East London Line at expense of South London Line
East London Line’s opening puts Hackney on rail map London Evening Standard 27 April 2010
MILLIONS of Londoners are able to cross the river by rail from Hackney to New Cross after the reopening today of the revamped East London line. But the South London Line, which runs between Victoria and London Bridge, is under threat from the second phase of the East London Line, which will extend to Clapham Junction by 2012.
Jo deBank, from London Travelwatch, said: “The East London line is great news and will go into areas which are transport poor. But there’s still more to be done in south London. We need to make sure that there’s still enough transport for people. South London suffers from not having as much transport as other parts of the capital.”
Lib-Dem transport spokesman Caroline Pidgeon said: “Phase two is wonderful but ultimately the problem is people were promised it in addition to the South London line, not instead. It will give great connections out to Clapham Junction but people want that as well as routes into Victoria and London Bridge.”