The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-18 00:00:00

HIGH WATICH AT LoNDON BR/DOZ.

MN DAY Warming, 9h 9m Aftemato. 9h. Ma.
1\9490111091 Nandi& 1011. %in.....Aborsaaa. 11h. An.

LONDON, MONDAY, JANUARY 18.

THE opening of the Charing cross Railway, and
the general attention which is just now directed to
the question of metropolitan communications, natu-
rally occaaions some interest in the question, what our
present metropolitan railway communications are
If we take a circle of some twelve or fifteen
miles round London, the existing railways will be
found to afford a much larger mileage than may be
generally imagined. There is scarcely any suburb
of Loudon within the range of distance which may
not be reached by rail : although the facilii..es for
getting to some of them are very much great ir than
those which are afforded for reaching others. Those
facilities depend largely upon the situation of the
metropolitan stations ; but they are also very
materially dependent upon the way in which dif-
ferent lines of railway are worked ; and we pro-
pose to consider to-day how the dillerent railway
companies entering London deal with the public
in this matter.

The Charing-cross line is now dicing the public
the advantage of no fewer thin 140 trains a day
between Charing-cross and Greenwi:hi. r.,
between the extreme east and the west of the
metropolis—with six intermediate stations, inclu-
ding Blackfriars, Loudon-bridge, and Deptford.
The Metropolitan Railway runs about the same
number of trains, but over a leas mileage and with
five intermediate stations. These line• commu-
nicating as they do with the great arterial com-
munications north and south of the Thames, may
be taken to provide at the present time the max-
imum of convenience yet afforded to London.

The North London and the BlackwaLl Railways
each run trains every quarter of an hour on their
respective lines, but only from eight in the morn-
ing to ten at night ; or nearly four hours a day
leas than the time during which tisins run on
the Charing-cross or Metropolitan. These lines,
however, afford great advantages to the very
populous and important eastern and northern
suburbs.

The Great Eastern Railway, under its new ma-
nagement, is running nearly 120 local trains a day
between Bishopsgate and Stratford, at the extreme
east of Loodor. Au important advantage is thus
provided to residents in the eastern suburbs of
Mile-end, Bethnal-green, and Bow, as well as to
those at the East-end who may wish to join the
North London line. The utility of this local com-
munication would be, of course, greatly increased
if the Great Eastern station were nearer to the
centre of the City.

Woolwich is provided by the North Woolwich
line with eighty trains a day to and from Fenchurch-
street and Bishopegate, with six intermedi►te
stations ; and upon the North Kent line with
nearly seventy trains to and from London-bridge,
with four intermediate stations ; so that Woolwich
may be supposed to stand at great advantage in
point of communication with the metropolis, having
three stations ia Woolwich, three in Loudon, and
ten at intermediate points. The fact is, however,
that these communications are circuitous and in-
convenient. The large population of Woolwich
ought to be brought upon the direct Greenwich
route to Loudon, instead of having to cross the
river to reach one line, and be taken round by
Blackheath, Lewisham, and New-c:oss by the
other.

Imperfect as are the metropolitan extensions of
the London, Chatham, and Dover, they are
nevertheless being employed to considerable public
advantage. There are more than sixty trains a
day running between the Elephant and Castle
station at Newington and the Vichria station at
Pimlico. These trains aerie the large populations
of Wa!worth, Camberwell, Brixton, Clapham,
Stockwell, Wandaworth, and Battersea by seven
intermediate stations, and give them access both
to the City and to the West-end. If this Com-
pany could get their line open even to the south
aide of Blackfriars-bridge their traffic might be
expected to Le largely increased. When a junc-
tion is formed with the Metropolitan, by way of
Blackfriars and Ludgate-street, this line will be of
the very tirat importance.

From London bridge to Victoria and ric• rerwi
there are tifty-four trains • day by the Crystal
Palace route, serving the suburbs of Forest-hill,
Sydenham, Norwood, Streatham, Bantam, and
Clapham-common by ten intermediate stations.
There are also intermediate trains to and from the
Crystal Palace. As • means of communication
with distant suburbs this route is valuable ; but
its distances and gradients, and the time occupied
in traversing it, must preclude its being used for
a through route when better lines are opened.
The North London, by means of the Hampstead
Junction and North and South Western Railways,
now affords hourly communication between all the
stations from Fenchurch.atreet to Kew, affording
opportunities of getting to and from Kentish-town,
Hampstead, St. John's-wood, Kilburn, Kennel-
green, Acton, Hammersmith, and Brantford.
Several of these trains are extended through Chia-
wick and Mortlake to Richmond, and from thence,
by Twickenham, Teddington, Bushey-park, and
Hampton- w ick, to Kingston, on the South Western
line. The whole journey is accomplished in an
hour and a half ; and the communication, if fully
opened up in the summer, might be most int-