Continuing the discussion from Bakerloo line consultation 2019:
Grainne Cuffe reports for NewsShopper that the Bakerloo Line extension, which will see the line into Lewisham, is being delayed:
See the full article for a few more details. Statements are expected from Southwark and Lewisham in the next few days.
Looking at map of Overground and tube, South East London is a bit of an empty hole.
I prefer to travel on a mainline train above ground.
I always thought this was to do with the geological makeup of London?
North London is primarily clay - easy to dig through.
South of the Thames is sand/chalk - apparently not so easy
Not sure about that but most tube lines start to go above ground in the suburbs.
The plan was for 2 tunnels from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham. If the 2nd phase from Lewisham to Hayes got agreed the proposal was to convert the current National Rail line to London Underground operation.
I quote Jim Dowd, or former MP, speaking in the House of Commons:-
“The tube system in south London, and certainly in south-east London, has been a joke for many years—largely because it does not exist. In the latter days of the 19th century, the system was run by a cartel. The Southern Electric Company and the Metropolitan Railway, as they then were, decided that they would not encroach on each other’s territory, which is one reason why the tube system never came very far south of the Thames. Elaborate hoaxes were devised. Reference was made to saturated sand that made tunnelling impossible, and God knows what else, but it was the commercial interests of the railway companies that largely dictated the layout of the London underground as it exists today.”
Grainne Cuffe reports for News Shopper about the safe guarding of the Bakerloo Line extension, a positive step is this project is ever to go ahead:
Obviously the extension is on hold, but now there’s the possibility being raised that the entire Bakerloo Line could be closed:
Hopefully this is just political scaremongering and we never see lines shutdown or service reductions on the scale being suggested, but obviously it’s not encouraging with respect to expansion projects.
Well if they actually enforced fining all the muppets who ignore the ‘mandatory’ mask wearing on public transport they’d soon recoup any financial losses they made during the pandemic.