Martin Smith wrote:
Mizter T wrote:
(snip)
I recall reading several comments along the lines of "who wants to go
from Sydenham to Hoxton anyway", "the Croydon traveller wants to go to
central London not Whitechapel" and "do the people of Dalston really
want to go to Surrey Quays".
Actually Hoxton is a very trendy place these days, and I have on many
occassions had to direct people on the train from Sydenham and
thereabouts to LB how to get to Hoxton Square via Old Street, a direct
connection would be popular. Also Whitechapel is a very handy place for
getting to all parts of East London, it is exceptionally well connected
for buses as well as the District Line and not having to go via LB is a
great bonus.
If I was part of the achingly 1990's Hoxton YBA clique then I might say
that your comment about Hoxton being "a very trendy place" was so
out-of-date as it's now gone mainstream, and the old squats and
warehouses have now been converted into studios inhabited by affluent
young city professionals city trying to be trendy. However I'm not so I
won't! Well, maybe the bit about city types taking up residence &
changing the ambiance of the area is something I might well go-along
with with, but I'm not an achingly hip ex-Hoxtonite so I don't feel
qualified to have a firm belief one way or the other. Not least because
the supposedly legendary Hoxton of yesteryear might just be a
convenient myth for those who wish to appear as though they're always
running away from the run of the mill to be the avant garde - after
all, Mr Saatchi wouldn't pay top-dollar for pieces from a common or
garden artist.
Right, now I've got that out of my system (!) I'll instead say that I
often go, along with the masses (of which I am one I hasten to add!)
for a night out in Hoxton/Shoreditch, the two names for these adjacent
places popularly being muddled together - quite understandably IMO
considering their proximity, and the fact that many people's memory of
the area is somewhat tainted by intoxication!
We shouldn't presume that a SE London - Hoxton link for those seeking a
night out is what the ELLX is for though. Because it's not. Though it
will be most useful for this purpose!
But after writing all that I realise that you were responding to my
paraphrased pseudo-quote (pseudo in the sense that I hadn't actually
looked it up before I wrote the posting) from an old post. I've just
searched for it and found two posts in particular from a September 2005
thread on utl - one of which reads:
'I can't believe Sydenham is _really_ that full of people all saying "I
wish we could get to Hoxton more easily" '
Before I get accused of taking the comments out of context I'll link to
the Google Groups archive so you can make you're own mind up.
The post quoted above is at http://tinyurl.com/kryuh, and another
post of interest is at http://tinyurl.com/jlp4q.
(snip)
Like you I'm sure the extended ELL will be very successful. In the mid
80's it seemed people thought the NLL was dying, but it is - as you say
It will indeed, the ELL has become a lot busier since the JLE arrived at
Canada Water, not to mention all the developemnts at Wapping and
Rotherhithe.
I have been using the ELL for over 25 years, I have a lot of friends in
Hackney, Stoke Newington and similar places, a direct train from New
Cross Gate, my local station, to Dalston will be a real bonus, less
changes, less hassle.
I hope, however that it will come in closer to time than the last time
it was closed, for works on the tunnel, this was originally scheduled to
be 9 months, but ended up at close on 3 years with a dreadful bus
replacement service which did not even serve NXG directly.
I am looking forward to it.
I'm in agreement with you on those points. Of course you and many
others will find it useful for visiting friends, but once up and
running it'll also open up the eyes of many to new opportunities
recreation, studying, and - critically - employment as well as much
else.
I can't recall all the details about the messy extended closure of the
line in the 90's, but at least there's a definite deadline - it all has
to be up and running for 2012!
However you probably won't be over-the-moon to read this:
(from page 4 of the Spring 2006 ELL brochure [1])
" [...] Additionally, there will be a need to close the existing East
London Line for approximately 18 months to replace existing track and
signalling. This is currently scheduled to begin winter 2007 / spring
2008."
Note that the file name of this document actually reads "...Spring 07
(Final)(1)...", so maybe the project team has taken to heart the
concept that it has to be finished on time and advanced their diaries
by a year! However that would mean the ELL closing this winter... all
I'm saying is don't be surprised to arrive one day to find no ELL
trains...
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[1]
http://ellp.tfl.gov.uk/UserFiles/Fil...(Final)(1).pdf
or via shortURL http://tinyurl.com/mwdp3