By Casey Jones, Railway Correspondent
A new £7 billion Tube line is being built to create a high-speed link between London and Ipswich in Suffolk.
The 70-mile line will run in direct competition to Greater Anglia mainline trains, which provide a questionable service to tens of thousands of commuters every day.
Transport for London confirmed to the Suffolk Gazette that it will launch its first new route since the Jubilee Line opened in 1979.
No name has been set in stone, but we understand the line will be called the Anglian Line, and will be coloured beige on the famous Underground maps, which will now be extended greatly to the right-hand side.
It will run from Liverpool Street in the City and remain underground for most of the journey to Ipswich, stopping only at Chelmsford, Witham, Kelvedon, Colchester, and Manningtree before terminating at Suffolk’s county town.
Only the short one-mile stretch to the east of Manningtree will run overground, to allow commuters a nice view of the River Stour.
The Anglian Line will be a huge and complex engineering project, and although officials would not be drawn on the exact cost, it is expected to run over £7 billion.
Londoners will have to pay for much of the cost through local taxes, but Transport for London believes those living in the capital will enjoy the chance to travel to Ipswich, which will be classed as a new Zone 7 destination, and will cost just £8 each way.
A TfL insider said: “Poor old Suffolk and Essex rail commuters have a terrible time of it with Greater Anglia, so the door is wide open for someone to come in and offer a better service.
“The fact that we will be running underground means there are minimal planning and no environmental concerns, and now we have the finances in place we expect to start work in the summer.”
The line will be connected to existing mainline stations via stairwells underground.
East Anglian commuters were excited by the news. Brian Tomkins, 44, who commutes daily from Ipswich, said: “This can’t come soon enough. The current Greater Anglia service is terrible, and we face regular delays, unexpected cancellations, and issues with ancient rolling stock.
“To get a sleek new underground service all the way to London is brilliant. It will be faster and cleaner… and best of all, Londoners will be footing most of the bill.”
Mr Tomkins, who works in a City of London finance house, estimated the new Anglian Line will save him £5,000 a year, and get him to work 20 minutes quicker each day.
A spokesman for Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s office confirmed Londoners will stump up most of the £7 billion bill for the new line. “While it will mainly benefit those living outside the capital, it will give Londoners a nice route out of the City towards the lovely East Anglian countryside.”
The news comes as Government official revealed they would build Britain’s first canal for more than 100 years, easing road congestion by connecting Felixstowe Port with the Midlands
Instead of building the line underground, wouldn’t be a lot cheaper to go above ground, but use windowless carriages.
Another thing, What would anybody want to go to London for? In a couple of years time it will be full of Brummies boasting about only taking 17 minutes to get from New Street to the Apple shop
Erpswerch Toowbe La’erst Newerz: Transport Chiefs added today that significant savings could be made by using existing transport infrastructure in Ipswich.
http://www.simonknott.co.uk/ipswichunderground.htm
Why not continue the underground all the way to Norwich? Who wants to come our for air in Ipswich?
What if there is a problem with the construction and water leaks from the Ipswich Marina and basin and runs all the way downhill to London. Ipswich docks will dry up and jobs will be lost.
it will be 7 billion wasted of london money scrap the idea londoners dont want too come here anyway they have it all were they are the best part of the u.k is london .
Who the hell wants to go to Suffolk?
Dear Betty
Obviously most of London, seeing as they have all snapped up second homes here.
Regards,
The Editor
dont snap up second homes in ipswich snap them up in bury st edmunds
exactly i am from ipswich and it is boring what are people thinking .?
What year will it be finished?
Dear Mr Clarke
Completition date is expected to be 2099. But don’t worry, you’ll still be able to enjoy the benefits because you’ll still be working then – new retirement ages will see to that.
Hope that helps.
Regards,
The Editor
who cares there is nothing too see in ipswich
This will no doubt greatly improve the humour and commuting made by the esteemed editor and more importantly, cut down on his sherry drinking in the Greyhound in the future.
