London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell AM, and Bromley Council’s Executive Member for Public Transport, Highways and Road Safety, Councillor Nicholas Bennett have warned that extending the Bakerloo from Lewisham to Hayes would be a "disruptive, costly mistake which would cut links to the City of London’.
Following a Freedom of Information request, Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed that they are intending to progress with extending the Bakerloo line to Lewisham and then replacing national rail services on the Mid Kent Line to bring the line to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. TfL are hoping work can begin in the early 2030s but they have yet to secure Government funding.
Executive Member for Public Transport, Road Safety and Highways, Councillor Nicholas Bennett, who represents West Wickham ward, said:
“While the extension to Lewisham is sensible as it opens up a corridor along the Old Kent Road, extending the line to Hayes makes no sense. It will extend journey times by ending the connection to London Bridge and the City of London. The replacement of full-size national network trains by much smaller ‘Tube’ trains will reduce capacity and lead to overcrowding in the rush hour. Given that the outer reaches of the Bakerloo line operate four trains an hour, I take TfL's claim for16 trains with a large dose of salt.
"On most Tube lines, the rolling stock depot takes up a considerable amount of land and is usually situated at or near the termini. Would this mean a loss of houses and car park land at Hayes?
"When you add in the cost of the extension from Lewisham to Hayes and the seven-year disruption while the line is built and converted, it is clear that there are no benefits for commuters. Anybody who needs to use the Bakerloo line north of Charing Cross can already do so by changing at Charing Cross".
Plans for the extension were first published more than 10 years ago. While the extension to Lewisham has generally been welcome, commuters further south have been more sceptical about the plans, which will end services to the City of London where many people work. In 2022, rail users on the Mid-Kent (Hayes) line lost their direct Cannon Street services and now have to change at London Bridge. If the Bakerloo line replaces national rail services, people heading to the City will no longer have a direct connection to London Bridge. They will be forced to change onto crowded trains at Lewisham station instead.
TfL have also confirmed that they want to bring the line to Beckenham Junction. This extension could also put at risk the Beckenham Junction to London Blackfriars services and further limit connections to the City. The services were ended during the pandemic and were restored following a campaign by residents, which was supported by Conservative Councillors and the-then MP for Beckenham, Bob Stewart.
In response to the freedom of information request, TfL also confirmed they would aim to build the Lewisham and Hayes extension at the same time. Previously it has been suggested that an extension to Hayes and Beckenham Junction would be in a later phase.
TfL claim that the extension will bring extra rail capacity to the area by running 18 trains per hour to Hayes and 12 per hour to Beckenham Junction. Critics are concerned that the connection to West London does not meet the travel demands of local rail commuters who need to get to the City of London.
Conservative-run Bromley Council has been opposed to the extension, instead calling for a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Bromley North station. Bromley Council is aware that Bromley South is under huge capacity demands and that any rail extension should be focused on alleviating these pressures.
London Assembly Member for Bexley and Bromley, Thomas Turrell (who is also a Hayes and Coney Hall Ward Councillor) also expressed concerns about the extension to Hayes. He said:
“Extending the line to Lewisham makes sense. It will be a huge boost to the local area and will bring the Tube network further into South East London. However, many people living further up the Hayes line bought their houses in areas like Hayes, West Wickham and Eden Park for the quick connection to the City of London. When the Cannon Street services were axed in 2022, rail operators said that London Bridge was a sufficient alternative. TfL now want to scrap that connection as well. It isn’t acceptable.
"The proposed extension does not take into the account the needs of local people or how they travel. If the Mayor wants to press on with this extension, he must address the connection to London Bridge. Changing at Lewisham is not an option because the trains are packed before they arrive in Blackheath, yet alone Lewisham. The direct connection to London Bridge must be maintained, even if that means running duel services on the line.”
