On 24 Apr, 15:09, Mwmbwls wrote:

http://www.transportbriefing.co.uk/story.php?id=4907
quote

Olympia to be remodelled in Overground property plan
Filed 24/04/08

Transport for London has appointed commercial property consultancy
Lambert Smith Hampton to manage property at stations across the London
Overground network.

The two-year contract makes LSH responsible for providing portfolio
management services across 50 stations on the North London, West
London, Gospel Oak to Barking and the Euston to Watford lines. TfL
intends to spend more than £1.4m over the next four years refurbishing
stations and increasing the number of on-site retailers to bankroll
further investment.

Plans include letting the large existing station building at
Kensington Olympia station to a retailer and constructing new
passenger facilities on a smaller site nearby.

Control of London Overground rail services, formerly branded
Silverlink Metro, was transferred by the government to the Mayor of
London, and hence TfL, in November last year.

Geoff Smith, a director in LSH’s transport team based in London, said:
“The former Silverlink Metro service did not take full advantage of
the retail opportunities available on its network. With the help of
TfL’s £1.4bn investment programme, LSH will develop these sites into
state-of-the-art facilities.

“Our aim is to encourage potential tenants to sign-up during the early
stages of the investment programme, with the incentive of the
potential growth once it is complete.”

Last week managing director of TfL London Rail, Ian Brown, said: "All
London Overground stations will upgraded and refurbished by 2010 and
some will be remodelled depending on funding availability."
unquote

Is that it - letting the station building to a retailer and build a
couple of sheds – why not use the air rights over the station to build
a substantial high rise complex – office, retail, housing ala Dalston
Junction and use the profits to have decent station facilities. If
there was enough of a profit- TfL or Network Rail could reinvest to
electrify the GOBLIN Route thereby making the Overground all
electric.


Well, Dalston Junction is owned by TfL not Network Rail. I'm not sure
what the plans are w.r.t. the timetable for building the complex at
Dalkston Junction - is it going to be built before services start, or
is provision going to be made for it to be built after ELLX services
commence? Whatever, one problem at Kenny O is that the WLL is already
a busy line, day and night. That's without even considering whether an
air rights development would be appropriate to the area, whether
there's any real demand for it etc etc.

The large station building at Olympia was, UIVMM, the Motorail
terminal built in the 60's. I don't know how long it's been in use as
a normal ticket office (perhaps since the 80's and the attempt to
reinvigorate KO with new cross-London Intercity services?), though in
another part of the building there is a 'tunnel' where you can see the
remnants of the old ticket windows that seemingly provided for the
District line plus the few mainline passenger trains that actually
served Olympia.

Whilst the current booking hall is thus something of a reminder of
times past, and has all the hallmarks of 60's BR modernisation, it
just isn't a great use of the space. Many passengers genuinely aren't
even aware that there is a ticket office at KO, given that it is
somewhat hidden away. If a more prominent ticket office that overlooks
the station, toilets and a waiting room can be provided under the new
arrangements then I think they're to be welcomed. As Olympia is a
favourite spot for spotters I expect there will be much wailing about
this change, and indeed it might mean some of the backwater charm of
Kenny O, but the railway is for passengers and Olympia is a backwater
no more.

Apart from developments at KO, this is an interesting bit of news. As
well as getting some extra income, an important part of the thinking
is that stations that feature shops are more welcoming to passengers
and less welcoming to ne'er do wells. Though whether the world really
needs more places where people can fritter away their money on
chocolate bars and bottled water is another question!