The overcrowding in morning rush hour is as insane as anywhere in London. The interchange from the northbound Overground onto the Jubilee is effectively the main access point to the tube network for everyone in an entire slice of South London from Croydon and Crystal Palace up through the full length of Lewisham where there is no tube. The single down escalator is a massive bottleneck for each train that arrives and Jubilee platforms at peak time need snaking queues at every door which can take up to 3-4 trains to clear with platforms at capacity. When it gets really bad Canada Water sends Overground passengers UP into the ticket hall rather than down, then back down two flights in order to use space with more capacity for the backlog, it's soul destroying when it happens and highlights how beyond capacity the interchange can get. The perfect release valve would be the proposed Bakerloo extension to New Cross Gate which could offload a proportion of the Overground users heading for central London. The business case is so obvious especially with ongoing large development across the areas down to Lewisham centre, but as of right now the original 2029 ETA has long since been forgotten.
Tô be pedantic the station exit under Canada water library always existed. It just was closed and integrated into the library building during the library construction. However the emergency exit/ventilation shaft opposite the library has been used as a general purpose entrance/exit before.
I'd second that! It's a lovely walk from Canada Water to Stave Hill (great views of London) and back round to the Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe to finish.
Why on earth would you expect London to be warm and sunny lol? Have you not heard the famous stereotype that English people always moan about the weather?
@@davidbray5982 I've been to London twice in my life and the weather was quite nice. During the first trip it rained solely on the first day and it was rather a shower, while during the second one it only rained a bit once it got dark
Good name! As a Canadian resident, I see our water (atleast on the west coast) as really clean and refreshing. Hopefully that's the same as it is for the London commuters.
Very interesting video, and as a Canada Water regular, I sometimes just come out of the station itself to admire the docks and the bus station. Just nice to do that sometimes 👍
There are a few commuters that might want to have a word with you. No tourists allowed during peak times! (or at least that is what I imagine they would say.)😂
I remember when it was called Surrey Docks. In the 80’s it transformed into a huge shiny development called Canada Water, just of the Jamaica rd, near Rotherhithe.
A very useful interchange, use it a lot. The bottleneck I find is the single escalator down from the Overground to the Jubilee line, particularly when passenger numbers were higher before the pandemic. Seems to me that it should have been three escalators, so that, as at other stations, two could operate in the peak direction.
It's always a problem during peak times. It certainly was when I worked there as a contractor for the Overground, trying to cheer up passengers with slightly over the top platform announcements. We were always advised to send passengers the long way around, by taking the escalator up to the main concourse, then across to the opposite Overground platform and take the escalator from there. That didn't diminish the number of passengers, but the time it took for those passengers to cross over lowered the peak pressure on the escalators enough that people could at least keep moving rather than having to queue at the top. It's one of those odd cases where two minutes of walking saves five minutes of queueing.
@@kristofvanderauwera5739 I probably met you a few times, then! I clearly remember that long-way-round suggestion when I commuted through there in the pre-pandemic years.
@@ACELog Very possible indeed. Hopefully you'll also remember the cheerful 'good morning' on the northbound platform and the 'Welcome to Canada Water!' announcements on the southbound platform in the evenings, as I tried to compete with the automatic station announcements for broadcast time :)
I'll have to stop watching your videos at 4am. I'm getting tearful remembering travelling on the old East London tube line. Yes, it was run down, but I loved it and it felt a real railway not like the slick things that seem to be around these days - not that I've been to London since 2001😮 Wonder what I'd.make of it now😂
The Deal Porters wore distinctive headgear - as seen on that statue. A strange leather cap type of thing, with one very long dangling 'Spaniel's ear' on the right hand side to cover the shoulder the plank was carried on. Think of Clement Freud's bloodhound 'Henry' with one ear tied behind his head to get some idea of the bizarre effect.
A Jawa sandcrawler thing is the best description of a building I’ve ever heard! I went on the east London Underground once in 2004 before it closed and turned into an overground line. It was almost “quaint” and quite run down at the time!
Proof of the overcrowding: busiest two platform rail station in the UK (I know the complex has four platforms, but downstairs is a tube station!) I think one big thing it needs is additional escalators from the Northbound Overground platform down to the Jubilee concourse. Often it seems like half of each Overground train arriving at the station tips out on to the platform there, but I imagine digging this out would be incredibly difficult and expensive. I do think that some folks have switched to Whitechapel for changing now the Elizabeth Line has arrived, but it can still get crowded.
