bazzup

No, what I am saying is that the areas served by the East London Line now have a tube service and no longer have to go to London Bridge, which makes a big difference. That's the point of this whole thread. I only posted because people started saying that the ELL would make no difference. It has made a huge difference.

Yes, you can take bikes on there.

Well sure, with an extra 15 minute walk you could have got to the old ELL station. But a) 15 mins makes a big difference, especially if you're commuting both ways every day the trains were much less frequent c) the trains were much less nice and d) you couldn't go to as many places because it was a much shorter line d) the stations were much less good - we now have lift access at many of the stations, which makes a big difference to people with pushchairs or wheelchair users e) the trains that served London Bridge from Brockley were always overcrowded - they aren't any more. I could go on... It should be fairly obvious that having a brand-new tube-like service serving your neighbourhood and more than doubling the capacity of trains from your local station makes a big difference. But you can keep telling me that it doesn't if you like. Check out the links I've posted. Don't take my word for it, read what other local people have said. Bear in mind that they are talking amongst themselves, so aren't just trying to big-up their area to outsiders.

Regarding ELL frequencies, 12 trains per hour run through the core route - one every five mins. Not as frequent as many of the core lines, but plenty for the numbers that it has to carry and enough to ensure that you never really have to wait for a train. In Brockley, we also have 6 trains to London in the morning peak and four at all other times. Regarding Wood Green v Brockley, if you live near Islington, you can get to Islington in 10 mins. I can get to beautiful Greenwich or trendy East Dulwich in the same amount of time. Now I have the ELL I can also get to Shoreditch, with its nightlife (vastly-superior to Islington's - and I say that as someone who likes Islington) in 15 minutes. I can also still get to London Bridge in 10 mins, on the doorstep of Borough Market, Tate Modern, Unicorn Theatre, etc, etc. In a couple of years time, when the Shard is built, the environment around London Bridge will be even better. Plus of course, the Thameslink project (finally in full swing) will make London Bridge an even more useful station, with lots more services through central London and out the other side. I used to live in Finsbury Park, btw, because of its access to central London and Islington - Brockley is far superior to Wood Green in terms of connections. Regarding access to WC2. Direct trains to London Bridge from Brockley take 10 mins. A one minute change at London Bridge to Charing X and you can be on the Strand, WC2 in another 7 or 8 mins. Total journey time: 20 mins. Don't like swapping trains? Brockley is also served by St Johns station, with direct Charing X services. Regarding the ELL route - yes, it doesn't go through the West End. That's a weakness but also a strength, since it doesn't get as crowded as West End lines. It does go to central London though - the East side of the City, where hundreds of thousands of people do their daily commutes. Ultimately, it all depends where you want to go. However, with an interchange at Canada Water that takes less than 30 seconds, you can be on the Jubilee Line and at Bond Street in about 20 mins after leaving Brockley. The one major criticism I have of the ELL is that it finishes too early - just before midnight. Hopefully that will change once the extension to Islington opens next year. Honestly, give the ELL a go - it's a pleasure and bloody handy. I'll leave it for the residents of Sydenham to discuss their home, but Sydenham is not all of South East London. Don't like Sydenham, try Blackheath, Greenwich, East Dulwich, Borough, Waterloo, Dulwich, Brockley, Honor Oak, etc. Don't like South East London, fine, just don't moan that you can't afford to buy in London.

I'd say London produces wealth from poverty. You're poor in many parts of the country and you have nothing. In London, the poorest of us still has access to amazing free parks, museums, galleries, public spaces where free events are constantly taking place, spectacular walks and amazing history. All of that is within easy reach by bike or by a public transport system (buses still v cheap) that puts the rest of the country to shame. And of course, a jobs market that is comparatively buoyant compared with most of the rest of the UK. A car? In London, you barely need one - a car is a burden, not a measure of wealth. A house and a garden? Move to SE London. Teacher friends of mine have both.

I appreciate that this forum is popular with people who think London is dreadful and so are all the people who live there. But no, it wasn't a code word, I can get off the train at Shoreditch and wander around Spitalfields market, check out the food markets and galleries of Brick Lane, go to amazing restaurants, kicking bars and enjoy historic streets. Columbia Road flower market and Hoxton Square an easy walk or hop back on the train. If I happened to work in or around Liverpool Street and the East of the Square Mile, it would be incredibly handy too. Check out this review of Shoreditch by the ELL. Or don't. And stick to your prejudices. Where do you live, out of interest?

I don't think the research is worth paying much attention to, but some of the comments on this topic about the East London Line and many of the areas it serves are completely wide of the mark. The East London Line is amazing - if you haven't tried it, you should. By far the best line in London now. Smooth, air conditioned, easily-accessible stations, great connections with the Jubilee, District and DLR, wide carriage so less crowding and great for bikes. For areas that were already served by the old line it's merely an improvement, for areas that it was extended to, it's transformative. I live in Brockley, it has great connections to London Bridge, but the East London Line has cut nearly all my journey times, massively increased frequency on the line and opened up new direct connections. Check out the feedback by users on this local blog: East London Line verdict And this is all before it gets extended to Highbury and Islington next year and joins up to Crossrail in 2016. Not to mention, the long-awaited Jubilee Line upgrade completion later this year... As for the comments made about many of the stops, places like Hoxton, Shoreditch and Whitechapel are some of the most vibrant and exciting in London while neighbourhoods like Crystal Palace and Brockley are fantastic to live in and well worth a visit.

And it's about New Cross anyway, not even Brockley.

Sydenham's a bit of a poor relation to Forest Hill - it's OK, but there's nothing much there. If you can, why not look for somewhere in Forest Hill, or better still Brockley, which is much closer in to town and a nicer area - check out this site for details of the place http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com

Nearby Eltham?! They're quite far apart (particularly the bit of Eltham near the palace) and are entirely different areas. It's true there are some lovely houses in Eltham, but lumping the two together is like lumping Belsize Park in with Kilburn. http://brockleycentral.blogspot.com

Thanks for adding the right link. However, the stuff about cutting back the trains to London Bridge is an outdated fear which has now been put to rest, certainly for Brockley services. The train frequency will be the same. As for it not really being the tube, that is only true in the sense that it will be administered by TfL rather than LU. So what? It will still be a fully intergrated tube service, with the frequency of a tube. It doesn't go underground a lot, but then neither do large stretches of every tube line. And the trains will have aircon. Your point about New Cross is a false analogy (and ignores the fact that the Telegraph Hill bit is a very nice area and that New Cross centre has decent nightlife) - the whole point is that it didn't have the same tube line - the old East London Line was not much more than an antiquated shuttle service across the Thames, from New Cross to just the other side of the river. The new service will run from Croydon in the south to Islington in the north and have better trains running more often. It's an entirely different proposition.

For those looking at South East London, there is some interesting discussion of the housing market and information about the area on this community website... Brockley Central