On 10 Oct, 11:08, Mr Thant
wrote:
On 10 Oct, 09:41, Mizter T wrote:

(snip)

I find it incredibly unlikely that the Abbey Wood branch would be
delayed, as it is the branch that would serve Canary Wharf and the
docklands via Isle of Dogs station (and Canary Wharf Ltd has already
agreed to contribute towards Crossrail too). Unless the plan is to
stop tunnelling at Isle of Dogs and terminate and then reverse trains
there?

Custom House is more logical - there's no crossover before there, and
the tunnels are being dug from nearby anyway. That still saves the
cost of building the entirely separate tunnels under the Thames,
refurbishing Connaught Tunnel, building their part of Woolwich
station, rebuilding Abbey Wood, and several miles of new
electrification, all to serve a line that already has a DLR
interchange (soon two) and direct trains to the City and West End. I
can't imagine the business case for it has ever been good, especially
since it stopped continuing to Ebbsfleet.

Yes, of course, if it was to be cut short then Custom House would, as
you say, be the logical choice.

However I quite disagree with the idea that the Abbey Wood branch is
useless. The forthcoming DLR interchange at Woolwich Arsenal isn't
really a substitute either - it's a lower capacity, slower light rail
route. The DLR is fantastic, but it's just not in the same league.

The branch would give direct access to the whole east-west Crossrail
route from the North Kent lines via a cross-platform interchange at
Abbey Wood, and would also (hopefully) serve Woolwich and assist with
its regeneration.

Yes I guess Abbey Wood already has trains to the City (via London
Bridge and Cannon Street) and the West End (via Charing X - though
this is only the edge of the West End really). But if we're using this
logic then the Great Eastern lines already have a similar connection
via a change at Stratford or Liverpool Street onto the Central line,
which in turn will connect one with the Great Western lines out of
Paddington either via Lancaster Gate (around the corner from
Paddington) or Ealing Broadway.