Tom Anderson wrote:
On 13 May 2004, McGinty51Road wrote:
From: (Boltar)
Dave Arquati wrote in message
...
Closure of Watford Met is deemed "possible" rather than certain.
Am I the only person who can't see the point of this link? If they
want the tube to go to Watford Junction why not just re-extend the
bakerloo line?
There is no reason why the Bakerloo's couldn't return to Watford
Junction as well as have the Croxley Link to brings the Mets in there
too! Re-instate Platform 5 at WJ and there is plenty of room.
Could it be something to do with the difficulties of sharing the track
between NR and LU? I get the impression that it's already a headache for
the Bakerloo, and that would only make it worse, wouldn't it?
While we are at it put in a station interchange between South
Kenton/Kenton by the Metropolitan Line bridge near to Northwick Park and
we will all get home a lot quicker!
I'm glad i'm not the only person who looks at maps of the network and
wonders why there are so many lines crossing without stations. LU are
doing something about the Central/Picc at Park Royal, but there seem to be
equally daft near-misses at West Ruislip (Central/Picc+Met), Kenton as you
mention, several points along the NLL and GOBLin (admittedly not LU's
fault) and more than i want to think about in south London (also generally
not LU's fault; one exception, and my particular favourite, is the
Northern/Sutton Loop miss at Morden - the far end of Morden tube depot is
hard by Morden South NR station: how hard could it have been to join the
dots here?).
tom
I think many such links are useful, but not useful enough to warrant the
extra costs. Park Royal fortunately is being part-funded by developers;
the crossing at West Ruislip is in a highly residential (even partly
rural) area, is far too close to West Ruislip station and the journey
opportunities it would create are partly catered for by the Park Royal
interchange anyway. Saying that, having a Chiltern interchange there
could be useful for prospective Chiltern passengers to Uxbridge and Harrow.
Goblin interchanges are difficult because the Goblin carries so little
traffic compared to other lines; it would be extrememely difficult to
justify interchange costs e.g. at Leytonstone. Somewhere like Tufnell
Park wouldn't be so difficult because there used to be a station there
anyway.
The NLL on the other hand is pretty busy and would be even busier with
better interchanges - which is probably precisely why they *aren't*
being built, as the NLL needs a capacity increase first.
Most possible interchanges have a whole host of problems associated with
them, mainly in terms of cost; the most feasible ones are often already
planned and need funding more than anything else, or are being lobbied
for. For example, Park Royal, Shepherd's Bush, Brixton (SLL/ELLX),
Loughborough Junction (SLL/ELLX), Tufnell Park, Brockley.
--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London