I will be attempting to change at whitechapel - step free wise it is still awkward for my onward trek to Stratford , though the time is not much less than going via JL overall
As the first place that I lived, when I moved to London, Canada Water has a special place in my heart. Most of the buildings you showed around there, including the library, didn't even exist when I lived there and the East London line was still undergoing changes to turn it into one of the many London Overground lines.
I used to live at Hithe Point overlooking Albion Channel and just the very top of the Canary Wharf buildings across the river. So much has changed though that I barely recognise it anymore!
Wondering if the opening of the Elizabeth Line/Crossrail has reduced the overcrowding on the Jubilee Line and at Canada Water. It's an alternative way of getting to/from Canary Wharf and should have taken some passengers. I've not used the route for commuting since lock-down in 2020.
@@theobrigham I guess if you want to go from Canary Wharf to London Bridge or Waterloo, the direct Jubilee Line is the obvious way to go. If you want to connect onto the Overground for North or South London or Croydon, the EL now gives an alternative route via Whitechapel, especially for the Dalston/Highbury direction.
One of my ex bosses had a flat in Canada Water which was by the Thames and overlooked Canary Wharf on the other side of the river and in the evening that was a stunning view
When you want to get from Surrey Quays to Shoreditch, which is precisely what I wanted to do one day last year at short notice, the old East London is VERY WELL SITUATED. Otherwise, I would have had to go Canada Water on the bus, then up the Jubilee Line to London Bridge, then Northern Line to Old Street, which would have been a big faff.
As someone who's lived in the area for almost 20 years I feel now out of place in my home with the multi-million pound flats popping up and the young middle-class liberals insisting how they are so down to earth and know exactly what's good for us folks in the council estates whilst buying £5 cups of coffee.
As someone who has lived in the area my whole life, i can confirm: a) the station cannot cope with large volumes of people, it is often closed (was a daily occurrence before the pandemic) due to overcrowding. b) the shopping centre will be moved, as part of the "Masterplan" to when the cinema is, and instead new roads and sky scrapers built there instead. it is estimated about 5,000 new homes will be built there. local campaigners have been fighting to get improved transport connection implemented before this is reached, as the buses and trains will not cope with this increase in demand. If the Bakerloo line extension is passed, going to Old Kent Road, a possibility is they may bring a bus route in to serve the two stations (Similar to the old 365 route which went through the tunnel to serve Shadwell to Canada Water) as well as a possible new bus route. this all of course is contingent on the mayors office and money! c) the area itself is quite tranquil, once you move away from the station and head towards the docks (towards the south east from the station). not much to do in terms of activities, but a walk around the docks to Greenland pier, or a walk around Southwark Park are both nice options to see the local area
Visited Canada Water station many times, but have never entered (or left) the station at ground level. Always just used an an interchange. I can imagine it’s the same for lots of other users.
One thing that strikes me of street scenes is how often cars are standing still. Now this doesn't come as a surprise; it was the case the last time I visited London, already quite a while ago. Still, I think that London (or any other city for that matter) could do with fewer cars.
Good to see how useful stations can become if the connection is right. Btw, Elizabeth line should have taken some pressure off this interchange offering an alternative connection to both Canary Wharf, City and West End.
Having used Canada Water as an interchange for a frantic few weeks in 2018, can confirm it struggles with the weight of rush-hour passengers. So much so that I gave up the slower, cheaper West Croydon - Canada Water - Canary Wharf commute for the faster, pricier East Croydon - London Bridge - Canary Wharf journey…
@@highpath4776 Or nowadays Whitechapel and the Elizabeth Line. May depend partly which bit of Canary Wharf you want to get to; I reckon it's the most spread out interchange on the Underground, even more so than Bank, with all 3 stations being separate for practical purposes.
Another enjoyable video, Jago. I was interested in your comments on overcrowding at Canada Water, about to be exacerbated by a new development. It might be worth looking at Finchley Road and the trio of stations at West Hampstead (Underground, Overground, Wombling free, er, I mean, Thameslink) in this regard. Both tube stations are already overcrowded during the morning rush hour. Typing the words "O2 development" and Landsec into the search engine of your choice will tell you all need to know.
