This is about trams so I glossed over it. Also, it also covers mostly the north bank, although it has, as you say one river crossing and will get more. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
The Tramlink does have some sections outside of streets, and shares track with the commuter rail, but it does have sections where it shares the right-of-way with regular traffic. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Is that true at the Western and South-of-Thames ends too? (I'm asking naively, I only assumed they cross streets from maps.) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Meanwhile, While the French boom and form design made surface light rail again fashionable with politicians, I note another bad trend: surface light rail and even more light metros are often brought up by politicians instead of heavy metros, as a cost-saving alternative -- which can lead to shiny new lines with insufficient capacity and slow traffic due to jammed streets... *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
From that first route, the line was extended to Bank Station in a new tunnel to provide a more convenient link with the rest of the tube network. Other lines on elevated track took the system to the service/"garage" facilities near All Saints, using elevated new sections for most of the way. The line to Stratford from there used old docks lines again. The southern extension involves a new tunnel under the Thames from Island Gardens which is now underground until it joins the existing BR station at Greenwich. From there again redundant routes were used to Lewisham. The other extensions are again a mixture of old dock railway routes and new build.
There is a tram system in Croydon which although is technically a separate town, is part of Greater London. That runs through the streets and then joins a redundant rail line towards Wimbledon that if memory serves was mostly used to haul coal to a town gas/coke plant at what is now Ikea and power stations at Mitcham. (I used to live in the area but I am not sure about the more southerly part of the routes)
One point of trivia, if it is the route I think it is, it runs close to the line of a horse drawn wooden railed line that ran from the south coast to London to haul fresh fish - accounting for a huge number of oyster shells found locally and a history of children making "grottos" or mini-gardens using them in order to beg for change to spend at Mitcham fair.
