Paul Corfield wrote:
On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 12:17:28 +0100, Dave Arquati wrote:


Dan Gravell wrote:

Dave Arquati wrote:


http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news...rticle_id=9316

The above article implies that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
(ODPM) will reopen the Thameslink 2000 public inquiry in September so
that the remaining issues over the scheme, which have now been solved,
can be laid to rest and work can begin.


If it happens then "hooray". It might get build by the year 2100.


So it actually has funding approval, and as soon as the issues about
building around London Bridge/Borough are rubber stamped it's building
time?

Hmm... the wording with respect to funding approval was decidedly vague
- but at least there seems to be a will from the ODPM to get something
done. In the meantime, they better get a bloody move on fitting out the
St Pancras Thameslink box, or there will be a lot of ****ed off
Thameslink commuters come 2007.

Well exactly. Why on earth they didn't just add the money to the £400m
or so that's been released for the Northern Ticket Hall at KX I don't
know. We have such a stupid parsimonious attitude to schemes that are
eminently logical and which have to be done at some point. It'll only be
more expensive and disruptive to do it separately in the future.

It's bad enough that Thameslink passengers have to suffer the blockade,
but the comfort was meant to be that they'd get a brand new station out
of it that can actually handle the number of passengers who now use
King's Cross Thameslink, let alone the future passengers off the CTRL.
They will *have* to fund it sooner or later, if only to avoid having to
close KXTL because of safety issues! I totally agree that they should
have tacked it onto the Northern Ticket Hall funds.

What changes will this make to the metro service on the Wimbledon loop?
I'm assuming around a doubling in frequency to actually make it
approaching a metro service?

Er... sadly not, I'm afraid. TL2K is designed to focus on those
lucrative commuters from further afield, and the service to the
Wimbledon loop would remain exactly the same. The best hope there is
probably for Tramlink to take over the Wimbledon-Sutton section, which
might spur Thameslink to increase frequency to the two remaining arms of
the loop - but don't hold your breath too much.

Having looked at your site I was somewhat amazed to see how poor the
Thameslink 2000 scheme is when you look at the inner area coverage.
Quite why you need 4 trains an hour to Dartford off Thameslink I don't
know when there is no improvement on the Wimbledon loop. And as for not
extending platforms to take 12 car trains at places like Kentish Town
then that's bloody daft. I wonder if we will end up with a battle
between TfL and the DfT (SRA) over the scope of Thameslink 2000 in the
same manner as Crossrail?

The Mayor and co are definitely not too happy about the way Thameslink
2000 has been progressed; I believe many people feel an opportunity was
missed to make better use of Blackfriars - Herne Hill and create new
inner-urban stations at Walworth or Camberwell.

I don't know whether TL2K is pitched to try to attract some people out
of their cars for M25-based journeys, as the "Superlink" alternative to
Crossrail was. If so, they're probably making a mistake - there's not
much rail can do to solve M25 congestion.

I'm not sure quite how they're going to maintain a reliable 24tph-ish
service through the central core when trains are approaching from
9 different southerly origins!

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London