It certainly should have been followed by the Chelsea to Hackney line and would have been had we not had Britain's first anti-London government.

Harold Wilson's government took the view that London could look after itself and transferred money and jobs from London to the Provinces. For example, they moved The Royal Mint from London to Wales. Apparently it did not matter if people in London were thrown out of work. As part and parcel of that policy, the Chelsea/Hackney line was postponed.

Obviously, nearly fifty years later, London has changed so much that a purely Chelsea/Hackney line would be a wasted opportunity. Eastwards the line should be extended to Leyton Midland Road and Leytonstone Underground Station and from Chelsea should be extended to Clapham Junction and possibly Tooting Broadway and Tooting.

In my opinion a properly extended Chelsea/Hackney line would be far more beneficial to London than Crossrail.