Your reporter Casey Jones, obviously has someone within my office leaking stories to you. This news was not supposed to be released until after the election.
I can confirm this story is true. We are aiming for work to start on the new line very soon.
It will be a great investment in the public transport system and will create many jobs in the building of the line and for the service sector also.
As we are now expanding out of London, new logos and signage will be rolled out soon, to show our new organisation and branding.
We look forward to serving you.
Thomas deTank
CEO
Suffolk and London Underground Transport
Dear Mr de Tank,
Sorry to ruin your big PR launch, but great news waits for no man.
Good luck with the tunnelling.
Regards,
The Editor
I love this story, really got me excited of an actually underground trainline from Suffolk to London!
Early April fools?
Love the reporters byline too.
Damn the feckin wi fi connection in the arse end of Suffolk! Sorry for duplicate posts
Dear KnobJocks,
No need to apologise; there’s nothing worse than being in the arse end of Suffolk.
Are you by any chance related to Nobby Jockey, my Racing Editor?
Regards,
The Editor
You have forgotten to mention the branch line from Cornard to Jaywick, most disappointed
Will this be connected to the old Ipswich underground railway? The website of which seems to have diseapeared! as previously suggested seems April 1st has come early this year.
its about time. If you could expand right across Britain and save us commuters getting ripped off by these train companies that run an average service, I will give you a knighthood.
Dear Mr Warnes,
I must say, Sir Editor has a rather engaging ring to it.
Kind regards,
The Editor
You could have tried a little harder on the photoshoped image, the resolution is different for the hand writing and rest of the image, also there are not smear lines like whiteboard markers make
Dear Tom
I find your implication that the Suffolk Gazette somehow fabricated this story very hurtful.
We work hard to ensure all our stories are entirely accurate.
Why should there have to be whiteboard smears in the writing? Perhaps whoever wrote it was just very careful not to make a mess?
Thanks for reading, anyway.
Regards,
The Editor
Lovely stuff.
Got to be an April fool released too early.
Seeing will be believing & which Millennium will this be completed in? It would be great, not only would it give commuters a bit more choice, it would give easier access to culture civilisation, Again, we’ll see!
Typical another badly thought out plan,having recently travelled to the O2,it was Abellio,tube then DLR back to tube,if the new underground went straight from Ipswich to the O2 then all the WHO fans could avoid a load of hassle on their journey.Its highly feasible because Boris would only have to close another 20 fire stations and a few hospitals and Bobs your uncle,paid for.Davey Jones need not worry because apparently all the trains will be carrying lifejackets and according to a source will be fully sealed so passengers heading for the London Aquarium can save a few quid.I know the bit about Londoners visiting East Anglia is false because most of them live here anyway.
Dear Hertful,
Surely all the Who fans would have used the Magic Bus?
Regards,
The Editor
Being a very rich London tax payer I welcome this news. Long have I fought my local council who waste money on affordable housing for the lower classes when it is much wiser spent shipping them further out to keep the area clean. I have fifteen live in servants at my London retreat and now I can clear them off out of their coal cellar and build an ornamental fish tank in their place and then let them commute. Tfl I salute your forward thinking.
Very rich Londoner paying tax and only 15 servants doesn’t add up pal,stop posting unrealistic quotes on what is otherwise a site with invaluable information about whats going on in Suffolk,and Editor please vet the comments properly,its the Suffolk Gazette,we don’t need comments from anyone from Norfolk or Essex and certainly not London.
Hertful might I suggest that you read my post fully, London retreat!, before casting aspersions on my lineage. We Etyrolling-Stocks have a proud connection to Suffolk, owning most of the northern borderlands where we to this day fight against the webbed finger influx of the Norfolk Insurgents in pitched battles. I would like to point out that your name has a sickening resemblance to the long ostracised county of Hertfordshire is this why you attack to hide this fact? Editor I call upon you to banish this infidel from a disgraced county.
Dear Ety-Rollingstock
Any more arguing, and the both you will be sent to stand in a corner and think about what you have done.
