CHINGFORD: Return of Hall Farm Curve to be 'seriously considered'

4:10pm Tuesday 26th June 2012 in Where I Live Photograph of the Author By Joe Curtis, Senior reporter

Peter Woodrow Peter Woodrow

MORE jobs and better transport links could be on the horizon for Chingford after bringing back the Hall Farm Curve rail track became a serious option for the near future.

The railway link between Chingford and Stratford, which was closed in the late '60s, will be seriously considered for railway projects starting in seven years' time.

The news came as the introduction of a new train station at Chingford Hatch was also proposed in the same report, commissioned by national group Railfuture and the Chingford Line Users' Association (CLUA).

Campaigners have hailed the announcements as great news after experiencing disappointment in trying to get the rail link re-established in the recent past.

Peter Woodrow, chairman of CLUA, said a return of the Hall Farm Curve would bring employment and infrastructure to "isolated" Chingford.

"It would be really beneficial," he said. "There's massive transport connections at Stratford and suddenly all the jobs in the Docklands and east London generally are much more accessible to an isolated area.

"It's further into the future than we would like, obviously, but it's been called a serious option which is great."

The journey time between Chingford and Stratford could be cut to just 20 minutes, but Mr Woodrow said Waltham Forest Council and CLUA must make a strong case to show that the reopened link would be profitable for Network Rail.

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They must do the same for the proposed station at Chingford Hatch, which could be built alongside one in Forest Road, Walthamstow, to provide a better service on the Chingford to Liverpool Street line.

But both projects would come after the government and Network Rail decide on whether to reopen Lea Bridge Station in Walthamstow, which closed in 1985.

The report, which was presented to the council last night, provides a strong argument for reopening the station after TfL gave its backing to the project last year, said Mr Woodrow.

"It's looking more than 50 per cent likely that it's going to reopen, we're very pleased," he added. "The report sums up the high levels of deprivation in the wards of that part of the borough so it makes a strong case for reopening it."

The Trevor Patrick Partnership has now drawn up designs for the new station, which would reduce journeys between Walthamstow and Stratford or Tottenham Hale to just 12 minutes each, instead of the current 34 minutes and 43 minutes respectively.

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Comments(34)

Techno3 says...
4:17pm Tue 26 Jun 12

In 7 years? How pathetic.

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driftingcowboy says...
4:30pm Tue 26 Jun 12

It should have been done in time for the Olympics.
It must be expedited without further delay - there's no need for any public enquiry, the rail bed already exists. This should now be a priority for our local council.

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Walthamstow Lad says...
5:11pm Tue 26 Jun 12

After presiding over the decline of Waltham Forest over the last five decades, Labour's placeman, Woodrow pops up to claim credit for something which might happen in seven years time.

Where are the plans for real jobs in the Borough so people don't have to travel and use 1/3rd of their income on fares?

John Moss
Conservative candidate in the Larkswood by-election

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dundee col says...
6:23pm Tue 26 Jun 12

Why employ and pay for a designer to draw up plans for a new station when there are already designs available for quick build modular stations as installed eleswhere recently?

As for expiditing the building of anything in this day and age, it's unrealistic to expect miracles, 7 years is probably for the next round of funding applications, then it's got to succeed in being funded.

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red37red says...
6:35pm Tue 26 Jun 12

who will build it polish workers!

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hpmark says...
7:59pm Tue 26 Jun 12

An excellent idea. But as the tracks all how about having it up and running by next year.

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Dave mp says...
8:54pm Tue 26 Jun 12

It shouldn't take 7 years! Good idea about a new station at Chingford Hatch and re-open Lea Bridge Road Station. Well overdue. But WHY so Long?

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Sam Hain says...
10:54pm Tue 26 Jun 12

Oo-er, the Tory candidate in the Larkswood bye-election is clearly rattled judging by his typically mean-spirited response. Peter is well-known for having championed the Hall Farm Curve and Lea Bridge station reopening for many years, and well done to him for his commitment to it. This issue exemplifies why Peter should be elected in Larkswood. The permanent Tory opposition has held Chingford back for years. Ken wasn't bothered, for obvious reasons, and now Boris isn't because he can see what is likely to happen after constituency boundary changes and the long-overdue demise of IDS. Come on Larkswood residents, you have nothing to lose but your chains!

