|  Updated: 

Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham open to public comment

By:

Add as a preferred source on Google
Bakerloo line
Tube trains are parked at the London Bakerloo line depot in London on August 6, 2015. Millions of Londoners were forced to walk, cycle or take packed buses to work today as Underground staff staged a second strike in a month over plans to run trains all night at weekends. London Underground staff walked out yesterday evening and will not return until the morning of August 7, causing a shutdown of all 11 lines on the subway network and severely disrupting the capital. AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Plans to extend the Bakerloo line to Lewisham will go under public scrutiny today.

Transport for London (TfL) began the 10-week public consultation on the extension today, welcoming comment from people on the route and the required works to implement the new route.

TfL is planning to extend the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham via stations on Old Kent Road and in New Cross Gate.

Read more: Crossrail could need an extra £400m and open behind schedule

A possible future extension to Hayes and Beckenham Junction, Bromley, are also a part of the plans.

Details on works to merge the entrances for the Northern and Baerkloo lines at Elephant & Castle station, and the location of potential new tunnel routes have been laid bare in the publicly released documents.

The plans will create 5000 new jobs, according to TfL.

Alex Williams, TfL’s Director of City Planning, said the extension could cater for 60,000 extra journeys in the morning and off-peak periods.

“This consultation will help us further shape our plans for the Bakerloo line extension which will play a vital part in supporting London’s population growth,” he said.

Mayor of Lewisham Damien Egan said: “The Bakerloo line extension would be transformational for Lewisham residents, providing better connectivity to the city and helping to deliver thousands of new social homes and jobs across the borough.”

The proposed Bakerloo extension is one of several plans drawn up by TfL to expand London’s public transport networks.

Others in the pipeline include the Northern line extension to Battersea, the DLR extension to Thamestead and the Crossrail and Crossrail 2 projects.

Read more: Northern line extension to Battersea Power Stations faces 12-month delay

The planned new routes and extensions are set to help TfL keep up with London’s projected population growth rate.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest the capital’s population will increase by 10 per cent between 2016 and 2026.