Aidan Stanger wrote:
THC wrote:

Not holding my breath on this one... I lived in the area from 1978 to
1990 and constructing the Croxley Rail Link was always around the
corner even then. Despite TfL's promise of part-funding it appears as
if the DafT mandarins are sitting on their hands hoping it goes away.
It wasn't mentioned in Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan 2
settlement before Christmas, pushing the timetable back even further.

Come on DfT, it's now or never surely...?

It wasn't "now or never" then - what's changed now?

--
Aidan Stanger
http://www.bettercrossrail.co.uk

Here's why, with a comment from the Rail Chronology website by way of
context:

http://users.0800dial.com/themaunds/...n%20branch.htm

"Eventually, on 23 March 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority published a
closure notice for the line and for Croxley Green and Watford West
stations. The hoped for closure date of 18 June 2001 was not met
because 34 objections were received - despite which the Department for
Transport approved closure by letter (over John Spellar's signature)
dated 6 November 2002 with the sole proviso that the trackbed should
not be disposed of for five years "by which time the outcome of any
proposals for the Croxley Rail Link should be clearer" (which accounts
for some reports of November 2002 as the closure date).

No date was specified for implementing the "closure" and Silverlink
Train Services Ltd (the franchisee) continued to operate a replacement
road service until the end of the summer 2003 timetable."

Going on this timetable it appears that the trackbed can be disposed of
from next year (2007). It has already been severed by a dual
carriageway at the Croxley Green end; not that this is important for
development of the CRL as this stretch of line would be replaced by the
link in any case, but it means that the precedent for disposing of the
trackbed has been set. So come on DfT; it's now (well, the next twelve
months anyway) or never!

THC