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bullyboy says...
10:55pm Tue 26 Jun 12

Fantastic news this is what everybody local wants with westfield opening at stratford this is the transport link which is needed come on network rail walthamforest council pull your finger out and get this line back up and running its needed

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AirForceOne says...
11:36pm Tue 26 Jun 12

7 years? why? there is nothing to think about, nothing to consider. Its a bit of track. Everyone wants it. So just do it.
The Hatch and even Forest Road stations make sense, even if only in the peak hours.
Obviously someone is thinking about the Crossrail opening and want to save this but of good news for a rainy day.

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Redfox says...
12:13am Wed 27 Jun 12

The responses to this story are all very odd - WHY is there no comment about just how the eminent? champion for the project PLUS the photographer got Lineside access to Network Rail property to have the photo opportunity image taken?
They are clearly standing within the barrier fencing, close to an electrified line (never mind the overhead business) and at least the 'champion' himself, IF well versed in all things railwayana related, is NOT wearing the regulation orange hi-viz apparel necessary to identify himself to railway operating staff. This is clear trespass and should be condemned and punished.
Answers please stating on what authority this took place, if any.
Even when the council's own 'Cannon & Ball' duo, Robbins & Loakes, they took up the championing of the issue some months ago standing outside the old station building on the bridge wearing their civvies. Daft as brushes of course, for they deciding it was time to re-open the station, not bothering to comment that the pavement area outside the former station is, and has been for a decade now, part shared by an official council cycle path on the pavement! It is only one metre wide before you reach the kerb with large bollards along the edging. Fat chance of re-opening a station with uneducated travellers barging out under bicycles legally using the safety of the pavement across THAT bridge matey!

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Don't Give Up says...
8:33am Wed 27 Jun 12

If this project goes ahead please do not ignore the implications of even further traffic congestion around the level crossing area at Highams Park station. The barrier will be up and down like a yo yo as extra trains will be in service. It could also transpire that the barrier will remain permanently down! If you then add the impact of the impending serious problems the Tesco development site will also have, the picture will not be too rosy for the local community.
As for party politics, let me just remind you, it was the 4 Labour councillors on the planning committee who totally ignored the many comprehensive objections to both the Tesco and Walthamstow Dog Track applications and voted them through. When considering who to vote for in the Larkswood election, I doubt the residents will forget this as their congestion problems will increase dramatically if the Mayor does give the go ahead to completely bring the Crooked Billet roundabout to a standstill.

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Don't Give Up says...
10:25am Wed 27 Jun 12

Where are the previous 12 comments?

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Cllr Nick Buckmaster says...
11:17am Wed 27 Jun 12

This was on the agenda in 2006 when I sat on the Transport Liason Committee.Roll on 6 years and it's still a pipedream just conveniently re-aired to coincide with the Larkswood by-election. Waltham Forest remains the least economically active borough in London and no prizes for guessing why ?

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Garrow says...
3:32pm Wed 27 Jun 12

Most of the comments here are spot on! It seems the first thing we should be doing is seeking to create the opportunity for job creation in this borough rather than seeking ways of exporting our workforce elsewhere. I cannot imagine any reason for another station on the Chingford/Liverpool Street line, as transparent electioneering goes, this is on a par with Ed Millibands comments of last week. If this Labour candidate is serious, why doesn't he get hold of his Labour cronies who have systematically choked the life out of this borough with their ridiculous, shortsighted planning policies and get them to do something to help? I went past that site in Billet Road at the weekend, there is a lot of economic activity taking place there, dirty, unpleasant possibly, but work just the same, this will all be changed for housing and a couple of shops at Labour's whim.

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Sam Hain says...
5:25pm Wed 27 Jun 12

Cllr Nick Buckmaster wrote:
This was on the agenda in 2006 when I sat on the Transport Liason Committee.Roll on 6 years and it's still a pipedream just conveniently re-aired to coincide with the Larkswood by-election. Waltham Forest remains the least economically active borough in London and no prizes for guessing why ?
Oh dear, don't you wish Tory Councillors weren't so averse to doing a bit of work? Had Cllr Buckmaster bothered to research the matter since 2006 when he sat on the Transport Liason (sic) Committee, he'd know that a very detailed report commissioned from JRC Ltd by the Chingford Line Users' Group (CLUA) and Railfuture has just been published (June 2012) which shows that Lea Bridge Station could be open in 2014. They admit that the Hall Farm Curve could take into the 2020s to deliver but I should have thought it was apparent, even to Cllr Buckmaster, that these delays are down to the transport strategy of Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and nothing whatsoever to do with our local Council.

