On Wed, 4 Mar 2015 10:52:20 -0800 (PST)
Mark wrote:
On Wednesday, 4 March 2015 17:22:31 UTC, wrote:
It should have remained a tube line. Linking it into the NR network was just
asking for problems. If it was a self contained tube line it could have had a
much better service frequency in the central section and since everyone
thinks
closing the moorgate branch on thameslink was no big deal since everyone can
hope on the tube - the same logic applies, right? People from south london
could hope out at new cross (gate) and change.

1. It was an infrequent, slow "tube" line. Without the extra passengers gained
by
extra destinations there'd have been no justification for increased frequency
- new
routes open up latent demand.

I'm not suggesting it should have been pickled and left. If could still have
been extended to north to highbury and south queens road as a tube line and
whats more it could have been converted to ATO so allowing very high
frequencies.

2. If it was rebranded back to London Underground, it wouldn't magically speed
up.
It's an old and slow route, quite similar to parts of the District Line really.

The track has been more or less completely relaid throughout the length of
the old ELL. The only reason the service is slow is the semi comatose drivers
that seem to be employed on it. They'll close the doors. Wait up to 10 seconds
for god knows what, then slooooowly pull away at a snails pace.

2. People wouldn't change in massive numbers at New Cross Gate - they didn't
to the old East London Line.

They would if it was a much more frequent service to canada water.

3. Even if they did, New Cross Gate station wouldn't be able to cope with that
amount of interchange (even after rebuilding is complete)

Well that might be a fair point, I don't know, I've never been there.

4. Capacity and number of services at London Bridge are very reduced until
2018.
Overground via Canada Water has become the common route for stations between
Norwood Junction and New Cross Gate. That's not just passenger choice - in the
peaks the London Bridge service to these stations is now next to non-existent.
(There
isn't a single southbound non-Overground train at Sydenham between 16:20 and
18:20, for example.)

National Rails engineering works are irrelevant in this context since they
had no bearing on the ELL conversion to overground.

5. We've really done this one to death now, surely?

Well this is usenet.

--
Spud