How useful do you find the East London Line??

How does that work then? Surely the fares are the same on the only route where you have a choice - Croydon to NXG and intermediate stations. (Or can the Oyster readers tell which train you used?)

TfL rates certainly apply to some FCC journeys: Elephant to West Hampstead or Moorgate to Finsbury Park, for example.

Not crowded? I'm always amazed driving on the ELL how packed it is early mornings from West Croydon to Canada Water. The amount of people streaming off it down onto the Jubilee still amazes me.

As I live on the southern extension of the ELL, I've found it useful in saving money on PAYG journeys to TfL stations (using Canada Water/Whitechapel/Shadwell) where as if I use a NR service to London Bridge then change, it's an extra £1.10 (maybe more since the fare rises?) on my journey.

However, the late evening services are less frequent and as the final train to Forest Hill leaves Canada Water at 2356, Southern services from London Bridge are still the only viable option for late night journeys.



I used to wait for a Crystal Palace service to Dalston to board to beat the crowds, but since December they're also packed!

It is terrific line, imho.
I live at Norwood Junction - no I don't, I live near the station - and in the past would get the NWD - VIC Southern to work on some occasions.
Living in NWD and working at ECT, I have alternatives to getting to work, although they're mostly forced on me dependant on shifts;

On dead earlies, I will drive to Beddington and get the cab in; Reversing the homeward trip I get the DR to WIM and Tram back to Beddington;
On the later earlies - anything with a book on after I can get the first train - I drive to WIM PK and get the DR in; Obvious reversal on the way home.

On anything with a book on after 06:00, I get the LO to WCL and DR to ECT; This is roughly an hours journey time; reversing it on the way home.

Book-on's after 15:00 I drive to WIM PK as I will generally be finishing late and it's more convenient to have the car handy for a quick getaway.

Out of all of the variations, I much prefer the LO angle as I find them utterly reliable - and even if they're not, I'm on the system and any lateness ain't down to me then!! - and comfortable.
Yes they get busy from Forest Hill up to Canada Water and Shadwell, but no busier than a DR in the peak.
On the way home I can get either a Crystal Palace train or W.Croydon - changing at Sydenham for the later W.Croydon, but that gives me a chance to feed the smoking habit!

Cost? I can't answer that one, personally I find all public transport very reasonable, but on the odd occasion I do have to buy a rail ticket to travel to London Bridge or Vic, it does seem expensive.

Once it opens to Highbury, it may be useful for me personally. I will try it for a week or two, to/from work when it opens, but I would imagine the journey time will be the same as my current route. Handy if my usual way has delays or is suspended though.

But according to the London Overground sub-website it will be part of the ELL.

Yes - unfortunately TfL doesn't trust the public to remember lines by names anymore, it seems. We should be greatful they haven't renamed the Met line to the "Chesham/Amersham/Watford to Baker Street/Aldgate" line, I suppose.

Officially the NLL is the North London Railway and the ELL is the East London Railway and this was decreed by Mayor Ken Livingstone! However, when we actually asked passengers what they wanted, for some very odd reason the majority seemed to like the quasi-Paris style 'xxxx to xxxxxxxx line' - goodness only knows why! The current Mayor seems to like SLL for Phase 1b to Clapham Junction but in reality it will all probably end up as the 'Highbury & Islington to New Cross, Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace and West Croydon Line' but as most people would be dead from lack of air after saying all that, we will all end up probably calling it ELR!

I'm sure on the departure board plasma at Canada Water, it says "East London Line"

Interesting - and thanks. I'm intrigued by the use of 9 as the first digit rather than the 2 which would be the norm on the national network for this type of train service. IIRC the use of 9 has been for Eurostar services on classic (non-HS lines) and for certain Virgin (as they were) Cross Country services. In both instances this was to make them more readily identifiable to signallers as services which needed to be accorded higher priority than the next highest category, Class 1.
Does the use of 9 on ELL services fulfil the same function when trains are running south of New Cross Gate - to make them stand out from other services run by FCC and Southern?

Found it useful a few times to get off the Jubilee when that has had problems, getting me to Whitechapel to carry on west.