Any planned additions to the Overground network in 2k14?

Additional carriages on the Goblin Line is my number one.

Nothing substantial. I imagine you will start to see extended platforms on the ELL as the work is done. The new sidings at Silwood will become available for use.

I doubt we will see any visible progress on GOBLIN electrification. I haven't even seen any news about how the GRIP process is going with Network Rail and if there is a preferred scope for the electrification / capacity expansion works. The actual work on site is not due to be completed until 2017 anyway so we won't see any physical work for a while yet. I guess we might see some of the "fifth" cars turn up but they won't be into trains until such time as the infrastructure work is done to allow them to run. That's not due for completion on the ELL until 2015.

You might see some "Access for All" works at some Overground stations and a small number are due to get capacity works too. West Hampstead seems to be in line for the biggest changes. I am not sure if those works are due for completion this year. Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central and Finchley Road and Frognal are the others on the list for urgent attention.

I think the current 16 trains per hour through the core (Surrey Quays to Dalston Junction) is about as much as you're going to get. There has been talk of up to 18 trains per hour but the major problem is dwell times at stations during the peaks as well as the fact that if any services is late onto the core by a more than a couple of minutes it can have quite a significant impact on congestion. With trains stacking up, the more trains that are pushed through the less chance of recovering the service in a timely manner.

What we are really lacking since both bay platforms are in constant use at Dalston Junction following the Clapham Junction extension is a turnback siding where we can turn a train around early in the event of significant delay.

Yes we do, they are fine if there are signalling issues and ALL services need to turn around, but at all of those locations it means turning a train on a running line, which in normal running can hold up trains in both directions, certainly on the line at which the driver changes ends. It works OK when we're running short services when there's engineering works at weekends etc, but it's not suited to turning services short of destination in peak rush. Even if a train develops a fault on the up and has to run empty to come out of service it will on most occasions run up to Dalston to turn rather than do so at Canada Water or Shadwell. That's why I specifically mentioned a turnback siding. I believe it would be possible to create one just north of Shoreditch High St and I'm surprised this hasn't been done (perhaps it has been considered but there are valid reasons why not).