East london line to close

network rail acquire the management of the line in 2007 and we cease to maintain the line in april of that year

Ladies & Gents

I know that this may be tied in with the 2012 Olympics, however if this is a success I'm just wondering if this is the shape of things to come with the whole of LU being opened up to the private sector. Perhaps the lines as a whole or individually may be sold off with TfL dictating policy to private companies who run/own the services.

I say this being aware that fixed year franchises have been awarded on LU lines (e.g. Metronet) to run services - perhaps this is just a extension to this policy of selling of services and TfL/LU are using the East London Line as a prototype to see if selling off the actual assets might work. As an alternative perhaps TfL have the opinion that the ELL isn't an integral part of LU and losing/selling it off might be the cheapest option to maintain a service, as opposed to rebuilding the infrastructure.

Just think, if this is the pre-cursor to selling of LU lines/assets, remember that things do go full circle - nationalisation in the late 1940's, privatisation in the 1990's... okay, the political will for nationalisation is at the opposite end of the spectrum today, but who knows what'll happen later in the 21st Century....

Regards

Christopher

I hope not. Franchising the maintenance sector is bad enough; franchising the operations sector would be even worse!



Unfortunately, you're a bit off - Metronet and Tube Lines hold franchises to maintain the infrastructure, not operate it. Operation of the LU lines (and indeed ownership of the fixed and mobile assets) is in the hands of TfL LU.



The line doesn't make much sense as an Underground line anymore; frankly I believe it is better off being transferred to NR.



If operation of LU lines is ever franchised, the whole system will, IMO, suffer.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that railtrack wanted to take over what now forms the SSL. Their proposal was to reinstate links at paddington and liverpool st. I really wish I knew where I heard that though.

My personal opinion is that, very unfortunately, we will see a greater seperation of tube lines and surface lines over the next 30 years. One day someone will suggest that it would be useful to combine some mainline (possibly the orbirail/metro schemes) and surface services to acheive greater flexibility or whatever. Maybe parts will become electrified with overhead aswell as 4 rail. I stress this would be a very gradual process though. Maybe not even 30 years, maybe 50. Nothing like being a cynic, eh?? Something will change, big time too.

I also read about that somewhere. Wasn't it an early alternative to Cross rail? Troop trains used to run through to Southend regularly in WWII.

Troop Trains on ELR.

The East London Railway was a Joint ( LNER, LPTB and Southern) Line until Nationalisation in 1948. The Met Line ran the normal Passenger Service and the LNER any other trains so it is quite possible that special Passenger trains passed through when required though Troop trains generally,I think, encircled London ( via West London, North London or Tottenham and Forest Gate Lines for instance) .