MLX Metropolitan Line Extension (Go-ahead for Croxley Link)

Still, I've always taken the position that getting the line built was always priority #1, so a compromise that achieves that can't be all bad. It's a lot easier to make the case for a new station on an existing line than a closed one. The bigger problem will be that they're building the extension's substation on the Watford West site, which would make any later relocation dramatically more impractical. Oh well!

Incidentally, an additional reason I favoured a Cardiff Road station was that it would be ideally placed should reinstating the south curve ever become feasible. Would be ideal with a separate set of platforms on the chord there.

I have to agree with Nigel. Sadly we will never see the southern curve reinstated. They've lost far too much infrastructure for that now. And the "hospital" plans are going to make the little island there into a nature zone, even though it would be a good location for a station.
They also cock a snoot at the Ebury Way, NCR6, in their transport plans. The cycle route comes into a footpath at the back of the industrial estate (called the south commercial zone) then dumps cyclists out next to a car park and a cycle store. It's diabolical! That plan, by the way, for the road and the two commercial zones, is a fully developed and published plan


RIPAS, perhaps, without building a new version of the south curve there, is there another way for e.g. freight, irregular or empty moves from the Chiltern line across the WCML to the ECML?

I have a draft copy of the original Environmental Statement, dated c.1996, when the whole extension was costed at £15 million.

Can anyone guess as to what the signalling is likely to be on the extension.
Will Overground/Chiltern operations at both ends have an influence on the type of signalling that will be installed? Will the use of Seltrac on S Stock effect this in anyway?
Cheers

Very good, but will they be needed once ATO is switched on?

www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14176296.More_bus_routes_under_threat/

Bus routes into Watford are apparently subsidised by Herts County Council. The question has been raised about TfL services extending out of London and their subsidies. Can the MLE/CRL survive when they are penny pinching even popular bus services?

This is what happens when you have someone lacking in brain power in charge of the country's piggy bank. Mr Osborne is happy to gorge on infrastructure spend but does not believe in paying to support the operation of services. This is just another example of the stupidity that is destroying the country's bus network and which will, in turn, start destroying London's transport network. I think almost all the TfL cross boundary bus services are under review / threat now because bordering local authorities cannot part fund bus services with TfL's generous service levels and low fares.

The Croxley Rail Link will be built because the money is there and because the government want it done to shore up the local MP. Of course a fair slice of the extra money for Croxley is coming out of TfL's budget thus making it unlikely that cross boundary bus services will escape the axe. Whether the link will ever earn enough money to pay back some of the cost remains to be seen. I'd not be shocked if more upward pressure was applied to fares in the very outer zones to bolster the revenue base as we get closer to the line opening.

It may look small but if you're a councillor on a local authority that legally has to set a balanced budget and you're losing tens or hundreds of millions of pounds of grant and can't raise council tax to compensate then what do you do? You agree to cuts in all the areas where council activities are non statutory. Bus subsidies are not mandatory and at this rate will be gone country wide within a decade. It does throw up an utter nonsense when you consider the scale of subsidy (despite all the howls from passengers) to the rail industry (in total - TOCs and Network Rail). It also shows that rail passengers have more political clout than bus passengers given you rarely hear about any political fall out from bus cuts. People just buy cars, take taxis or give up travelling so we end up with less economic activity overall and more pollution and congestion.

LU is in the unusual situation of earning an operational surplus but clearly can't meet its investment needs. In theory the operation of the Croxley link is "covered" by the existing surplus but costs will rise and it remains to be seen how much net patronage gain there is (taking into account the loss of Watford Met). At present we have no idea how TfL will approach the funding of its own bus network and whether it can find the money to fund a £300m-£400m annual subsidy. I am deeply sceptical that it can but we will find out in the next few weeks when the business plan is updated.

Whose leaflet drop? Sounds just as likely to be a local politician saying how he would like it to be and giving voters the impression that he could make it so.

Knowing what peak hour traffic into Watford is like I would have expected that, north of Moor Park, peak traffic into Watford High Street and Junction would be as important as towards London.

My understanding is that there is a requirement for passive support for services from Rickmansworth and beyond. Presumably accessible by any Chiltern train that can get to Ricky although there are no plans to run any at the moment. I must admit that I would love a direct train home after dropping my car off at the main dealer in Watford for servicing.

Thanks - that is interesting.

It is already possible to get from Croxley to Rickmansworth -if you fancy getting a train at c. 5 a.m.!

At last indeed. Love the title name on the article as "Metropolitian ..."

I wish it were the case only over there. That click-o-mania is all over the place...

The Mayor of Watford has just sent this in her weekly email missive:


There's also another campaign to get King's Langley station equipped with Oyster readers (yes, I know!)
www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/14298324.Commuters_back_petition_calling_on_TFL_to_introduce_Oyster_Cards_at_Kings_Langley_Station/

What's the history and reasoning behind the Watford special fare zone?

Its all to do with the fact that WCML express trains operated by Virgin call there.

Watford Junction is little unusual in that respect, because on other main lines InterCity services have their first / last calls a lot further out (Stevenage, Luton & Reading)

Basically at a station where multiple operators call, the revenues to a common destination (in the case Central London) have to be split up amongst them, with the most frequent operator generally getting the most money. Also if Watford was fully absorbed into the zonal fare structure the London Midlands fares would have to come down by quite a large amount

However the DfT let the Virgin and London Midland franchise on the basis that there would be no change (other than inflation) to the fares income they would receive (if it did alter then the company would be able to challenge the 'premiums' they had to share with HM Treasury under the Franchise agreement).

As such the only way TfL could get Oyster acceptance at Watford was to create a special zone which ensured that the the fares and the distribution of monies to the other parties was not changed by Oyster. This will be repeated when Oyster will be available to Reading and Gatwick in the future, as the DfT have taken great care to protect their financial position. Consequently Oyster will NOT always be the cheapest option outside the GLA area and the fares revenue on DfT franchised operators does not suffer from Oyster acceptance.