I was shocked to read the Southwark Council report about the Labour Councillors discretionary spending choices this year.
He plans to spend £30,000 on surveys about reopening Camberwell Station. Camberwell Station was closed along with Walworth Road and Borough Road stations during WWI. BUT they were doomed with the coming of the tram network which skimmed sufficient custom to ensure these stations were uneconomic. When the trams closed in the early 1950’s actual construction work had started to extend the Bakerloo line to Camberwell. But it soon stopped leaving a public transport void.
So choosing now, while purporting to campaign for the Bakerloo Line to be extended to Camberwell, to fund a survey for Camberwell train station to be reopened shows a lack of resolve to get the Bakerloo line extended. TfL will not support both. For over 100 years it has been an either or decision – train station or tram or tube.
I call on Southwark Labour party to use this discretionary spending to fund a study into extending the Bakerloo line to Camberwell and beyond.
IF they insist on funding this train station survey then please have the decency to state publicly you’ve given up on a branch of the Bakerloo line being extended to Camberwell so it can be debated.
Research is not optional when writing pieces like this, Mr. Barber.
The recent TfL consultation on extending the Bakerloo proposes *two* possible routes to New Cross from Elephant & Castle, not one. One is the usual route proposal that goes via Camberwell and Peckham, the other is a new route via the Old Kent Road, which would see a lot of regeneration.
This is an either / or option; you can’t have both.
Reopening the station at Camberwell on the line to Blackfriars would merely strengthen the case for going via Old Kent Road. There’s nothing to suggest that the Bakerloo extension wouldn’t happen at all. It just wouldn’t go via Camberwell.
Camberwell might be better served by a reopened station on the main line as, by the time any Tube train from Lewisham arrives there, it’ll very likely be packed anyway.
Granted, this will also be true of trains into a reopened Camberwell station, but those trains will be much bigger and air conditioned. It would also connect Camberwell directly with Crossrail 1 at Farringdon, unlike the Bakerloo.
Trams would also be a good idea, but there seems to be a pathological fear of building the things in London.
The consultation asked for an either or but it’s a perfectly valid response to respond asking for both. Both are needed and South London is still the cinderella of the tube network despite contributing just as much to maintain and develope the tube network as other parts of London. The geology excuse went 80 years ago with improved engineering technology.
My point is historically one one mass transit system has survived in Camberwell and pushing for a train sdtation means Southwark Labour have given up on getting a Bakerloo extension into Camberwell. If they’ve don’t that then they need to be honest that they’ve made this choice.
And I agree with you stating so far pathelogical fear of building new tram lines. I have a company who wants to do it in Southwark but zero Southwark Labour engagement.