A Step Closer for East London Line at Loughborough Junction

hatboy · Apr 21, 2004

"For immediate use 20 April 2004

East London Line Campaign “on track” – Val Shawcross AM

Labour London Assembly Member for Southwark and Lambeth, Val Shawcross today headed a deputation from the Angell and Loughborough Junction area to meet the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, at City Hall to present a petition signed by over 2300 local people who are calling for the East London Line to have platforms at Loughborough Junction.

In a very positive meeting the Mayor has backed Val Shawcross AM’s request that the London Development Agency (LDA) undertake a study to investigate the regenerative impact that the East London Line could bring to Brixton and Loughborough Junction. A regenerative impact study would show a much clearer picture of the benefits for the local community than the cost benefit analysis that is currently being carried out by Transport for London and would present a strong case for platforms at Brixton and Loughborough Junction.

Chair of the Coldhabour Angell Working Party, Tim Gaymer said, “ The meeting was very positive and it is exciting that the campaign is getting support and recognition from Ken and Val. I think its evidence that getting involved in your local community can generate results and improvements for your area.”

Val Shawcross AM said, “The East London Line would provide a major opportunity for regeneration by improving access for businesses, visitors and local residents. The case for the project is in my view very strong indeed and this meeting allowed us to make the case to the Mayor who will play an important part in the final decision.”

Val Shawcross AM believes that the East London Line is a vital part of the continued regeneration of Brixton and Loughborough Junction and has vowed to continue to work with Ken Livingstone, the London Development Agency, Transport for London and local people to make sure that the area gets the transport links it needs and deserves".

End.

lang rabbie · Apr 21, 2004

Where's the beef???

hatboy, thanks for posting this - I know how much you want to see this happen - BUT........

Sadly, this isn't "A step closer" - it's just campaigning bollocks in advance of the Mayor/GLA election on June 10th. IMHO this "regenerative impact study" is just a means of kicking things into touch until then.

(At the danger of sounding like a cracked record) do you think it is necessarily what LJ needs, given that it will almost certainly identify swathes of the area as "having potential for high density redevelopment" as the only way of justifying capital expenditure on this scale.

Both Val Shawcross and the Mayor have previously made wild claims that they would deliver the ELL for Brixton, even though the latest suggestions from the Strategic Rail Authority are that the whole branch of the ELL through LJ and Brixton to Clapham Junction will be delayed, and not constructed at the same time as the Croydon route!

pk · Apr 23, 2004

Either way if it does go ahead it'd be the Crackanooga Choo Choo and no mistake... hell, why not do a quick stop at Camden for the full tour?

Might be useful in the daytime, but after dark?
Fuck that, I'll sooner catch a cab.

Streathamite · Apr 23, 2004

just one point. Brixton already has a tube. with stockwell, cla'am Nth, common & Sth not that far away. S E London is tube wasteland. what gives Brixton a more valid case than - say - camberwell, Peckham Lewisham or Dulwich?

newbie · Apr 23, 2004

Personally I'm totally unconvinced by the proposal for the tram to arrive within a few hundred yards of the tube, the railway and all the busstops, for exactly the reason that Brixton is already oversupplied with transport links. More links = more popularity = more of the big 'G'. But in LJ better transport links might bring about regeneraton of a neglected area, which would be no bad thing.

I agree it's hard to see why resources should be ploughed into there rather than other equally, or perhaps more, deserving places.

Streathamite · Apr 23, 2004

the ELL doesn't run through Lewisham, which might have something to do with it

no, but where it stops is a helluva lot nearer to Lewisham than, well, practically evrywhere else in E london (dammit, you can walk it in 15 minutes flat!)-so it strikes me as a logical place to extend it to.

newbie · Apr 23, 2004

blimey you're quick. that was only there for 30 sec until I woke up properly.

The branch to Clapham Junction doesn't go through Lewisham, but the one to Croydon does.

editor · Apr 23, 2004

Red Jezza said:
just one point. Brixton already has a tube. with stockwell, cla'am Nth, common & Sth not that far away. S E London is tube wasteland. what gives Brixton a more valid case than - say - camberwell, Peckham Lewisham or Dulwich?

