"Robin Payne" wrote in message
...
"The Only Living Boy in New Cross" wrote in
message m...

One of the commonest explanations you hear for the lack of tube lines
south of the river is that the soil is unsuitable for the tunnelling
equipment in use in the early years of the 20th century. If that's
the case, though, how did the Morden end of the Northern Line get
built?

I tend to beleive the more probably explanation that the Southern Railway
took suburban commuters seriously as a market, and provided frequent,
electric commuter trains. The other 3 of the big 4 basically ignored this
market, and the system that became London Underground built the lines
instead. This leaves us now with London Underground extending way out to
the north, east and west, but the railways doing the job to the south.

I always understood that the reason for the lack of tube lines, south of the
river, was due to the intensive network of tram lines operated by the local
councils down there. The main line railways set up a network of electric
trains in competition with the trams, which meant that the case for tube
lines was not strong.
--
Terry Harper, Web Co-ordinator, The Omnibus Society
http://www.omnibussoc.org
E-mail:
URL: http://www.terry.harper.btinternet.co.uk/