You might also be fined by being forced to buy me a pint via the ‘Buy us a beer’ page in the menu!
Regards,
The Editor
Please accept my apologies,I misread your post,however I must protest about you associating me with Hertfordshire[clear sticky throat and spit]I am Ipswich born and bred and as you well know the battle for supremacy over Norfolk has historically been fought in this area for generations and rarely do we ask for support from the North of the county,where as we all know the accent is suspiciously Norfolk like,moreover the wealthy North of the county has Plantagenet connections and their association with Yorkshire[bigger throat clearance and spit],thats all I’ve got to say on that.
Please excuse the tardiness of my reply the Norfolk Insurgents have opened a new front between Beccles and Harleston and have somehow cut a pathway through the minefields of Bungay, treachery is afoot.
They are, according to information gleaned from captured spies, pushing towards Southwold to isolate the “El Dorado” of the east Lowestoft for its rich ore and gemstone mines.
Hertful I accept your apology and offer one of my own for my comments, I’m sure you understand the pressure that I am under with the ongoing border wars and that my only defence is attack. Editor please accept my apologies for airing this on this thread but the fact remains this Underground line would be a good thing, not only for R and R for the war weary troops on a weekend out in the capital but more so for the easy transportation of the freedom fighters from the mercenary belt of the Surrey/Sussex borders – I’m sure you all know about, and have been on the receiving end of, the clamp down by Essex police on the M11/A12 corridor.
Regards the beer, I shall be making a donation to yourselves, I can afford it after all, and the troops will be getting extra rations of Aspalls.
I would also like to pass on my condolences to yourselves and the family of your war correspondent Warren Peace who was killed in a rocket attack last month.
Haven’t stopped laughing since I read this, the London Undeerground in Suffolk eh?!!
Dear Suffolk Gazette
I am very concerned about the impact this underground line will have on my beautiful clematis. It is very sensitive to vibrations and the constant stimulus from trains hurtling below could agitate it unnecessarily.
Many people in Orford have taken great pleasure from my clematis, even though it doesn’t like being exposed to the cold sea air at this time of year.
Transport for London could deprive many people in the village of much innocent pleasure if this scheme happens and I have not even mentioned how my cats will react to the ceaseless rumbling.
Yours sincerely,
Lavinia
Dear Lavinia,
Might I recommend you contact the Suffolk Clematis Preservation Society? They should allay your fears.
You put on a lovely display in Orford.
Regards,
The Editor
Pretty sure this is an early April Fools joke. Note the author of the article is “Casey Jones”!!! Casey Jones, as in the American Railroader. See Wikipedia. Also note this story is on no other website!
This has already been done.
https://youtu.be/cRPKhV8z7MI
I think that the clock change has affected your timing. April 1st is on Tuesday not today…
Is it true that the contractors will “join the dots” of existing potholes to aid tunnel drilling?
Dear Ms P-Loo
I believe this is in the plans, yes. Suffolk County Council left all the pot holes for good reason.
Regards,
The Editor
This seems fake as no other news source is publishing this…also the photo is fake they would have never written a website name on their information bulletin…it is photoshopped…
I would only belive this if 2 more trusted sources confirm this…
Trust me news like this would be on many news networks even if your website got the exclusive…
Dear Addy,
No other news site has been able to publish the story as no one has the same quality of journalists as we do.
Casey Jones is widely recognised as the best railway journo in the business.
Addy is the name of my dog, by the way. Walkies!
Regards,
The Editor
Please say this is genuine.
Dear SeeJee,
Everything in our newspaper is true.
If you need any more help, please do get in touch.
Regards,
The Editor
My arse!
Dear Benny Gummer,
I’m sorry, do you have a problem with your arse? May I recommend a cream?
Regards,
The Editor
London Underground.
UNDERGROUND in LONDON.
Lets keep it that way shall we?
There is some small concern regarding sealing the tunnel from the ingress of the river Stour, where it emerges and submerges to facilitate the delightful views..
Whatever.
I’ll be waiting.
This must be an early attempt at an April Fools joke?