Chelsea-Hackney line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section contains information about a proposed London Transport infrastructure.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as more information becomes available.

The Chelsea-Hackney (or "Chelney") line is a proposed underground railway running from south-west London to north-east London. As of 2007, the plan is being developed by Cross London Rail Links Ltd., the developers of Crossrail ^[1], and is therefore sometimes known as Crossrail 2.

1 History
- 1.1 Original plan
- 1.2 Later plans
2 Current plans
3 Other proposals
4 See also
5 References

[edit] History

[edit] Original plan

A south-west/north-east tube line was originally planned as early as 1901^[2] and a bill was put before parliament in 1904^[3]. However political manoeuvring by rival tube magnate Charles Yerkes killed off the proposal.^[2]

[edit] Later plans

The plan was revived in 1970 by London Transport's London Rail Study as the next project after the completion of the Victoria Line and the Fleet Line (renamed as the Jubilee line). Designed to relieve pressure on the District, Central and Victoria lines, and to link two areas without tube services, the route would have taken taken over the Wimbledon branch of the District as far as Parsons Green, then followed a new underground alignment to Leytonstone, where it would then take over one of the branches of the Central Line.^[4] For financial reasons the line was not built, but over the years the idea, or variations of it have emerged.

Following the Central London Rail Study of 1989, a route through central London was safeguarded.

As the route would serve both King's Cross and Kings Road it was suggested that the line could be named Kings Line. It was decided however that the Jubilee Line Extension should take priority and the project was postponed.

In 1995, an alternate plan, the Express Metro was put forward that would utilise more existing track, have fewer stations and be built to national rail standard. It would take one of three routes from the East Putney on the District line to Victoria station; either Putney Bridge, Parsons Green and Kings Road as in the original safeguarded plan; or to Wandsworth Town and Clapham Junction and then either via Chelsea Harbour and Kings Road or via Battersea.

From Victoria it would then call at

Tottenham Court Road
King's Cross St. Pancras
Highbury & Islington
Dalston Kingsland
Hackney Central

and then split into two branches, one to Leytonstone and then on to Epping taking over the Central line, the other taking over the North London Line to Woolwich^[2]

Another version of the plan was proposed in 2001, with even fewer stations.^[2]

[edit] Current plans

Chelsea-Hackney Line

Legend

Epping

2007 safeguarded route;

Theydon Bois

take over Epping branch

of the Central Line

north of Leytonstone

Central line to Woodford via Hainault

(under construction)

King's Cross St. Pancras

Tottenham Court Road

Piccadilly Circus

Victoria

Chelsea (new station)

Branch towards Battersea and Clapham

take over

south of Parsons Green

Wimbledon Park

Wimbledon

In 2007, the 1991 route was updated - Sloane Square was dropped from the plan and it was decided to take over the Central line's Epping branch from Leytonstone - and re-safeguarded.^[3] It is currently considered the third major rail project in the capital after the East London Line extension and Crossrail 1.

Even though it is being developed by Cross London Rail Ltd it is not decided whether the line will be part of the National Rail network or the London Underground network; there are advantages and disadvantages to both. A National Rail system, like Crossrail would allow larger trains, and therefore a larger capacity for passengers. However it would mean that several major interchanges would have to be abandoned, in particular Piccadilly Circus^{[citation needed]} and be very costly to construct. A London Underground system would require smaller tunnels meaning smaller trains, but more valuable interchange stops in Central London and would mean the project would be cheaper.

Of the three routes in south-west London the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea initially favoured the first, but now supports the second^[5] Under the present plans, only one entirely new station would be constructed at Chelsea, while another proposed station on the route, Dalston Junction, is not due to be opened until 2010 when it will be served by the extended East London Line as part of London Overground.

[edit] Other proposals

It has also been proposed that an extension spur could be built Northwards that involves re-using the Northern Heights section to Alexandra Palace that was once planned to be part of the Northern Line.^[6] A link to Clapham Junction from London Victoria via Chelsea Harbour is also being examined, in a bid to end the station's isolation from the London Underground network. The line could be extended south of Wimbledon, though this would require major rebuilding work of the station. At one point it was envisioned that the line might run over the former route to West Croydon, but that line has now been used for Tramlink instead.