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Techno3 says...
5:47pm Wed 27 Jun 12

Sam Hain wrote:
Cllr Nick Buckmaster wrote:
This was on the agenda in 2006 when I sat on the Transport Liason Committee.Roll on 6 years and it's still a pipedream just conveniently re-aired to coincide with the Larkswood by-election. Waltham Forest remains the least economically active borough in London and no prizes for guessing why ?
Oh dear, don't you wish Tory Councillors weren't so averse to doing a bit of work? Had Cllr Buckmaster bothered to research the matter since 2006 when he sat on the Transport Liason (sic) Committee, he'd know that a very detailed report commissioned from JRC Ltd by the Chingford Line Users' Group (CLUA) and Railfuture has just been published (June 2012) which shows that Lea Bridge Station could be open in 2014. They admit that the Hall Farm Curve could take into the 2020s to deliver but I should have thought it was apparent, even to Cllr Buckmaster, that these delays are down to the transport strategy of Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and nothing whatsoever to do with our local Council.
Sam, you sometimes say semsible things on here but you really do not get it do you?

The culture whereby morons in local government think that work and achievements are to be equated with sitting on committees and writing reports is trully sad to see. If you can't see how sad your defence of this tragedy of wasted years and blighted opportunity is, I despair. Your lazy, good for nothing, buck-passing friends in our corrupted local government really are part of the problem, and not in any way can they be said to be part of the solution.

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Sam Hain says...
6:21pm Wed 27 Jun 12

I feel your pain, Techno3, I really do and I agree with you wholeheartedly that the wasted years are a tragedy. But, instead of wasting more time impotently pointing fingers of blame (probably as much at Ken Livingstone as at Boris Johnson I admit) we should support committed individuals like Peter who have been doing sterling (unpaid) work with CLUA and the cheekily acronymed BGOLUG championing better rail links for the borough. I think the least we can do is to support them in their efforts. As to Councillors not being part of the solution, certainly they have little, if any, legal powers in this field of work but they do have influence and I think it is much to their credit that many of them have nailed their colours to the mast, and I'd include Jennette Arnold AM and Stella Creasy MP in that too. Please don't despair but do get active, politically and practically otherwise you are just a voice crying in the wilderness - a sad and lonely place to be.

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mdj says...
10:30pm Wed 27 Jun 12

A year or two back, questions were being asked about what effect reopening the line to Stratford would have on the existing Liverpool St service, the risk being that there might have to be a greatly reduced service, or even that it might be an either/or choice: does anyone have any details on that?

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Sam Hain says...
11:12pm Wed 27 Jun 12

I recommend the JRC report, mdj, although I can't find it online and therefore provide you a link to it. However, the contact details for its author, Jonathan Roberts, can be found at www.jrc.org.uk Or you could always ask Peter Woodrow, of course.

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Sam Hain says...
11:33pm Wed 27 Jun 12

PS: Just found it the Council website. The link is too long to fit into this little box but go to Council and Democracy and look up the Agenda Reports Pack for the Transport Liaison Consultative Group meeting of
Monday 25th June 2012 for the PDF report.

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Cllr Nick Buckmaster says...
1:26am Thu 28 Jun 12

You can count on one hand LBWF councillors who have the spine or guts to respond to comments on this site using their own name - whichever way you slice & dice the Hall Farm Curve it's taking far too long ! As for work Sam,you could never write anything good about any Conservative but I guess it serves you not to have noticed in my area LBWF now ranks as the third best LGPS pension fund in the UK over a rolling 3yr period despite our limited resources - that's promoting the borough, not the semantics you relish.

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Sam Hain says...
9:15am Thu 28 Jun 12

Cllr Nick Buckmaster wrote:
You can count on one hand LBWF councillors who have the spine or guts to respond to comments on this site using their own name - whichever way you slice & dice the Hall Farm Curve it's taking far too long ! As for work Sam,you could never write anything good about any Conservative but I guess it serves you not to have noticed in my area LBWF now ranks as the third best LGPS pension fund in the UK over a rolling 3yr period despite our limited resources - that's promoting the borough, not the semantics you relish.
You're obviously playing follow your Leader, Cllr Buckmaster! When Conservative politicians respond in this fashion (as they usually do when pushed) can you wonder that I can never find anything good to write about them. I'd remind you that you are a Borough Councillor (yes, the whole Borough not just Chingford) and I am a Borough resident. I'm sure residents in Larkswood Ward reading your posting and pondering how to vote on 12 July will take into account the intemperate reaction of a Conservative Councillor whom a local elector has actually had the temerity to challenge.

