The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-15 00:00:00

RAIL WAY IN TELLIGENCE.

REPORT OF THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT OF
THE BOARD OF TRADE ON SCHEMES FOR
FACILITATING THE APPROACH TO THE
METROPOLIS.
Railway Department, Board of Trade,
Whitehall, March 13, 1845.

The Board constituted by Minute of the Lords of the
Committee of Privy Council for Trade, for the transaction of
railway business, having had under consideration the follow-
ing schemes deposited with the Railway Department for
facilitating railway communications with the metropolis, viz.
l'S'umber.

Epsom and Dorking
Grosvenor Railway
Great Western, Uxbridge, and Staines Junctton
London and Brighton—Wandsworth Branch . .....
_ _

London and Croi:don—Dorking Branch
London and Brighton—Dorking Branch
London and South-Western--Epsom Branch l5O
London & South-Western—Metropolitan Extension 166
Metropolitan Central Junction.... 164
Richmond and West-end Junction
South London and Windsor

South-Eastern Branch—Reigate to Dorking 214
Staines and Rich►nond 220

South Eastern—Extension of Greenwich Railway.. 223
South-Eastern—Widening of ditto. 224
have determined on submitting the following report thereon
for the consideration of Parliament.

In our report upon the Kentish and South-Eastern Rail-
way schemes, we had occasion to point out the advantage
of a proposed central terminus in the southern quarter of
the metropolis, at or near the Hungerford Suspension-
bridge. In several of the schemes embraced in this report,
F iz. :

London and South-Western—Metropolitan Extension;
( Richmond and West-end Junction ;
Staines and Richmond ;
London and Brighton—Wandsworth Branch ; and
Metropolitan Central Junction;
that spot is equally proposed for a terminus.
It appears to us that there is a manifest advantage in
placing a terminal station of this importance in the hands of
companies having large interests entrusted to their manage-
ment, and whose permanent prosperity must, more or less.
depend upon their consulting the public convenience, rather
than in giving it to any small independent company, whose
greatest profit might probably be derived from the use of the
station by other companies, and who might thus have an
inducement to turn the possession of it to undue advantage.
Besides this, the safety of persons using the line may be
better insured if the arrangements are suited to the require-
ments of the long traffic, which cannot, from the nature of
things, be conducted with the same punctuality, as regards
the arrival of trains, as the traffic may be which is conducted
upon the shorter lines.
These reasons have influenced us in forming our opinion
upon the proposed Metropolitan Extension of the London
and South-Western Railway, whereby it is sought to transfer
its' junction with the metropolis from Nine-elms to a more
central and convenient spot near to Hungerford-bridge. The
great cost of this extension, in proportion to its length, has
given strength to the reasons above stated ; since the outlay
must be less an object, proportionally, to a wealthy company
already in operation, than it would be to any short and in-
dependent line to be constructed, and where the capital sunk
in providing such a terminus would constitute a very large
part of its entire outlay.
A metropolitan terminus in the central spot in question
being in the hands of the South-Eastern and South-Western
Companies might be, and doubtless would be, made fully
available for the use of shorter lines, and especially when
those shorter lines will be, in other respects, tributaries to one
or other of those two companies.
We are, therefore, of opinion that, if Parliament should be
disposed to sanction the establishment of a railway station
at the central spot in question, there are not any public
reasons for withholding its assent to the Londcn and South-
Western Metropolitan Extension.
The Richmond and West-end Junction Railway is intended
to form a junction with the South-Western Railway at Fah
conbridge, about four miles from that terminus, whence the
traffic will be taken on the rails of that company to Hunger-
ford .bridge.
By this Richmond and West-end Junction Railway, and
its prolongation, the Richmond and Staines Railway, a very
advantr geous outlet will be provided for the population of
London to places of favourite resort, while accommodation
will be given to a considerable local traffic already existing
between the many populous villages along the line and Lon-
don. The ground through which these two lines will be
carried is nearly level throughout ; the works will conse-
quently be light and comparatively biexpensive, and the cost
moderate.

By means of the existing traffic along the line and the
through-traffic together, it can hardly be doubted that the
receipts of these two railways will yield an adequate return
for the capital sunk in their formation. We therefore see no
public grounds on which to object to their construction.
The remaining two schemes proposing to have their ter-
mini at Hungerford-bridge, and of which we have been able
to form a favourable opinion, are—
The Wandsworth Branch of the London and Brighton
Railway,
The Metropolitan Central Junction Railway.
The first of these proposes the construction of a new rail-
way from the Brighton line at Croydon to Wandsworth,
whence the Brighton trains would come forward on the rails
of the South-Western Company to Nine-elms and Hunger-
ford-bridge.
While we admit the importance of a west -end terminus for
the Brighton traffic, there does not appear to be any decided
public advantage to be secured by the construction of this
line, greater thau will be attained through the extension of
the South-Eastern Company's branch from the Bricklayers'
Arms to Hungerford-bridge. The local traffic to be accom-
modated by it is comparatively insignificant.
The line would not provide the Brighton Company with
an independent terminus, which, in the case of an extensive
traffic, is an object deserving of some sacrifice for its attain-
ment.. They would simply exchange the possibly crowded
terminus of the South- Eastern for that equally crowded of
the South-Western Company, :while, owing to the arrange-
ment sanctioned last year, by which the local traffic of the
Croydon Railway will be conducted in future on separate
rails, worked by the atmospheric system, and the two present
lines of rails of that railway will be rendered entirely avail-
able for the through-traffic, there will be less chance of inter-
ruption in approaching London than would be the case if the
Brighton trains, according to the proposed arrangement, were
to run from Wandsworth over the rails of the South -Western
Company, already encumbered with their own traffic and
with that of the proposed Richmond and Staines lines. As-
suming. therefore, that the Croydon and South-Eastern Com-
panies shall be willing to accommodate the Drighton traffic
on reasonable terms, the only effect, so far as the public in-
terest is concerned, would be, that two capitals would be
irrevocably sunk in order to perform the work that may be
equally well performed by one ; thus violating one of the
plainest principles by which these questions should be go-
verned.

