App
but until the update arrives, i can tell you to be in either carriages 2 or 6 for arrivals INTO Battersea Power Station
or at Nine Elms
be in carriage 3 if northbound, or carriage 4 if exiting southbound
to be lined up, with the escalators
Will the line ever be extended to Clapham Junction?
and i'm back outside the last question
thanks Tim, yes ... the obvious one
is will the line ever be extended to Clapham Junction, well remember
well remember that the whole line at extension here was funded by the Battersea Power Station project
that's the large development
that's happening over here, they put in a lot of the money
and if you have put in the line to Clapham Junction
what you would have had is non-empty trains here because
thousands and thousands of people
would have come in on Southern, and South West Trains
into Clapham Junction, and then changed onto the Northern Line
at Clapham Junction and as trains then come through here
Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms
they would have already been full with passengers that had got on
at Clapham Junction, so the problem is there - can you think of a way
of not to flood the Northern Line trains
right at the start, at the beginning
if it were to be extended to Clapham
solve that problem, and you can then solve the mystery of the Underground going "okay"
we'll extend the line down to Clapham
So thanks Tim for your questions, go and subscribe to his channel - link in the description
we've been making plans and an actual collaboration between the two of us
will happen soon, we promise
until then, enjoy the fact that two new Tube stations
have come to London, on the Northern Line
and i'll put the service pattern, and frequencies
in the comments below, thanks very much!