I have been to Canada Water couple times. Very nice station I have to say. Especially when I used the Jubilee Line and London Overground. Very nice station.
2:15 Yeah this is my regular station. They're still there if you peek over the fence but right in the middle of the construction site so who knows if they'll survive the development 6:49 Yeah theres a rush from the ELL platforms to the jubilee which is already taking trains from Stratford. It gets crazy, sometimes you gotta wait two or three trains to get on
There may be trouble ahead 😆 That’s what the pessimist said, when walking along the tunnel upon seeing the lights at the end of the tunnel …the lights of a train coming the other way 😂
One major problem is that the East London line platforms were built to fit the old A60 stock half trains (ie four carriages) thus the rear door on the five coach class 378s don’t fit and so don’t open.
Unless handled vary carefully, that would be seen as corrupt practice - offering money to a public body in order to win a contract. If you were to combine the two components into a single tender, the National Audit Office would have very harsh words. One of the purposes of the various master plans created by local governments is to ensure that such co-dependent projects always remain linked together.
@@hb1338 there’s nothing wrong with insisting on an infrastructure levy. And while I’m at it, insisting on adherence to an ‘affordable’ (whatever that means) housing component, with no get-outs.
Hi Jago, completely off topic but I've noticed my last couple of trips from Liverpool Street to Bethnal Green, the last part of the tunnel hasn't absolutely screamed my ears off. It's been measured as the loudest part of the tube - do you know if the recent central line weekend closure meant they did some work to address it? Or any other loud bits?
Been through here a number of times. Very nice station and local area by the library. I haven't noticed the overcrowding, but maybe I wasn't there at peak times. One option I imagine would be to increase the frequency of Overground trains. According to an article in Modern Railways from 2019, the capacity at that time was 18 trains per hour, and there was scope to increase it to 24tph in 3 phases through various upgrades to signalling and stabling of stock.
Lovely to see my local station! Its a strangely attractive bit of London with remnants of it's Victorian past, 60's brutalism, 90-00's glass and concrete, and now 20's new-age industrial style all creating a sub-urban mish-mash in zone 2. The best thing is how little traffic and noise pollution we get compared to our residential counterparts of North London. From the underground London Overground platforms you can look north and clearly see the platforms of Rotherhite, they're that close. Even so, the overcrowding is a problem in the mornings. I've had to wait for 3-4 tube trains to pass before I can get one.
Hi Jago, great informative video, I love the title too reminds of Will Hay “ole Mr Porter film . Always enjoy your videos of the tube . Kind regards mark
Jago you might be able to solve a mystery for me. Quite near Canada Water on the London Marathon route there was a structure that I think was part of the docks. I noticed it last year and the lady I was running with asked what it was. I promised I would look it up and let her know. I couldn't find anything about it. Any ideas please? Didn't I mention I've run a marathon? 😂
@@highpath4776 no that's the other side of the river, if it's the one I think it is. I think I have found it now, it's the Greenland Dock Bascule Bridge
I assume you mean the bascule bridge on Salter road. Used to live around the corner. Nothing to do with the railway though. An old mate of mine used to live in Wapping and they had these bridges there too. As kids (1960s) they used to put pennies on the rolling part to see how the bridge crushed them when it opened!
The name Canada Water always makes me think of Kölnisch Wasser (Cologne Water) or Florida Water: perfumes. What such a perfume would smell of, I’m not sure. Maple syrup? Balsam fir?
Anyone who’s been at Canada Water in rush hour you already know the northbound interchange to the Jubilee line might as well be the hunger games lol Southbound Overground to Jubilee has some much ample room but the northbound side really doesn’t
Not sure if it should be considered a good thing or a bad thing when a station becomes a victim of its own success in terms of passenger numbers The biggest constraint on the London Overground service is of course being restricted to five coach trains
Jago, do you know how many miles/kilometres you've travelled, making these tales from the tube, and how many hours of video you've shot? I suspect that the answer is going to be "lots "
As someone who used this station every day for about 4 years, I just never understood why it was so laborious to get from the street to the platform. Naively (or not?) I felt that the design of this station was as much about vanity as it was crowd control.
