A walk along East London Line phase 2

With the recent talk of funding for phase 2 of the East London Line extension, it seems a good time to take a look at what it amounts to.

There's an overall route map here. The plan is to reopen just under a mile of long disused track between Surrey Quays on the East London Line and Queens Road Peckham on the South London Line, with a new station at Surrey Canal Road, with trains terminating at Clapham Junction. I've drawn the link and station locations on Google Maps.

The route diverges from the main East London Line just south of Surrey Quays:
This is a temporary junction put in to allow construction materials for the current works to be taken in by rail, but in exactly the same location as the Phase 2 junction will be.

According to the TWA Order the new junction will be grade separated. Southbound trains turning right towards Clapham Junction will pass underneath the track carrying northbound trains from the other branches. Obviously serious construction work will be required to achieve this, and I don't think it could easily be done after the line reopens.

Looking south from the same spot, this is the Silwood Triangle work site. There are a couple of new sidings used for loading construction materials, again built on the route of the phase 2 extension. The ELL currently has no main line connection so there's a dedicated fleet of small diesel locomotives:

The track currently ends there, but the ELL route continues through these arches under the London Bridge-New Cross line, and in the distance the London Bridge-New Cross Gate line:
There were once three tracks here, so there'd still be a spare arch for the footpath.

The line continues on past Millwall's football ground to a footbridge over Surrey Canal Road. This photo is taken from the bridge looking back north:


Crossing over the footbridge you're only about 200 yards west of where the main East London Line also crosses the road at the north end of the New Cross Gate depot site. The TWA Order states the footbridge will be replaced by "a new bridge incorporating a station", meaning Surrey Canal Road station will be build above its namesake.

South of the road there's a large open green space (Bridge House Meadows) that was once enclosed by a triangle of railways:
The East London Line will follow the footpath to the right, on a route closed since 1913. Another single track once turned left - explaining why there were three tracks earlier - connecting to the west side of New Cross Gate station. This route was closed in 1964 but potentially could have done the same job as the New Cross Gate flyover, if there weren't now houses in the way.

Moving on, the ELL route would arrive on the footpath (bottom right) and I think go up onto this remaining bridge abutment:

Climbing up onto the bank puts you within sight of the South London Line:

Then a short walk through woods gets you to the South London Line viaduct:

Which is where trains continue along existing tracks to Clapham Junction. The TWA Order is ambiguous about whether a flat or grade-separated junction is envisaged here, but I'd lean towards flat.

It's hard to imagine a railway passing along here now, as its entirely open as public footpaths, and at the south end passes through a quiet residential neighbourhood. The Transport and Works Order for the branch has already been approved, so there's limited scope for residents to object, but TfL will still require planning permission for the individual structures.