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Robin9 · December 7th 11, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by

On Sun, 4 Dec 2011 11:36:47 +0000
Robin9 wrote:
It's not a good use of taxpayers' funds because it's designed to help
only a small group of people and it's not designed improve interchange
facilities. To re-iterate the point I made earlier - which at some stage

Which small group of people? I don't know what the population of Battersea
is but I suspect its not small. As for interchange, it does seem a bit odd
not to interchange with the victoria line since it will make a trip to the
west end a lot more hassle that it would otherwise be.

in the distant future will become the orthodox wisdom, shared by
politicians and pundits alike - the sensible and constructive extension
of the Northern Line is down to Clapham Junction and possibly further
south-west.

Won't happen. Look at the JLE - they could have easily taken it down the
river to Thamesmead which would have been a godsend for that growing area.
But no, they decided on an utterly pointless (but no doubt a lot cheaper)
terminus at stratford which was already over served by trains before it arrived.

B2003

The small group - relatively speaking - of people who will live in the new development plus those already living in Nine Elms.

Battersea is a large area and has two post codes. It stretches to Clapham Common to the east and to Wandsworth Common to the south.The site of Battersea Power Station is not strictly speaking in Battersea. It's in Nine Elms, a few hundred yards before Nine Elms merges with Battersea. Much of Battersea is some way from the site and consequently most residents will not find the new Northern Line station particularly convenient. Most will find the existing stations more convenient, particularly Clapham Junction. Battersea residents heading for the City probably would slog their way up Battersea Park Road to a new Northern Line station if trains ran from there to the City but TfL has apparently decreed that trains from Nine Elms will serve the Charing Cross branch only. That decision on its own ensures that the project is a waste of money.

As for extending the Northern Line to Clapham Junction and Wandsworth, you may be right in predicting that it will never happen. Investing in public transport in this country is a matter of political fashion. In the past few years vast sums have been chucked at public transport and eventually the pendulum will swing the other way and funds will no longer be available. I wouldn't be surprised if George Osborne gives the pendulum a good push in the next couple of years. However even if that happens, the logic of extending the Northern Line south-west will not change and gradually more and more people will recognise the argument.

Stratford was not and still is not "over-served". The Central Line is a severely overloaded service and relief was and still is urgently needed. The fact that the Jubilee Line trains run at three minute intervals and are crowded even at weekends demonstrates that the Jubilee Line concept was good. As for Thamesmead, that was a Cross Rail destination and may still be, but Thamesmead is not a major passenger interchange point like Stratford . . . and Clapham Junction.