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I do like the way Jago states his main sources for the information in his videos. It's very classy to give full credit to others and the work they have done.

A follow up on Thamesmead should definitely be on the to video list.

You need a big glass of water to dissolve a whole abbey.

Abbey Wood has been quite useful after the Elizabeth line came. It's about 20 minutes faster than the stopping Thameslink trains from Farringdon, making it always worth changing.

Would love a new Thamesmead video, particularly showing where the DLR station is planned to go in and the surrounding area, to see how the community is expected to engage with the new hub.

Crossrail? Yep, it's absolutely livid!

Thamesmead is a fascinating subject, and I would happily hear more on it

FUN FACT: I lived at 19 Abbey Terrace from 1988-1996, before moving away.  #19 was the last house and it was next to Platform 1.

Now, Platform 2 which is used by SE Railway and Thameslink trains, runs through what was once my back garden, kitchen, living room and bedroom….

You used to be able to get a train from Reading to Paris with a single change!

I got obsessed with Thamesmead a while back after realising that it was the filming location for bits of 'A Clockwork Orange', an Aphex Twin video and it was also a backdrop for the tv series Misfits. I think Thamesmead itself gave the architectural style 'Brutalism' a seriously bad name. I would find any new video about the area very interesting.

A couple things about Abbeywood Station...
William Morris lived at Red House from 1860 to 1865. Abbey Wood station had opened in 1849, and he regularly used it to get into London. Red House was about three miles from Abbey Wood station, and contemporary accounts describe Morris making that trip by carriage or a rather splendid decorated wagon, sometimes with guests.
Also, Abbey Wood wasn’t some random place that only became important when the Elizabeth line arrived. It had been a significant railhead for the area since the 19th century; people from Bexleyheath and surrounding districts travelled to Abbey Wood to catch trains into London, first by horse bus and later by tram. By the early 20th century it was a proper interchange, with tram routes arriving from both the Woolwich/London and Erith/Bexleyheath directions. So making it the Elizabeth line terminus is really a continuation of Abbey Wood’s old role as the main rail gateway for this part of south-east London.

The Elizabeth Line is one of the most fascinating things ever

We've been coming down from Birmingham regularly to stay at the excellent Abbey Wood Caravan & Motorhome Club site, 10 minutes walk from the station.  The opening of the Elizabeth Line has halved the time it takes us to get into central London, and the station is indeed a very pleasant environment.  Thank you for your nice pics of the abbey ruins, too, Jago: the park and nearby wood are a very pleasant alternative to the hustle and bustle of London.  I am just green with envy that London always seems to get everything it needs, transport-wise, whilst in Birmingham we're promised things decade after decade but rarely get what we want (I feel a Smiths' song coming on!!) - though we haven't done too badly in 2026 with five local stations and an impending metro line extension!  Abbey Wood is extraordinarily well-connected, with the other rail services and the buses (including Superloops): we're pleased to be able to take advantage of all this when we come down.

I always found it funny the western end of the line was originally meant to terminate at Maidenhead. Being a local it was really baffling as we only have 4 main platforms and one "branch line". Common sense prevailed and it was extended to Reading.

I went to Abbey Wood soon after the Elizabeth line was open. I enjoyed seeing the abbey and the wood. (There is a cafe there as well.) I would never have had such a pleasant experience had the trains not terminated there.

On an examination by you of Thamesmead? Absolutely! As an ex-Londoner from the Fifties now resident overseas, an analysis from your point of view would be valuable and much appreciated.

0:40 And Shenfield, as well as being on the LST-NRW mainline, is also an interchange for the branch to Southend.

They should absolutely extend it to ebbsfleet international. It’s already annoying this side of London if you want to go to ashford/ Folkestone for any reason. Currently you can take the horrendous walk from northfleet to ebbsfleet or go all the way way into gravesend and back out. Would be nice for a connection from swanscombe to ebbsfleet international as much as anything else.

Thank you JH. I always hoped a new spur would go into Thamesmead and terminated or looped there, which would have made a huge amount of sense. Have a lovely afternoon!