Re-opening of the East London Line
moove2london on 14 Apr 2010UPDATE: The former East London line is now open and running from West Croydon, Crystal Palace and New Cross in the south, to Dalston Junction in the north.
ORIGINAL: The former East London line which has been rebranded and is joining the London Overground network, will partially open tomorrow. The route between Dalston Junction (in East London) and New Cross Gate (in South-East London) will open between 7am and 8pm and will be part of a ‘live testing operation’. Stations served in this test phase include Haggerston, Hoxton, Shoreditch High Street, Whitechapel, Shadwell, Wapping, Rotherhithe, Canada Water and Surrey Quays.
The remainder of the line is due to open on Sunday 23rd May, 2010 and will extend down from New Cross Gate to West Croydon (with a branch line to Crystal Palace) and will include stations at Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill, Sydenham, Penge West, Anerley and Norwood Junction.
Whilst this long-anticipated service, which will interchange with stations on the London Underground network such as Canada Water (with the Jubilee line), Whitechapel (with the District and Hammersmith & City Lines) and Shadwell (with the DLR), should benefit the communities of people who have previously been living in areas deprived of a tube line, the service has also attracted a lot of criticism and petition-signing. This is because some existing train services are being cut to make room for the new London Overground trains.
However, on the plus side, for those people who are living in South-East London and working in or around the Shoreditch or Canary Wharf (change at Canada Water) areas, your journey time will be significantly reduced.
This could also potentially push property prices and demand up in the area, so if you’re thinking of moving here, then do it while you can!