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Current London and South East campaigns

Our primary campaigns are for:
  • Uckfield Lewes - improving economic connectivity by extending Uckfield line services to Lewes and beyond by reinstating the 7.5 miles closed in 1969 and electrification of the Uckfield line, led by Sussex and Coastway Division
  • Marshlink journey-time savings through line upgrade, including line-speed increases and connection with HS1 at Ashford International for through high-speed services from London via Rye to Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea and Eastbourne
  • A new Thameslink 2 metro route to add capacity and increase connectivity between East Croydon, Docklands and North London via tunnel between East Croydon and Addiscombe, the Hayes branch, and tunnel between Lewisham, Canary Wharf and Stratford, connecting to the West Anglia, Great Eastern and possibly North London lines.
We also support campaigns for:

Improved services
  • Increased service frequency and shorter journey times especially for longer-distance / regional services along West Coastway, based on Network Rail's West Sussex Connectivity Modular Strategic Study of Spring 2020, viewable here.
  • Devolution of inner suburban South Eastern, Southern, South Western and Great Northern services to TfL, bringing them up to the quality and frequency of service offered by London Overground
  • Increased capacity on Brighton Main Line, by grade separation eg at Selhurst Triangle / Windmill Bridge junction and additional platforms eg at East Croydon.
  • Frequency increase and improved connections to Gatwick via North Downs line.
  • Expansion of London Overground by westward extensions of electrified GOBLIN services
  • Extension of the Oyster card area beyond the GLA area to provide fully integrated smart ticketing for all transport modes in and around London
  • Improved facilities at unstaffed stations
  • Improved connections, eg between Ascot and London services at Ash Vale
  • Improved services on branch lines such as Watford Junction - St. Albans Abbey, West Ealing - Greenford and Romford - Upminster, possibly by introduction of tram-trains
  • Tube modernisation to include implementation of accessibility schemes, gating of all stations in zones 1-4, and modernisation of the Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines.
New and improved stations
New services which may require development of station facilities, but do not require new track:
  • Great Western Railway proposal for services between Brentford and Southall, connecting with Crossrail - supported by London Borough of Hounslow with approval of part funding for study
  • Transfer of Greenford branch service from GWR to Chiltern, and extension to Gerrards Cross or High Wycombe to provide connection with Crossrail for Heathrow and central London
  • Diversion of Watford DC Line services from Euston to Stratford via (a reopened) Primrose Hill station, to reduce land take required at Euston for HS2.
New chords to offer improved connectivity, eg:
New and reopened lines
  • Hoo Peninsula railway - use current freight-only line upgraded for new passenger services as sustainable transport solution to support new housing developments required by Medway Local Plan to 2035. Potential new south-facing spur for link with Medway Towns / Medway Valley Line.
  • KenEx Tram, promoted by Thames Gateway Tramlink Ltd, to connect the transport hubs of Ebbsfleet International, Grays and Gravesend with Northfleet, Swanscombe Peninsular, Chafford Hundred, and Purfleet-on-Thames.
  • Creation of a Herts-Bucks Connector aka a Watford-Croxley link, following the demise of the Metropolitan Line Extension, linking Watford Junction and Aylesbury via Rickmansworth and Amersham.
  • West London Orbital - a new outer orbital route linking major suburban centres (eg in Barnet, Harrow, Hounslow, Ealing, and at Brent Cross, West Hampstead) around outer west and north-west London. This could also be achieved by linking existing heavy rail routes with new chords, by new tramways, or by a combination of the two - like the existing orbital Overground network, it can be made up of a number of connecting services. In April 2023 engineering design work started.
  • The central section of the orbital cross-country East-West Rail route, linking the major centres of Cambridge, Bedford and Milton Keynes.
  • Construction of Crossrail 2 as a regional system (option 2) linking South-Western and West Anglia inner suburban services; also explore benefits of an eastern extension, the East London Riverside Route advocated by east London and Essex councils.
  • Coordinated solution for western and southern access to Heathrow
  • Bakerloo line extension via Old Kent Road to Peckham. See Railfuture's responses to TfL's first and third consultations.
  • Extension of Docklands Light Railway from Bank via City Thameslink and Aldwych to Charing Cross, utilising the original Jubilee Line platforms and overrun tunnels at Charing Cross - only 4km of new tunnel would be needed to close the 2km gap
  • Extension of London Tramlink to Sutton, Crystal Palace and northwards into central London
  • Reopening of Guildford - Cranleigh as light rail if additional development in area approved

Successful campaigns

Recent successful campaigns include:
  • Reopening Lea Bridge station (closed July 1985) in May 2016, to improve Lea Valley line services for Stratford, led jointly by our affiliate Chingford Line Users' Association and Railfuture's Eastern Division.
  • Platform lengthening and electrification of the Gospel Oak-Barking Line (GOBLIN).
  • Extension of London Overground services on 18 July 2022 to Barking Riverside.
  • Extension of TfL Rail services to Reading.
  • Development of a new interchange between Hackney Central and Hackney Downs Overground stations in July 2015. See Stations re-linked article
  • Devolution of inner suburban West Anglia services to TfL, bringing them up to the quality and frequency of service offered by London Overground, from May 2015
  • Extension of Northern line via Nine Elms to Battersea Power Station, with public services starting on 20 September 2021.