London - A map and a few words

The London (surface) Rail network, illustrated below, is superbly engineered, often grade separated and often wide enough for dual 2 or 3-lane motorways. It overlays the road network, which is, for the most part, a collection of tarmaced access roads.

In the peak hour the passenger flows on the rail network average only 10,000 passengers per inbound track. Those passengers could all find seats in 200 50 seat coaches, sufficient to occupy one fifth of the capacity of one lane of a motor road. That is to say, even in the peak hour this immense network is used to only one fifth of its potential if converted to a system of motor roads managed to avoid congestion. Outside the peak periods much of the rail network is a place of dreams. In contrast the roads are clogged with traffic all day.

See the line north of Marylebone
See waste of space at Battersea

Historic quotes compiled by the Railway Conversion league in 1974