Maybe because Brixton is currently the 9th busiest tube station in the whole of London and introducing a new rail link will help reduce the bus congestion on the roads and ease pollution for residents?

Streathamite · Apr 23, 2004

that's fair enough, and I agree that there is a case for relieving some of the congestion there. However, it ain't the ONLY place where people commute from. It simply strikes me that - given that S E London is a wasteland as far as tubes go, parts of it have just as strong & deserving a case for getting on the tube network

lang rabbie · Apr 23, 2004

And another thing...

AFAIK Val's got her regeneration jargon wrong - impact studies are a form of post-implementation review - i.e. did a project deliver the promised benefits?

Happy to be corrected on this - just what have the LDA agreed to?

pooka · Apr 23, 2004

lang rabbie said:
AFAIK Val's got her regeneration jargon wrong - impact studies are a form of post-implementation review - i.e. did a project deliver the promised benefits?

Happy to be corrected on this - just what have the LDA agreed to?

Well, Environmental Impact Studies were always prospective, were they not?

I agree though that the proximity to the GLA and Mayoral elections makes this look a bit suspect.

Ol Nick · Apr 23, 2004

editor said:
Maybe because Brixton is currently the 9th busiest tube station in the whole of London and introducing a new rail link will help reduce the bus congestion on the roads and ease pollution for residents?

But why is it so busy? In part because the buses bring up thousands from the Camberwell/Tulse Hill/Norwood/Croydon hinterlands to get the tube at a station where you might even get a seat. A well planned new link through the tube wastelands might take the pressure off Brixton, make life easier for people elsewhere, and increase the value of houses.

Oops. Damn damn damn. :cool:

Bedgewick3 · Apr 26, 2004

editor said:
Maybe because Brixton is currently the 9th busiest tube station in the whole of London and introducing a new rail link will help reduce the bus congestion on the roads and ease pollution for residents?

Is there a link anywhere to statistics of "busyness"?

lang rabbie · Apr 29, 2004

Headline from today's Standard:

Olympics bid blow as East London line faces axe :mad:

Cynics may suspect a "Ken saves East London Line from axe" story between now and election day on June 10th

LJbundy · Apr 29, 2004

Is it just me or does nothing in that story that says the scheme is in trouble? It's just delayed.

I was speaking to someone in the know on this project and they said they were close to wrapping up the financial aspects. ES story is cobblers from what i can tell...

Streathamite · Apr 29, 2004

more likely, some crafty fucker at TfL has got a Standard hack in their pocket, and leaked that story to turn the screws on the SRA or the Govt.

lang rabbie · Apr 29, 2004

LJbundy said:
I was speaking to someone in the know on this project and they said they were close to wrapping up the financial aspects. ES story is cobblers from what i can tell...

My sources were suggesting (about eight weeks ago) that the project team were seriously looking at dropping the Clapham Junction branch (i.e. route through Brixton) from the project being put to the market as a "Special Purpose Vehicle" in order to live within their available funding. :confused:

hatboy · Apr 29, 2004

Jezza - the EEL was due to pass thru LJ and Brixton on route to Clapham (Junction?) but fly over LJ and Brixton. People are camapaigning for the stops. It makes sense to stop at these two if it's coming anyway.

lang rabbie · Apr 29, 2004

It looks as though TfL are looking at alternative funding sources for the ELL...

I've just found a paper that went to today's TFL board meeting
available on the web! Bold = LR emphasis

Using prudential borrowing for projects not in the business plan

There may be an opportunity to consider whether the new flexibility offered by prudential borrowing will enable us to take forward capital projects not
currently in our Business Plan. On a small scale, this could simply be a case
of substituting for projects which are in the Business Plan but which are not
progressed. If the idea of a London Regional Rail Authority is pursued, there
is potential for prudential borrowing to be applied to rail improvement projects
if these were the responsibility of such an authority. If prudential borrowing is
to be pursued for large capital projects, such as the extension to the East
London Line or Thameslink 2000, there would need to be a funding
agreement with Government to avoid creating further burdens on our
Business Plan.

East London Line Extension [ELLX]

The ELLX project is to upgrade the existing line (currently operated by LUL) to
take 16 trains per hour and extend the line both northwards and southwards.
In the north, the line will extend to Highbury and Islington via Dalston,
providing rail access to an area that has previously not had good rail services.

