On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 10:55:34 -0000, "John Rowland"
wrote:

"Peter Masson" wrote in message
...

This seems to have been promoted by a separate company,
the 'Tooting, Merton & Wimbledon', but sold out to the
LSWR and LB&SCR jointly before opening. It originally had
two routes between Wimbledon and Tooting, the current one
used by Thameslink via Haydons Road, and one that took the
Tramlink route to Merton Park then looped via Merton Abbey
to Tooting. From Tooting the route to Ludgate Hill was the
Thameslink route via Streatham, Tulse Hill, Herne
Hill and Elephant & Castle to Ludgate Hill.

But why was the now abandoned route ever built at all?

To make a terminal loop for operational efficiency?

--
Peter Lawrence