Edmonton PPC Wants To Build His Own Tube

We enjoy a good bonkers transport scheme here at Londonist Towers. So we were mightily heartened by the sight of Andrew Charalambous, Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Edmonton, announcing plans to strike out and build his own tube line - and wearing a jaunty tube hat (probably not necessary for the build).

Charalambous wants to extend the Jubilee line from Stratford to Edmonton, using the old Lea Valley rail line that's currently used as a cycle route. He thinks he could get the £60m cost from the European Regional Development Fund. What could possibly go wrong?

Mmm, a lot, apparently. Assiduous Tweeters (we bloody love Twitter) pointed out that not only is £60m one-third of the ERDF's entire allocation for London between 2007 and 2013, but that this isn't even a new plan. In 2005, TfL commissioned the "DLR Horizon 2020" report - which considered extending the DLR along the Lea Valley rail line to Tottenham Hale. Costs were estimated to be - in 2005, remember - £363m.

What we love though, is the idea that anyone could build their own little extensions to the tube network without having to wait around for TfL. Mill Hill East-esque spurs to everybody's houses, this way!