8 replies to this topic

[Matthew (Admin/MPJ)]

If you have any views for or against the Croxley Rail Link, the consultation ends on 18 August.

If you would like to make any comments for or against see

www.croxleyraillink.com/consultation

[roob_the_doob]

If you have any views for or against the Croxley Rail Link, the consultation ends on 18 August.

If you would like to make any comments for or against see

www.croxleyraillink.com/consultation

This bit from the site struck me in particular:

In the late 1980s, the idea of linking the Metropolitan line's Watford branch with the Croxley Green branch line was first suggested

What planet are they from? It was a topic regularly discussed when I was using the Met line to go to school at WBGS in the 70s.

I also think this is worthy of comment:

It has always been anticipated that the scheme will involve the closure of the existing Watford Metropolitan line station and that a new station at Ascot Road will open 1.2km away (15 minute walk).

The provision of this station, and one other, means that approximately 2,700 net additional households will fall within an 800m catchment area of a station.

Only 2,700? No mention here of the vast number of dwellings that will be placed much further away. I suspect there will be a torrent of objections from Cassiobury Estate dwellers, and the many families whose boys use the train for travelling to school.

[PeterC]

I suspect there will be a torrent of objections from Cassiobury Estate dwellers,

Most of whom won't even be regular users

[David P]

I was expecting a great burst of outrage on this forum - no business case, ruins the environment, how does it benefit Amersham, who wants to get to Watford any quicker, etc.
Funny what a difference of 10 miles makes

[ianbartlett]

I was expecting a great burst of outrage on this forum - no business case, ruins the environment, how does it benefit Amersham, who wants to get to Watford any quicker, etc.
Funny what a difference of 10 miles makes

I am especially looking forward to a series of 'Woody' Youtube movies. How about:

Woody examines the business case for serving Watford and decides the best thing would be to build a high speed broadband link
Woody worries a bit about whether it will be environmentally damaging, but stops caring because it's quite a long way from his house
Woody accidentally reveals the intellectual capacity of his creators.

[hyposmurf]

Its a good idea thats been sitting on the side lines for a long time.Anyone who has travelled to Watford by train for shopping will have a pretty good idea how far the watford met line station is from the town centre.The new line will better serve watford.It's also re-using an existing closed section of track.There's even a proposal to link this line more directly with the Aylesbury line.

[roob_the_doob]

The new line will better serve watford.

It rather depends on who you are trying to serve. The relatively small number of people who might use the line to shop at the Harlequin? The vanishingly small number of people who might use it to travel to a light industrial design designed with cars in mind? Or the people who currently travel into London for work but will now be pretty much forced into their cars?

Who are these people that would use the train to go shopping? Anyone from Moor Park southwards has a very quick and easy road route, and many already have a rail route to Watford High St nearby anyway (soon to be upgraded, either as an improved Overgound service or by restoring the Bakerloo to that stretch of line.

I don't have the information to know how all these different considerations might balance out, but it would be nice to have all the details before at least £200m is spent shunting the Met line down a route that may well have limited use at best, while removing the only accessible public transport to London for a very large housing estate (according to wikipedia, the Cassiobury district has a population of 15000).

As David P said, where's the business case, where's the cost-benefit analysis? Why the assumption that the line to Watford Met would no longer be used?

[PeterC]

according to wikipedia, the Cassiobury district has a population of 15000

The bulk of whom live on the opposite side of Cassiobury Park. I don't know Watford but looking at the map I would have expected most commuters from that area to prefer Watford Junction.

[David P]

As David P said, where's the business case, where's the cost-benefit analysis? Why the assumption that the line to Watford Met would no longer be used?

I knew there'd be one! Just surprised that ir was Roob. My comment was very tongue in cheek and aimed squarely at all the HS2 Nimbys.
The business case is presented in a long document included in the link above.