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Every couple of years or so, the prospect of a new tube line, the
extension of an overground track or a mixture of both is dangled in front of the people of
Stoke Newington and Hackney. Our borough has the distinction of being the only one in
inner London without a single tube station. Hopes are raised and we wait and wait, and
wait. The Chelsea-Hackney line is often mentioned, although its route has never been much
publicised. There is no doubt that it has created a great deal of interest locally (see
'Write On') but have our hopes been raised prematurely? Are there alternatives?
Roger Blake is the public transport planner at Hackney Council and has provided us with
his assessment of the current situation. He writes:
Following Diane Abbott's piece about the Chelsea-Hackney Line in the last issue of N16
magazine and the earlier exchange of correspondence on the same subject in previous
issues, Diagram 1 clarifies where it most likely will, and won't go. Please note, it has
nothing to do with the Jubilee line, with which it might only interchange at its Stratford
terminus.
The Chelsea-Hackney line project has, among other things, no agreed route and scheme, no
Environmental Impact Assessment, no legal powers and no £3 billion budget which will be
necessary. Even starting from now, it is not deliverable in less than 15 years roughly 5
each for 1) refining, designing and applying to government to proceed with an agreed
scheme; 2) going through a Public Inquiry to get legal powers and through a tendering and
procurement process; 3) building it.
All the more reason for MP Diane, and everyone else, to tell Mayor Ken, 'start now!' And
remember, Ken, you'll need to get re-elected four times if you want to be the Mayor that
cuts the opening tape.
Meanwhile, let's not forget there's another London Underground project that can be brought
to Dalston in a quarter of that time and a sixth of the cost. The northern extensions of
the East London line from Whitechapel to Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park, via
Shoreditch and Dalston, now has everything the Chelsea-Hackney project doesn't, except a
budget.
That's something the Mayor, Greater London Assembly (GLA), Transport for London, Railtrack
and the Strategic Rail Authority ought to be able to sort out between them, so that
construction could start in 2001-2 for passenger-carrying operation in 2003-4.
The southern extensions, from New Cross Gate to Croydon and Crystal Palace and from Surrey
Quays via Peckham to Wimbledon (and later to Clapham Junction via Brixton) are going
through their Public Inquiry processes now, and could start building before the northern
extensions are completed. The Council is doing its bit for the northern extensions by
pulling in £8 million to prepare the route refurbishing the former Broad Street viaduct
and arches, and, this summer, replacing two bridges south of Dalston, at Forest Road and
Richmond Road, ready to accommodate the new railway.
The GLA member for Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest, Meg Hillier, is taking a very
close interest in the East London Line Extensions project and is advocating its early
implementation. Letters to her and Mayor Ken, to demonstrate widespread support for the
project, can do no harm.
N16 comments: Roger Blake makes it quite clear that the East
London Line Extension is the earliest and most practical proposition. Those who wish to
zip from a bit of shopping in Ridley Road Market to the King's Road on the Chelsea-Hackney
Line will have to wait.
Welcome though these potential developments are, there is still a missing link. People
living around the Church Street area and there are a lot of them
still have to rely on the 73 bus to go west and south. The first major connection is
King's Cross, which can take around 45 minutes or more during the rush hour. The
single-decker 106 route to Finsbury Park is erratic and often over-crowded. About two
dozen Hackney buses run north/south serving the City and central London; only half a dozen
run east/west.
The area seriously needs a 'hopper' bus to link Church Street with Highbury Corner. This
would create the necessary connections with existing and proposed rail and tube services.
It would also reduce the car 'rat-runs' over the short distance. We understand that London
Buses are considering a proposal for a route that would run from Upper Clapton to Holloway
via Church Street and Highbury Corner. Surely it's about time they declared their
intention to implement the proposal. Let us know what you think.
(Diagrams courtesy of Hackney Council)
Diane Abbott writes ...
 I was recently privileged to be
appointed to the cabinet of the new Mayor for London, Ken Livingstone. I have known Ken
for over 20 years and have never doubted that he would make an excellent Mayor. Those of
us whose memory goes back that far remember his achievements as Leader of the GLC, despite
the media version of what happened. I believe that the new Mayor represents an opportunity
to make real changes in London.
First and foremost, I know Ken is committed to improving public transport. He has sacked
all the senior London Transport management and is re-advertising their jobs.
There is no doubt there have been managerial problems within London Transport in the past
and Ken wants to make a fresh start.
He is committed to the Chelsea-Hackney Line which would give us an underground station in
Dalston. He is also considering bringing in other forms of transport like trams. He is
also committed to bringing in a charge for driving into central London. This proposal will
go out to consultation and will not be implemented until 2002. But everyone knows
something has to be done before traffic in central London snarls up altogether. I shall
also be using my position in Ken's cabinet to press for more regeneration funds for
Hackney.
Ken has deliberately tried to be inclusive in the way he runs London. So he has appointed
Labour, LibDem, Green and Tory representatives to his cabinet and other committees. This
is a very exciting time for London and I am pleased and proud to play a part in it
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