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Tom Anderson · March 16th 06, 08:10 PM posted to uk.transport.london

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006, wrote:

Recommendation

"The electrification engineer has advised that the cost of the
alteration would be prohibitive, due to the need for extensive
immunisation of the signalling equipment on the surrounding routes,
including the lines operated by London Underground. However, it is
understood that the Hammersmith & City line is due to be re-signalled
in 2013, and this may give the opportunity for the issue to be
revisited. "

The short-sightedness of the foregoing quote beggars belief!

That being so, with the work now going on at Shepherd's Bush, and the
inevitable disruption that this will cause, NOW is the best time to
move the change-over point to that location, so that at least the net
loss will be minimised, with that station stop more-or-less equating to
the time saved by no longer having the Mitre Bridge delay,

And, surely it MUST be cheaper to do that work now, rather than in
several years' time when service paths will have beeen settled, and a
whole load of new disruption will be caused.

No - the crucial phrase is "the need for extensive immunisation of the
signalling equipment on the surrounding routes, including the lines
operated by London Underground"; pushing OHLE south of its current extent
would require masses of work on the other lines. Waiting until the H&C is
being resignalled anyway lets that get done at little additional cost.

What might be sensible would be if preparatory work for the change was
done now - for instance, stringing catenary to Shepherd's Bush, but not
wiring it up to the mains. With any luck, the changeover could then be
done just by setting some jumpers in a cable cabinet somewhere, rather
than having to get the permanent way gang out again.

And I do not understand what the hell resignalling of the Hammersmith
and City Line has to do with this at all!

This, i have to admit, is a puzzle - how the hell is the H&C wired to the
WLL?

Why oh why must our railway masters be sh short-sighted and mean-fisted?
When compared to the mega costs of the nonsense at St. Pancras, where
millions of domestic passengers have been and will continue to be
inconvenienced by the move Northwards of the domestic terminal, in
favour of holidaymakers and businessmen who want to get to or from
Europe a few minutes faster than they already can via Waterloo,

Because (a) this allows the CTRL phase 2 to be built, increasing speed and
reducing congestion in the south London network, and (b) there are a lot
more people north of London than south. Give up!

tom

--
If I want consciousness expansion, i go to my local tabernacle and i SING!