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Dave Arquati · October 9th 05, 12:27 AM posted to uk.railway,uk.transport.london

wrote:
Peter Masson wrote:
wrote
ISTR that the NLL services will be switched to terminate at the High
Level platforms when the route south of Stratford closes - numbers
12/13(?) - which will mean one less of the few stations with mainline
services on two levels.

Will the NLL use these platforms, or will they be used for Lea Valley
trains, with the NLL being provided with new platforms?

A good question: I don't honestly know for certain. At one time there
was a proposal to send NLL trains on beyond Stratford to Walthamstow,
via a reinstated Hall Farm Curve and a new up-side bay at Walthamstow
Central. Obviously if that happens sometime in the future there should
be enough capacity with the existing pair of platforms at Stratford to
handle these and a couple of Lea Valley services per hour.

However, the Hall Farm Curve is certainly not going to happen in the
immediate future, so the NLL trains must terminate at Stratford.
Perhaps the Lea Valley services can use one platform, NLL another? Two
Lea Valley reversers per hour could be handled comfortably, but I'm not
sure about the four NLL services per hour - in theory it's possible,
but fairly tight.

The NLL service is actually meant to be increasing to 6tph by 2012, so
there will be somewhat a greater problem.

There's no capacity to send NLL trains beyond Stratford up the Lea
Valley line - too many Stansted Expresses wandering around to allow
them to reverse at, for example, Tottenham Hale.

I suspect that some deal to reinstate Hall Farm Curve will come as part
of the Olympic package, reopening Lea Bridge station and possibly with
a new station near the stadium site. Waltham Forest Council is
certainly keen on it, and it would make sense for the post-Olympic
regeneration to open this route up again.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London