On Fri, 3 Jul 2009, Stephen Furley wrote:

I believe that the original plan for the re-opening of the Snow Hill
(London) tunnel was for Southern Region trains to be extended to a new
interchange Station at West Hampstead; the idea of through running from
the Southern to Bedford came later, but I'm not sure when.

I wonder - would there be any mileage in changing TL from being a Bedford
- Brighton route to being Bedford - Lewisham (or something) and Brighton -
West Hampstead? The point would be that the length of each round trip
would be shorter, so reducing the scope for delays, the northern and
southern operations would be separate, reducing the scope for
cross-pollution, and the density of trains would be concentrated in the
urban core between West Hampstead and Lewisham (or something). The
downside would be more complexity, and the need to turn trains around in
funny places - this might be a complete disaster without extra sidings.

The lack of a good mirror image of West Hampstead south of the river is an
awkwardness - maybe Croydon would have to do. Or Peckham Rye, and run the
Brighton half via there, Tulse Hill and Streatham Common?

It's a pity that an all-lines, including Chiltern, interchange at West
Hampstead never happened.

Hasn't happened yet!

tom

--
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that worked. -- Gall's Law