Also, if these companies afford such accommodation as it
is manifestly for their interest to do, upon moderate terms,
the competition thus created would not be productive of any
adequate advantage to the Brighton Company, who would
indeed avoid the toll to the South-Eastern and Croydon Com-
panies, but in order to do so must expend a sum, the interest
of which, together with the toll they would have to pay to
the South-Western Company, would probably equal the full
amount of that saving.
These reasons appear to us conclusive against this pro-
ject. _ _ _ _ _

4 The Metropolitan Central Junction is an independent
Company, intended to connect all the great lines of railway
on the south side of the Thames with a central terminus on
the south side at Hungerford bridge, crossing for that pur-
pose the Thames, and joining the South-Western Railway at
Battersea.
We consider this scheme to be uncalled for at present by
the wants of the public, and that its prosecution might prove
a wasteful expenditure of capital.
The Grosvenor Railway is likewise put forward as an in-
dependent work ; its termini are at Pimlico and at a
junction with the Brighton Railway near Godstone, 14 miles
from London. A line which thus requires the erection of
a bridge across the Thames, must necessarily be of expen-
sive construction, and would require a strong case of public
convenience to justify its adoption. No such case has been
made out, indeed nobody has appeared before us to advocate
it, and no attempt has been made to show in what manner
the line is to be supported if made.
It appears to us that no public reasons exist why it should
be constructed.
The South London and Windsor Railway, also an indepen-
dent project, has, like the last mentioned scheme, not been
brought in any way under our notice, further than by the
lodg►ng of plans and sections, and the publication of a pros-
pectus. _ It does not appear that any company has been

ibrtned for its construction.
It is evident from an examination of the plans that the
formation of the line must be very expensive. It would run
from a densely occupied part of the town between Blackfriars
and Waterloo-bridges, with a branch to Southwark-bridge,
and with further branches, right and left, to Kennington,
Camberwell, Brixton, Dulwich, and Norwood. The main
line would take the same direction, and occupy for a great
part of its length nearly the same site as the Richmond and
\Vest-end Junction, and Staines and Richmond lines. Leav-
ing Staines at some distance to the left, it would turn oft to
Datchet and Windsor, where it would terminate, running
along the foot of the little park between Windsor Castle and
the Thames. Other branches are proposed to the Hammer•
smith-bridge, to Kew, to Hampton Court, and to join the
Great Western Railway at Slough.
This scheme wears such an aspect of extravagance upon
its face, that it is difficult to conceive upon what prospect of
profit it can have been put forward. We consider that there
are public grounds why it should not receive the sanction of
Parliament.

The Staines and Uxbridge Junction Railway is promoted
by the Great Western Railway Company. It would inter-
sect and form a junction with the Great Western Railway at
the West Drayton station, connecting Staines on the one
side with Uxbridge on the other, by about eight miles of
railway. The line would be easy of construction, and not
expensive, but in this respect would have no advantage
over the Staines and Richmond line, while this latter
will provide accommodation fur a larger population,
giving railway facilities to Twickenham, 'teddington,
Hampton and Hampton Court, Sunbury, and numerous
other villages, the inhabitants of which will thus be brought
into connexion with the heart of London, while the population
of Staines itself will have a vastly superior London terminus
to that afforded by the Great Western Company at Pad-
dington.
To sanction a second line to Staines, would be to sanction
the outlay of a second capital in order to render both unpro-
ductive, and as the line from Staines to Hungerford-bridge
appears to us, for the reasons offered, to be superior to the
project of the Great Western Company, we must express an
opinion that the Staines and Richmond line is preferable to
the Uxbridge and Staines Junction Railway.
There does not appear to us to be any case to justify at
at present the formation of a second line to Epsom. That
now advocated by the South-Western Company was brought
forward in the last session of Parliament, and rejected, in
favour of the Croydon and Epsom Atmospheric line, which
will not be open for traffic until the summer of the present
year. In their opposition to the Croydon and Epsom line,
the South-Western Company proved that there was not
traffic for more than one railway, and nothing can since
have occurred to show that:they were wrong in arriving at this
conclusion. The advantage of a west-end terminus will also,
by the proposed extension of the Bricklayers' Arms
Branch to Hungerford-bridge, be obtained by the Croydon
and Epsom line, as well as by that proposed by the South-
Western Company.
The experiment which the Croydon and Epsom Company,
in conjunction with the London and Croydon Company, are
now preparing to carry out, is one which the Legislature
has regarded of great national importance, so that there ap-
pear to us to be strong public reasons against sanctioning a
rival scheme, the effect of which would be to endanger the
success of the line to which Parliament, on qpeclal grounds,
so recently gave its sal-1019n.
Wp are Indliced by the circumstance just mentioned to re-
commend the postponement to a future period, when the ex-
periment of the Atmospheric Railway from London to
Epsom shall have been put In execution, the consideration of
the following schemes, viz. :
No. 70. Epsom and Dorking.
No, 136. 1.40nd0 and Croydon—Dorking branch.