"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
.li
However I think the plan might involves materials being transported
by rail from the Silwood Triangle works site, and perhaps from
restored link(s) with the main lines at either New Cross or New
Cross Gate or both - of course the latter will have a permanent
connection when through ELLX services start running, though perhaps
the former is an easier place for works trains to access from the
rest of the network.

This sounds plausible, but an appallingly bad excuse.

I've also heard that there's to be large-scale changes to power and
signals to change them to NR standards. Still hard to see how this'll
take 2-3 years.

Yes, I was wondering why it's going to take so long. The existing line
was almost re-built not so long ago and it can't take all that long to
install new power supplies and signalling. Connecting it up to the
extension shouldn't take more than a few weeks.