On Fri, 18 Mar 2005, Mark Etherington wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:
On 17 Mar 2005, Jim Brown wrote:

I'm going to assume that extensive tunneling is out of the question
here for reasons of expense but could the Bakerloo be linked up
'easily' to any of the NR lines around there? The tube is fairly deep
at E&C so it would be quite a lot of work to raise the line up to
viaduct level but could it join the line to Peckam via Denmark hill
and then maybe on to Hays via Lewisham freeing up terminal space in
London and utilising the Bakerloo infrastructure more efficently?

While depriving people on the Hayes line of a single-seat ride to London
Bridge and Cannon Street.

But giving them a more frequent service into the West End and beyond.
Swings and roundabouts.

In the West End? Where?

Point taken, though. It's just that there's an old tradition of raising
this objection to almost any suggestion .

I also feel the need for a longer Bakerloo,

Just want to add that, John Rowland's sig notwithstanding, this is not a
euphemism.

but i really can't see how it could be done cheaply. I don't think
there are any lines lying around in that part of south London that
could be taken over completely without disrupting a lot of the
network, and inter-running with NR trains is a recipe for disaster.
The best fit, as you say and as has been suggested before, is Hayes,
since that branch is isolated past Lewisham, but even that would take
a five-mile tunnel from Elephant to Lewisham (or is there space for
another pair of tracks in any surface corridors?). At the 300 million
per mile that the Jubilee cost (and that's only three-quarters in
tunnel), that's 1.5 billion (in 1990s pounds) for starters.

AFAIR one idea was for an underground station at Camberwell and then to
surface by Peckham Rye and run over the existing lines to Lewisham.

One problem is that the existing line is heavily used by freight, which
would have to be given a different route across London.

I am increasingly of the opinion that the single most important project
for improving passenger rail services in London is the 'freight-focused
route' to get freight trains out of the way - putting it in place would
relieve the North London line, the West London, the Hounslow loop, this
route (is that the South London line?) and a variety of junctions around
the place.

tom

--
Also, a 'dark future where there is only war!' ... have you seen the news lately? -- applez