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Techno3 says...
9:48am Thu 28 Jun 12

Sam Hain wrote:
I feel your pain, Techno3, I really do and I agree with you wholeheartedly that the wasted years are a tragedy. But, instead of wasting more time impotently pointing fingers of blame (probably as much at Ken Livingstone as at Boris Johnson I admit) we should support committed individuals like Peter who have been doing sterling (unpaid) work with CLUA and the cheekily acronymed BGOLUG championing better rail links for the borough. I think the least we can do is to support them in their efforts. As to Councillors not being part of the solution, certainly they have little, if any, legal powers in this field of work but they do have influence and I think it is much to their credit that many of them have nailed their colours to the mast, and I'd include Jennette Arnold AM and Stella Creasy MP in that too. Please don't despair but do get active, politically and practically otherwise you are just a voice crying in the wilderness - a sad and lonely place to be.
The only sad and lonely place I can think of round here is in the ever thinning ranks of the cheerleaders for the corrput clique which runs this borough who are not themsleves on the payroll in some way. You do your panglossian act on here for free? Or are you, as many people suspect, a Labour councillors - yet another of the allowance drones who have so betrayed the public trust over the last few years.

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Sam Hain says...
11:46am Thu 28 Jun 12

I've previously reassured Helen as to your last point, Techno3. As to being panglossian, I don't ever recall suggesting that we live in the best of all possible worlds in Waltham Forest. If I believed that, why would I bother trying to change anything? And I must disabuse you, too, about our 'thinning ranks'. On the contrary, as you may have noticed if you live in the area, Labour canvassing sessions in Larkswood are able to mobilise more, new and younger members every week which is most encouraging. I get a sense from the increasingly desperate and vitriolic Tory attempts to belittle us that they fear we've taken the battle to their heartland. Well, for once they're right. They've had it too easy for too long, being paid allowances to do nothing but carp for years on end as a permanent opposition without ever having to deliver anything positive may make Tory Councillors believe they occupy the moral high ground whereas in fact they're just easy riders, coasting along and taking the money. Well, they need to think again.

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mdj says...
12:32pm Thu 28 Jun 12

'being paid allowances to do nothing but carp for years on end..'
Even some carping would be a welcome sound! The silence and inertia of the Tories in this Borough is a mystery and a scandal. Surely Sam, you must be as aware as I am of occasions when the Labour group have got away with anti-democratic decisions, abuses of procedure and outright breaches of the law, to total silence from the opposition benches. Only local campaign groups have even tried to call them to account.
My personal conclusion now is that parties represent only themselves and the career prospects of their insiders, and that people must rethink their institutions from the ground up if they are to achieve clean governance and honest handling of collective projects. While every party still contains its share of able and honest people, whichever party is in charge you can see that they are not the ones with the power to affect matters.

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Sam Hain says...
1:24pm Thu 28 Jun 12

I agree the opposition in the Town Hall is mribund, if not actually comatose, mdj. It is actually quite disconcerting for colleagues in the Chamber to make announcements and watch the tumbleweed roll across the floor. I think they's actually welcome a robust debate. No, the carping I was referring to was the sort we have seen in these threads from Cllrs such as Buckpasser (sorry, Buckmaster) and his Group Leader. It seems they'd rather engage via these networks - that way they don't even have to bother to go into the Town Hall. How very convenient! I do tend to agree with you on the party point, especailly at local level where it's really just aping Westminster to little good effect, but mainstream politics is so locked into this now it's hard to see a way out. Nevertheless, I haven't quite given up on it yet.

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Sam Hain says...
1:26pm Thu 28 Jun 12

PS: And before anyone replies "(sic)" I've spotted the typos!

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andychurchill says...
1:43pm Thu 28 Jun 12

As a Larkswood resident, I'm not entirely sure a Chingford Hatch station, or one at Forest Road, would actually be of much benefit. It's not that far from Forest Road to Wood St or Highams Park, or from Chingford Hatch to Highams Park. Not to mention slowing the journey from Chingford to Liverpool St with the extra stops.

