Lewisham and London Mayors press for Surrey Canal commitment

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The Mayors of London and Lewisham have written a joint letter to Transport Secretary Lord Adonis seeking confirmation that there will be funding for the Surrey Canal station to be built as part of the west-bound extension of the East London Line.

The new line will open in 2012, prividing a new service to Clapham Junction. Lewisham Council has been campaigning hard for the Surrey Canal station to be included in the project, given how poorly served the area (near Millwall Stadium) is by public transport.

The cost of the station is £10 million and Lewisham Council has already committed £3 million of its future payments from TfL to the project. The letter requests formal approval for £7 million of funding from the Department for Transport.

The Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, Caroline Pidgeon has also issued a press statement:

“This is seriously bad news for North Lewisham and for South Bermondsey. Despite predictions that a new station would be used by 1.3 million passengers a year and help bring significant investment to the area it seems the Department of Transport are now dithering over whether to support this much needed new station. Without a station at Surrey Canal Road many of the benefits of the second phase of the East London Line extension will be denied to many residents in North Lewisham. It is time the Department for Transport clarified their position once and for all. Does their previous pledge to contribute £7 million for this much needed station still stand?"