Look what's going on at H&I Station!

Local residents have been getting quite excited this week about the changes at Highbury & Islington Station, and rightly so! As refurbishment begins to take shap, it's no longer the enclosed, dingy building site it's been for the past few months, but well on its way to becoming a shiny new station, all ready for whizzy new London Overground trains to pass through. 

The station may never return to its former glory, but it's great to see that TfL's long talked-about plans to improve the station and make it more accessible are finally under way.

While the East London Line/London Overground (have they decided which one it is yet?) extension will not be completely connected until spring 2011, it's now possible to take one of the new Overground trains to Dalston Kingsland, which is a short walk from the new Dalston Junction station that connects with Southeast London. This new connection should take just 7 minutes -- significantly faster than the bus option.

But it's not all about the station: TfL are currently engaged in a project to overhaul the area surrounding H&I Station, with plans including improvements the roundabout opposite, improving traffic flow and making it safer for cyclitsts, and removing the Post Office, which sits opposite the station entrance.

Islington Council say that a new, larger post office Post Office is planned for the vacant land on the corner with Highbury Place, next to Marie Curie

charity shop. Once that's in place, the existing portacabin-style building obscuring the station will be demolished, creating a much more open and accessible space.

I'm personally a bit disappointed to see that the railings are still in place around the roundabout - a known cycle hazard that was scheduled for removal back in March. They were certainly still up there when I last looked!