In the south, the project will link the East London Line with Network Rail tracks in order to be able to operate trains to Crystal Palace, West Croydon and potentially to Clapham Junction. After completion of the works the East London Line will transfer to Network Rail for operation and maintenance.

ELLX is currently an SRA sponsored project. The only parts of the necessary
work that lie in the TfL business plan are some of the related station
interchange works. The SRA has not allocated funding for the project, and
progress appears to be slow. It may be that prudential borrowing offers the opportunity for TfL to take on delivery of the project. However, the sheer size of the project does raise some specific issues for this idea.

Due to the scale of the project and the five year period between start of
construction activity and commissioning, we will need to either raise debt
upfront or have a clear guarantee from government that we will continue to
have sufficient powers to borrow over that period. Raising debt upfront will
be the more expensive option since there is a cost of committing the debt.

Prudential borrowing addresses the problem of financing. There is still the
remaining question of funding. Currently, there is no money for the ELLX
in our business plan and we will need additional grant over an extended
period to be able to repay our debt for this project.

Prudential borrowing will be on balance sheet and Government will need
to be comfortable with an on balance sheet solution for the project.
On the assumption that these issues can be addressed, the table below
summarises the financial impact of using prudential borrowing for TfL to
deliver the project:

Borrowing for ELLX
..........................2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10
Capital expenditure....30........60........ 200.......350......400........60
Interest....................2..........5..........17.........38........62........66

The above table assumes TfL procures the project directly and funds
£1.1billion of capex over 5 years, which will need to be serviced and repaid
following 2010. It also assumes that fares revenue is equal to the O&M costs,
so there are no other budgetary impacts to cover. In the absence of better
information this is a reasonable assumption.

Alternative structures are currently being considered which could reduce the impact on TfL balance sheet. A phased development of the project with a
“transfer” of completed sections to Network Rail could enable TfL’s
borrowings to be recycled during construction reducing overall exposure.
Alternatively, the Northern section of the project could be developed as an
expanded LUL line under a DBFM style structure which would be off balance
sheet for TfL until completion, when the full project cost would come on
Balance Sheet.

Edited to add: which seems to be consistent with the story that they are looking at an option to build the Clapham Junction branch through Brixton later than the Croydon/Crystal Palace branch...

Streathamite · Apr 30, 2004

hatboy said:
Jezza - the EEL was due to pass thru LJ and Brixton on route to Clapham (Junction?) but fly over LJ and Brixton. People are camapaigning for the stops. It makes sense to stop at these two if it's coming anyway.

if that the routes that's already been agreed, yes a stop makes sense. Let's face it, by the time TfL have done their usual worse, it'll make b-all difference to travelling times.

Red Faction · Feb 19, 2005

so whens the predicted completion date?

ernestolynch · Feb 19, 2005

That tube from West Croydon would take ages to get to town. Quicker to walk/tram to East Croydon and get a fast overland.

Red Faction · Feb 19, 2005

i just want a quicker route from brixton to whitechapel than the 133 and district line can currently provide
and the ELL has been on the cards for ages- but theres no word of WHEN it'll be available

Bob · Feb 21, 2005

Red Faction said:
i just want a quicker route from brixton to whitechapel than the 133 and district line can currently provide
and the ELL has been on the cards for ages- but theres no word of WHEN it'll be available

I wouldn't hold your breath. The East London Line extension north was scheduled originally to be finished by now, currently they're saying that it will be done by 2010. So I'd guess that at that rate of progress you're looking 2010 at the very earliest anywhere round Brixton....

A Step Closer for East London Line at Loughborough Junction

Banned

Je ne regrette les gazebos

drink flounce rinse repeat

ideological dogmatist

undisambiguated

ideological dogmatist

undisambiguated

hiraethified

ideological dogmatist

Je ne regrette les gazebos

Can't Re Member

beer in Brixton

Well-Known Member

Je ne regrette les gazebos

New Member

ideological dogmatist

Je ne regrette les gazebos

Banned

Je ne regrette les gazebos

ideological dogmatist

Allez Les Rouges

Banned

Allez Les Rouges

Rusesabagina for a nobel

Similar threads