Dave Arquati wrote in message ...
I don't think anyone is claiming that that's the idea. The idea is to
provide an ability to perform orbital journeys - so of course they're
not looking at Croydon to the City via Whitechapel! Croydon to Canary
Wharf or Stratford via Canada Water on the other hand is much better and
cheaper than changing at London Bridge, and reduces pressure on central
area termini. In fact for many journeys it will be possible to avoid
Zone 1 - which makes it cheaper for the passenger and stops journeys
unnecessarily going through Zone 1.

But how many people will want to do that? Yes ok you'll get a few but
enough to justify the money spent? I doubt it. Far cheaper I would have
thought would have simply been to make the current ELL more usable by having
through trains from the main met line so making the ELL far more useful to the
people in the new cross area that a line to finsbury park will ever be (yes
I know there are issues with St Marys Curve but its hardly a show stopper).

I suspect the real reason LU is happy to divest itself of the ELL is cost
cutting. I very much doubt the line makes anything close to a profit at the
moment given how much it costs to maintain the tunnels and getting shot of it
will make the books look much rosier. Call me a cynic if you will....

B2003