Transport for London is pushing ahead with its £1.9 billion plan to revitalise London Underground’s Bakerloo Line, despite the government having yet to give the scheme its official backing.
TfL has revealed that the projected cost has already risen by £1.64bn over the past year, warning that it will cost much more if approval is not given soon to tag 34 new trains onto the current Siemens order for the Piccadilly Line.
Design work is under way for a new Bakerloo depot and sidings, possibly at London Road alongside Lambeth North station, to service the replacements for the current 1972 stock, which is in such a poor state that the service timetable
has been cut from 22 to 20 trains. Already 15 years past its design life, it may have to soldier on until at least 2030.
TfL also wants to resignal the Bakerloo Line, and has an £8 million extension into South East London from Elephant & Castle in its sights.
TfL’s policy committee heard that three more investment projects have been running late: the signal upgrade on the Metropolitan lines from Finchley Road to Preston Road and Neasden depot; reopening
of Kentish Town station after the replacement of escalators; and the plan to make more stations step-free.
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