What if the Fleet/River Line was built?

[NorthKent1989]

So let’s just say that in the early to mid 1980s, Thatcher (Or an alternate PM) decided that the Jubilee line (for the purpose of this thread from here on it’ll be referred to being the Fleet/River Line) was worth the money and it was extended from Charing Cross to Fenchurch Street before splitting into two branches because no expense cost in this scenario.

Branch 1: Royal Docks, North Greenwich, Westcombe Park (pretty sure that was considered, but strangely not Charlton), Woolwich Arsenal and Thamesmead

Branch 2: Surrey Quays, New Cross (both of them), Lewisham, then onto the Mid Kent Line to Addiscombe & Hayes

What schemes that came as a result of the delay in extending the Jubilee line would have been cancelled or amended.

 

[A0]

So let’s just say that in the early to mid 1980s, Thatcher (Or an alternate PM) decided that the Jubilee line (for the purpose of this thread from here on it’ll be referred to being the Fleet/River Line) was worth the money and it was extended from Charing Cross to Fenchurch Street before splitting into two branches because no expense cost in this scenario.

Branch 1: Royal Docks, North Greenwich, Westcombe Park (pretty sure that was considered, but strangely not Charlton), Woolwich Arsenal and Thamesmead

Branch 2: Surrey Quays, New Cross (both of them), Lewisham, then onto the Mid Kent Line to Addiscombe & Hayes

What schemes that came as a result of the delay in extending the Jubilee line would have been cancelled or amended.

The obvious one is the DLR probably wouldn't have been built.

 

[Thebaz]

Addiscombe station might still exist!

 

[Sad Sprinter]

London Reconnections did an article about the history of the Fleet Line once. Basically, in the 70s, the Chairman of LT was changed to someone who came from the GLC rather than someone in-house. I forget the names. Anyway, this meant the new Chair favoured the Isle of Dogs extension rather than the Lewisham one.

Had a LT chair been put in place, the extension would still not be likely because the demand on the Hayes Line from BR had dried up-so the business case went. You could argue that LT would extend it to Lewisham anyway, which they probably would by 1980 and if you want to be creative, onto Hayes by '87. My predictions would be:

Most off-peak trains turnaround at Lewisham.
Addiscome loses its off-peak through trains to London fairly early on.
Addiscome becomes a dumping ground for various LT stock since it would be connected to the SSL via the ELL (which the Fleet Line would have taken over).

What would be interesting then would be what line serves the Isle of Dogs. Orginally, the plan was to extend the Bakerloo Line from Elephant and Castle to Canary Wharf-or maybe sever the line at Waterloo. Or, the orginal Waterloo and Greenwich Railway would be built. I'd say the latter is the most likely. 6 car trains running on a Waterloo to Stratford/Thamesmead route, on an ownership agreement similarly to the DLR.

Addiscome would still be closed for the arrival of the Tramlink.

What would be interesting is what would happen to the 1983 stock trains. I doubt they would be able to survive much longer after 2000, especially with extra traffic from Canary Wharf. My best guess is that a 1959 stock trailer is added from the Northern Line to make 7 car trains, and the Victoria and Fleet Line stock are replaced at the same time in the mid-2000s.