MIG wrote:
Sir Benjamin Nunn wrote:
"MIG" wrote in message
ups.com...
You may have been fooled by the shape of the Underground map into
thinking that the Central Line goes very far east. It is basically a
bit east of north (about as east as the Edgware branch is west), but
the map has to fill in that top right corner. It goes in a different
direction from trains into Liverpool Street until it joins up at
Stratford. Are you suggesting driving from Woodford to Ilford or
something?

Unlikely, but if my nearest Central Line station was, say, Newbury Park or
Barkingside I'd be highly likely to use Ilford instead.

I was thinking more of people who live farther out, who would have to drive
/somewhere/ to get onto the system. Given a choice, and assuming
near-equidistance, I'd rather drive to Shenfield/Harold Wood/Romford or
wherever than Epping or Hainault etc.


Equidistant between Ilford and Barkingside and wanting to get to
Liverpool Street, maybe I would. Living near Barkingside or wanting to
get to Oxford Circus, I don't think I would. Barkingside to Ilford is
a time-consuming drive or bus ride through lots of traffic (and parking
at the other end if by car).

The real issue is that these places aren't really all that close
together or fast or convenient to travel between. Barkingside to
Ilford is a couple of miles through heavy traffic. Further out, Epping
to Shenfield is ten miles as the crow flies and no fast road between.

And the other point is that the Central Line is standing room only from
fairly far out despite the much more frequent service than that into
Liverpool Street. I think the assumptions of the original message were
false (as far as I can understand them).

I think the original assumption is false.

Central line stations from Leyton to Woodford inclusive, and from
Wanstead to Hainault inclusive (i.e. those within Greater London) had an
average annual usage of 3.007Mppa (million passengers per year) in 2005.
Great Eastern ("one") stations from Maryland to Harold Wood inclusive
(those within Greater London) had an average annual usage of 1.730Mppa
in 2004/5.

On the Central line, usage is particularly high at Leyton (9.9Mppa),
Leytonstone (8Mppa), with another "band" of stations used by 3-4Mppa
annually at South Woodford, Woodford and Gants Hill.

On the Great Eastern, usage peaks fairly obviously at Romford (5.1Mppa)
and Ilford (2.9Mppa), but all other stations showed usage of under 2Mppa
(dropping to 0.2Mppa at Maryland).

--
Dave Arquati
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London