The stations that could make Londoner’s journeys much easier if …

The chances of a new London Underground station appearing in the capital in the next few years are zero to slim. Transport for London[1] (TfL) is still not balancing its budget following a Covid-induced financial black hole, and central government conditions imposed on it means it must find GBP600 million of savings annually. Yet the population of Greater London is still set to grow and fewer of us are driving as environmental concerns tackled with the ULEZ expansion mean around 45 per cent of households in the city don’t have access to a private car. So it’s up to cheaper solutions to improve connectivity – and right now, that is ‘infill stations’.

Instead of building costly new lines which take decades to deliver, TfL and Network Rail are looking at locations on existing lines where a new station would be welcome. One has already been constructed at Brent Cross West on the Thameslink[2] route between Hendon and Cricklewood for GBP40 million and is planned to open this year. MyLondon[3] takes a look at the other infill stations which are on the table we may expect soon… Beam Park station should be built just beyond this footbridge in Dagenham.

The apartments under construction show the scale of the likely huge public transport demand there. (Image: Callum Marius)

1. Beam Park

Beam Park is the most likely of the stations to go ahead. It already has planning permission, and local councils support the idea, but it has stalled[5] as the government is not convinced on the value for money case, despite City Hall willing to provide a 10 year indemnity. Beam Park would be on the c2c Fenchurch Street-Grays line[6], between Dagenham Dock and Rainham. Eurostar trains emerge from tunnels[7] under East London near here.

There are around 20,000 new homes currently under construction or proposed in the area, and the walking route to the nearest station currently involves the busy A13.

The station is currently designed to have two separate entrances, with the ticket office on Surrey Canal Road

2. Brixton and Surrey Canal

London Overground[8] trains between Clapham High Street and Denmark Hill travel directly over Brixton Southeastern station but don’t stop as there are no platforms there. Campaigners have long called for platforms to be added there to facilitate interchange between services and to provide a direct train connection between Clapham Junction[9] and Brixton but as the viaduct the trains use is so high, this would be a huge project to pull off technically.

Another station at Surrey Canal[10] is also expected to be opened on the same branch of the London Overground. If both stations opened, additional trainsets would likely have to be purchased as there would be so many additional passengers and journey times would be longer due to the extra stops. This would substantially increase the costs of the station projects.

Currently only Overground and Southern trains stop at Brockley (Image: Lucy Skoulding)

3.

Brockley

This is the reverse of the situation at Brixton. Here Southeastern trains travel over the Overground platforms without stopping. If they did, then journeys such as Lewisham to Croydon[11] would be much simpler and passengers would no longer have to make longer journeys (distance wise) via Zone 1 or tram.Again, adding platforms is easier said than done, as major works would be required on the railway bridge involving a lengthy closure of two strategically important railway lines.

The platform inside Pudding Mill Lane station (Image: Alastair Lockhart)

4.Pudding Mill Lane

There are no active proposals for infill stations on the Tube right now, but the biggest gap between Inner London Tube stations is between Mile End and Stratford on the Central line, which is an area which is seeing very high population and commercial growth. Thousands of new homes[12] are still being planned in the area.

Roughly halfway along the gap is Pudding Mill Lane DLR station but the Tube passes below without stopping, on a particularly steep slope. Again, building platforms here would be easier said than done but have huge benefits as the station would become the closest to West Ham’s stadium, the Abba Voyage dome[13] and the new office area appearing between Bow and Stratford. It would also provide the neighbourhood with direct trains to Zone 1 as currently DLR trains head to Canary Wharf[14] and Lewisham from here.

Overground trains travel over the Brixton Southeastern station using the bridge in the middle of this photo (Image: Callum Marius)

5.

West Hampstead

This project has been ruled out for now, but would have seen the three West Hampstead stations join together as one larger interchange. To make it work, new platforms would be added to Chiltern and/or Metropolitan services which currently run non-stop through the station. As the three stations are all in separate locations either side of West End[15] Lane with residential buildings in between each of them, it is near impossible to envisage putting them all under one roof.

A footbridge solution, involving the relocation of the Tube station was proposed, but ultimately unsuccessful.

CGI image of the proposed Old Oak Common Station in West London, which could be the last stop on HS2 (Image: PA Media)

6. Old Oak Common

It’s a slight cop out to include Old Oak Common on this list as a HS2 station there is being built, so it’s an entirely new station on an entirely new line – but it is likely that we could also see additional stations added on the following lines in the vicinity should they ever be approved: Which of the above stations would you like to see built one day?

Tell us in the comments below[16]. Love the Tube or DLR with a passion? Sign up to MyLondon’s London Underground newsletter for all the latest news, analysis and trivia here[17].

References

1. ^ Transport for London (www.mylondon.news)
2. ^ Thameslink (www.mylondon.news)
3. ^ MyLondon (www.mylondon.news)
4. ^ The one London Underground line that’s performing better than all the others (www.mylondon.news)
5. ^ it has stalled (www.mylondon.news)
6. ^ the c2c Fenchurch Street-Grays line (www.mylondon.news)
7. ^ Eurostar trains emerge from tunnels (www.mylondon.news)
8. ^ London Overground (www.mylondon.news)
9. ^ Clapham Junction (www.mylondon.news)
10. ^ Another station at Surrey Canal (www.mylondon.news)
11. ^ Croydon (www.mylondon.news)
12. ^ Thousands of new homes (www.mylondon.news)
13. ^ Abba Voyage dome (www.mylondon.news)
14. ^ Canary Wharf (www.mylondon.news)
15. ^ West End (www.mylondon.news)
16. ^ comments below (www.mylondon.news)
17. ^ here (data.reachplc.com)