Tristán White wrote:
As you will know, the line closes on 22 Dec 2007 until (at the earliest)
June 2010.

What I can't understand is why it needs to be down for so long. How long
was the Jubilee Line down during the JLE inauguration? Not that long, and
it seems to me that that is an even more complex scheme.

Ultimately, the JLE project was "simpler" than the ELL Extension from an
Engineering point of view, in that it's all new build, save for the
junction at Green Park, so they could do a phased opening beginning at
the Eastern end of the line.

And if memory serves, the only "closure" (other than those caused by the
regular signal failures) was the abandonment of Green Park - Charing
Cross, with the Green Park - Waterloo section opening the following day.

Two and a half years seems a long time to screw the good people of Wapping,
Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and New Cross and stick them on rail replacement
buses. Could not the rest of the work be done while the ELL is running, and
then shut the ELL down for say just 8 months or so while they link it all
together? I mean, it seems such a long time for a line to be down.

For the proposed services to operate, the line needs to be completely
resignalled, the power supply beefed up (again!), stations (presumably)
refurbished. In short, effectively a repeat of the last major closure.

It remains to be seen if the heritage nuts moan about the Thames Tunnel
again, thereby prolonging the closure...

Cheers,

Barry