Balham ‘Gateway to the South’?

10 January 2013

Balham, near where I live, was not the ‘Gateway to the South’ for the last couple of weeks. As you can see from the pictures below, engineering works shut the bridge at Bedford Hill. Normally a pretty quiet place, the area round the bridge has been transformed into a massive building site as the new bridge has been lowered into place. An army of engineers in orange appeared and are working all day and night.

It was pretty impressive to see the huge new bridge swinging through the air and touching down. My kids were very impressed by the 12 portaloos also installed – enough for a mini festival.

The information about this has been pretty good, as it needs to be – although the Network Rail-sponsored ice rink in the supermarket car park could have done with more publicity – must have been the only empty ice rink in London! Anyway, anyone who knows South London will realise that the geography is dominated by the railways line on embankments and the bridges you need to go under to get around. I just hope Bedford Hill opens on time as the knock-on effect on traffic has been grim.

So longer platforms for longer trains, more trains and seats – just the priorities being filled that passengers tell us they want to see. Good to see this type of visible improvement– now where are those new trains? Hmm, some way off sadly.

      

Like the blog? Please share on your social channels.