--- "David Bradley" wrote:


The routing of this Tramlink extension is all off-street and
displaces/replaces some heavy route services in its provision, but the
logical destination of Crystal Palace Parade up the steeply graded
peak of Anerley Hill is a severe challenge to which no workable
solutions have ever been produced. There is also the sticky point of
purchasing more trams and slotting the new route into the existing
system; that might put the kybosh on the whole idea.


I live near Crystal Palace, but I'm not happy about the extension. For a
start, we've already got good NR services to Croydon. (Well, evening and
Sunday services could be better, but the best way to fix that is by running
more trains in evenings and Sundays -- not by building a whole new tram
line!)

As for services to Beckenham Jn, well the existing trains are pretty much
empty, proving there's not much demand for it. However, the existing
Beckenham services do provide us with extra trains to central London, a
destination that's in great demand. What will happen to these London
services once Tramlink has taken over the Palace-Beckenham line completely?
Will they just be cut altogether, leaving people with a reduced train
service to London? There's something wrong with a plan to increase services
on routes that people don't use, and reduce them on lines which they do!

And, as David pointed out, there's the question of how trams are going to
get to Crystal Palace. Presumably, they'll be taking over all the existing
line from Beckenham at least as far as the 'Bromley junction' where it joins
the NR line from Croydon and Norwood Jn. And then what..? Single track on
both tram and train into Cyrstal Palace? That's going to reduce the number
of paths for NR trains on the line.

"But, Solar," I hear you cry, "it doesn't matter if the number of trains
from Crystal Palace to Croydon are reduced. You'll have the trams instead.

Well, yes. But that's not going to be much consolation to passengers from
Gipsy Hill and West Norwood, who could find ourselves with a reduced Croydon
service while those lucky people living just the other side of the hill
benefit from the improved service offred by the trams. And don't forget,
fewer London-Palace-Croydon trains means fewer trains connecting Palace to
London --the service with the greatest demand!

If new serivces could be created without damaging existing ones, I'd be all
for it. But this is just meddling for its own sake, and I can't see how
it's a good idea.


For those wishing to get to Crystal Palace from Croydon by eletric
traction, the best way would be by the 654.


Eh? Is that a new battery-powered bus route or something?