On Thu, 26 Mar 2009, wrote:

Published today at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/ro...ityeasteng.pdf

Covers the London Liverpool Street to Cambridge/Stansted main line and
London area branches. Quick highlights of proposals:

* 12 car trains London to Cambridge and Stansted in 2012; 'longer'
trains on the other routes
* 10 to 15 minute reduction on London to Cambridge and Stansted
journey times
* extension of London Overground services from Stratford to
Northumberland Park (or a shuttle service)
* grade-separation of Coppermill Junction and four-tracking from there
to Tottenham Hale
* removal of many level crossings in the Lea Valley, both road and
foot
* 100mph ruling line speed
* second tunnel on approach to Stansted Airport
* signalling alterations to allow overnight services to/from Stansted
Airport

For a minute there, i read 'Progress Report' as meaning these things had
all been done!

It all seems pretty sensible. I'm most surprised by the idea of
four-tracking from Coppermills Junction to Tottenham Hale: i don't really
see how that buys extra capacity given that there are still only two
tracks north of there. I suppose this ties in with the addition of a third
track between Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park, which would somehow
let trains reverse at Tottenham Hale without blocking the other two lines;
together, those things would allow the Liverpool Street - Tottenham Hale
line to run at full capacity, with services up the Lea Valley line
reversing at Tottenham Hale without interfering with them. Except that
there's always going to be capacity at Tottenham Hale anyway, because some
trains coming up through Hackney Downs head off to Chingford at Clapton
Junction (and i notice that they're not talking about grade-separating
that).

I can't help but feel that the idea of running services down the Lea
Valley line to Stratford has become something of a bee in the bonnet,
fuelled by the totemic power Stratford now has in the minds of planners.
Is there really that much demand for it?

In the context of the Hertford East junction, does 'remodelling' mean
'grade separating'?

I'd like to see more detail about the level crossings. I know there are
several, but how many, and which will be severed and which grade
separated?

I wonder why so many of the stations within London are so lightly used.
It's not as if there are tube lines nearby which are attracting people
away from them - although for quite a lot of the line, the main line and
Southbury loop are quite close together, and would compete for passengers.
I think the areas they serve are quite densely populated - see the long
spike of yellow protruding into greener suburbs he

http://www.maptube.org/london/map.aspx?mapid=136

Although the corridor of the line is nondescriptly 'multicultural',
lacking either 'city living' or 'prospering suburbs', and with enclaves of
'blue collar communities' and 'constrained by circumstances' (?!) further
north:

http://www.maptube.org/london/map.aspx?mapid=116

Could it be that those stations serve areas where people don't commute to
work in other parts of London, either working locally or, shock horror,
not at all?

tom

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