I'm already concerned by the impact that the Tesco site will have on Highams Park.

However, as I've previously said in comments on earlier articles, I welcome the idea of the Hall Farm Curve being reopened, along with the re-opening of a station at Lea Bridge Road. The regeneration of that area would improve the borough much more, and the quick connections into Stratford and Docklands area via DLR would be very beneficial, if they can work out the scheduling so that it doesn't disrupt existing Liverpool St services too much.

What is frustrating though, is the lack of transportation from Walthamstow/Chingfor
d towards North London areas such as Brent Cross. You either have to get a couple of slow buses, or head all the way into Zone 1 and then back out on the Northern line.

Looking forward to the by-election in Larkswood next month, hopefully the person I vote for will get in, though whether they actually make any difference is debatable.

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John001 says...
7:31pm Thu 28 Jun 12

I think we would be looking at only two trains per hour using the Hall Farm Curve in each direction. This should easily fit into the schedule without disruption. The ideal first stage would be to introduce a Tottenham Hale-Lea Bridge-Stratford shuttle service. Later introduction of services from Chingford could then increase the overall frequency of services from Lea Bridge.

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dundee col says...
10:39pm Thu 28 Jun 12

If you take Network Rails current Route Utilisation Strategy for London and the SE as thrir stance it says for the introduction of a 2 trains per hour service from Chingford to Stratford, 'Not recommended at present,......This conclusion
should be kept under review.' I wouldn't get any hopes up as it seems a long way further off than 7 years reading that and considering what other options are being explored on the lea Valley lines into London. Wishful thinking on some parts perhaps?

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Walthamstow Lad says...
6:02pm Fri 29 Jun 12

Re-opening Hall Farm Curve is a project all parties in Waltham Forest agree on. It would take only slightly longer to get to Liverpool Street, but open up access to the whole of Docklands and, once Crossrail is complete, even Heathrow.

The problem with that is that it would allow Labour to continue with their policy of turning Waltham Forest in to a dormitory, with high-rise, high density flats everywhere, but no good local jobs, so everybody who does work has to spend 1/3rd of their take home pay on travelling, leaving little to spend locally, furthering the decline of our High Streets and Town Centres.

However, Sam, I have had three calls today from residents concerned that any station at Chingford Hatch would result in a huge influx of commuters, resulting in residents who do not have off-street parking struggling to find space to park. Labour's response would inevitably be a CPZ!

A better place for a station might be MacDonald Road between Hale End and Chapel End, serving an areas with much poorer transport links in the Borough than Hatch Lane/Larkshall Road.

John Moss
Conservative candidate for Larkswood

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moanalone says...
8:46am Sun 1 Jul 12

I believe that if this really comes into place, the idea of putting a stop at Chingford Hatch is for the sole purpose of easing congestion at Highams park due to Tesco and that in time the station in Highams Park will close. Only time will tell. But I am am all for a fast route into Stratford

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Bernard 87 says...
3:39pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Opening up the Hall Farm curve does make economical sense and would allow the people of Chingford, Highams Park and Upper Walthamstow with a direct link to Stratford and all the opportunities that may open up there. I firmly support the re-opening of Lea Bridge Station and hope that it will act as a key to open up regeneration in the area.

As for Sam Hain. He has posted a huge swathe of useless comments on here where he seems to permanently fail to understand why so many people throughout the whole borough are fed up with Labour. While he may think that the Tories have become complacent in Chingford, one only has to look at the difference between the north and south of the borough. My analysis would show that the Tories must be doing something right which as kept Chingford clean, tidy and respectable.

The problem with Waltham Forest Council is that the Labour group are, and have always been, devoid of vision. This is not just a problem for WF but is an ailment suffered by a whole host of mainly Labour administrations. Labour politicians have forgotten their past roots whereby looking after your neighbourhood and having a degree of civic pride and instead seek to run down and attract as many migrant workers as they can, while keeping schools average, or under which helps to keep the Labour vote up.

This way of clinging onto power can be seen as a product of Thatchers Britain where the hard working 'working classes' rallied behind the former PM leaving Labour panicked about where their support would come from.

While I certainly agree that the Tories need to really concern themselves with borough wide issues not just those north of the A406. I do not want to see Labour councillors elected in Chingford which will start the ball rolling in pulling down the town.

I will await Sam to tell me that Labour are trying to improve the borough?

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