East London Line Mystery

Before I moved to Brockley, I imagined that the imminent arrival of the East London Line (2010) in the area would be universally regarded by local people as A GOOD THING. But there's a strong undercurrent of discontent that can be found on sites like Movethat about the ELL.

The objections are centred around the belief that (because there will be no new track built), the service to London Bridge will be reduced and instead the public will be 'forced' on to the line that goes 'from nowhere to nowhere'. I'll come on to the usefulness of the ELL extension in a moment, but, so far, the first assertion seems to be groundless.

According to Alwaystouchout.com [http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/3] the frequency of trains to London Bridge will actually increase from 5 to 6 per hour between 2007 and 2010. This will be complemented by an additional eight trains per hour on the East London Line. True, there will be one train fewer per hour to Victoria (from 3 to 2) but that service is only enjoyed by those who like travelling from A to B via Z (aka Croydon).

As for the East London Line going 'nowhere' - that's only if you discount East London and the City (to which it provides a direct link). It also intersects with the Jubilee Line and, as such, provides a quick route to Canary Wharf and the soon-to-repoen Dome. In the long-term, the East London Line will form part of the new orbital rail route, creating convient links to a range of areas like Islington and Clapham.

Finally, although the East London Line won't technically be a "tube" it's still generated a lot of buzz and interest in Brockley, which even those people who shudder at the prospect of a Tesco Metro or an All Bar One arriving, should welcome.

If I've missed something and you know of actual plans to cut rail services from Brockley, please let me know.