On Mar 28, 10:57 am, Robin9 wrote:[color=blue][i]
'1506[_2_ Wrote: ;119050']On Mar 28, 10:59*am, Toby
wrote:

OTOH much 1950s planning for London was on the mark. By the mid
sixries we had the Victoria Line. It should have been followed by
the Chelsea to Hackney line.

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.

And yet, much of inner London remains socialist.

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.

Remember the "Relocation of Offices Bureau?

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.

Routes can always be extended. Perhaps the bigger issue is that now
Chelsea to Hackney would not be build as a tube gauge line. There is
always the possibility of extension to SR territory. OTOH, there was
an intention for Chelney to take over the Wimbledon Branch of the
District Line.

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

Maybe, but the perceived need, and it is a real one, is relief of the
Central Line.