Cross(about)Rail - Chingford Residents Get Raw Deal

11.58.00am GMT Tue 6th Nov 2007

CROSSRAIL, which is to provide a new link through London between Maidenhead in the West and Shenfield in the East, has at last been given the go-ahead. Due for completion in 2015, it will certainly improve public transport generally but the original planned link to Chingford, admittedly conceived prior to the successful bid for the 2102 Olympics, has been quietly dropped from the scheme.

Crossrail is described in current leaflets as "an exciting and visionary new railway proposal". It will include a new tunnel through central London and connect with many stations along the new line. However, it would have been far more "exciting and visionary" for Chingford residents if they had been able to board a train at Chingford and travel straight through instead of having to change at Liverpool Street.

This disappointment is compounded by the lack of progress on the proposed re-laying and re-opening of the Hall Farm Curve beyond St James Street. Apart from providing the benefit of an extra service between Chingford and Stratford, this work needs to be done now if there is to be any possibility of linking Chingford to Crossrail, which will be routed from the East through Stratford. Clearly residents using Chingford, Highams Park and Walthamstow stations are getting a raw deal!!!!

Cllr.John Beanse has long promoted the case for the Hall Farm Curve at every opportunity and in October asked Geoff Pope, the Liberal Democrat Transport spokesman on the Greater London Assembly, to challenge the Mayor. Mayor Livingstone refused to support the Hall Lane Curve claiming other transport priorities without giving any details.

John comments "It is a disgrace that the Mayor continues obstinately to refuse to back this scheme which could bring considerable benefit to the people of Waltham Forest. It is not a major project. All it requires is the funding to relay and re-open the track on a route that used to be operational and is still owned by Network Rail. The service to Stratford would then become feasible and would link with the Docklands Light Railway, the Central and Jubilee lines, plus other overground services. If we are serious about an "integrated transport system" in this country, there can be no valid reason for deferring it."