The East London Line reappraised

In Brockley for the first time and its so nice !! Thanks @eastlondonline
- margotbowman on Twitter, yesterday

It's time for another East London Line article. Not just out of nostalgia for the good old days, when the question of whether it would or wouldn't be any good could keep Brockley Centrallers going for days, but because the service is now thoroughly bedded in and we'd like to know how you're all using it.

We surveyed readers a few months back and asked them which they would use, Southern or ELL trains, for their regular morning commute. Back then, about a third of you chose the ELL or whichever train arrived first, with the majority claiming that the London Bridge service would still be your usual choice. That tallied fairly closely with TfL projections too, which forecast a gradual shift in commuting patterns in favour of the ELL over the next couple of years.

But whenever we've used Brockley Station recently, we've noticed that the train service is relatively quiet, whereas the tube is pretty packed. Not uncomfortably so, like the pre-ELL days, when trains were like cattle trucks, but very busy, with more people seeming to board them than the Southern service.

So pleasant and hassle-free is the interchange at Canada Water that we've found ourselves letting trains go past so we can use the tube - and only paying half what we used to spend in the process.

So, have your travel plans changed since the ELL's introduction? Have you been surprised by your desire to switch. We're starting a new poll, please share your thoughts.