One day of TfLOverground integration, and what's happened so far? (Sorry if you're a bit sick of posts about railways. I was originally planning to write about the Lord Mayor'sShow instead, but the tube map furore sort of overtook things. There'll be some non-railway stuff along later in the week, honest)
Trains: Still just as rubbish. Still too short, still too infrequent, still too old. But there are new network maps (and tube maps) up in every carriage. And someone appears to have been very busy early on Sunday morning ripping the "Silverlink Metro" stickers off the outside of all the carriages.
Stations: Still just as rundown, because you can't deep-clean 50-odd stations in 24 hours flat (although TfL hope to have them all spruced up by Easter). Sunday saw all the Silverlink posters on the platforms removed and lots of London Overground posters put up instead - "Under new management" "Penalty fares introduced" etc. There are newly operational ticket barriers at some stations (eg West Hampstead, Homerton), allowing Pay As You Go along the entire network. You might be lucky and find a bright orange information leaflet - London's new train set - which contains a voucher for a free Oyster card (no deposit required). And you should be able to pick up a new timetable...
Timetable: ...which is exactly the same as the old timetable (at least in substance, if not design). Nothing changes until a properly-new timetable begins in four weeks time, which means that TfL have just spent lots of money on thousands of full colour 44-page booklets purely as a very-short-term rebranding exercise. You can expect more trains come 9th December, but only at the start and end of the day when services will start earlier and finish later. Train frequency will not increase for the foreseeable future, sorry.
Website: All relevant timetables, service disruptions and engineering work used to be available on the Silverlink website. No longer. The Silverlink website has been killed off, and now redirects to London Midland. TfL's London Overground website is, by comparison, a bit useless. It's all press releases and future plans, rather than information to help you travel today. Timetables are hidden in a completely different part of the site, unlinked. Engineering work is hidden on the "Rail" tab of the Live Travel News page. But as for current disruptions to train services, not a sign. There's just a link to a JourneyCheck page that no longer exists. And sorry, but this REALLY isn't good enough. When London Overground trains are 20 or 30 minutes apart, it's important to be able to find out when one's running late or not running at all. Day 1 and, in this respect at least, the service is already significantly worse.
Tube map: Yes, at last, London has a new tube map. TfL finally put the new version up on their website around 5pm on Sunday afternoon (even though we'd all seen it before). Yes, it's just as ugly and overcrowded as we feared. Pity the poor Zone-1-centric tourists attempting to use this mess to get around London. But, even though it's less than 24 hours old, it's not the most up to date London tube map. The version that appears on Overground trains and on the new Overground leaflet, that's fractionally newer. I've been playing spot the difference...
i) Clapham Junction was wrongly-marked as step-free on the website map. This has been corrected on the new new map. ii) West Hampstead was one interchange on the website map, but is two linked interchange blobs on the new new map. Damned ugly, but probably more consistent. iii) Waterloo station now has some extra-tiny text informing us that "International rail services depart from Kings Cross St Pancras from 14 November". Well worth including for three days, eh? iv) The Overground tracks leading west out of Willesden Junction have been tidied up. v) Highbury & Islington station no longer says " no weekend service" (which is good!), even though Moorgate and Old Street still do (which is bad!). Come on TfL, make your mind up and be consistent.
I wonder which version they'll use on the new pocket-size paper tube map?
So, that's the new London Overground. It's nigh exactly the same as Silverlink Metro except slightly more orange and you can no longer tell when it isn't running. Way to go.
Noon update: Hurrah, there is now a page of real-time running information for the Overground - here. 1pm update: ... just in time for a serious trackside fire to disrupt services through the Olympic Park!
London Overground update
Stations: Still just as rundown, because you can't deep-clean 50-odd stations in 24 hours flat (although TfL hope to have them all spruced up by Easter). Sunday saw all the Silverlink posters on the platforms removed and lots of London Overground posters put up instead - "Under new management" "Penalty fares introduced" etc. There are newly operational ticket barriers at some stations (eg West Hampstead, Homerton), allowing Pay As You Go along the entire network. You might be lucky and find a bright orange information leaflet - London's new train set - which contains a voucher for a free Oyster card (no deposit required). And you should be able to pick up a new timetable...
no weekend service" (which is good!), even though Moorgate and Old Street still do (which is bad!). Come on TfL, make your mind up and be consistent.
