Bakerloo line extension could see trains running every two minutes

South Londoners have been teased with plans to extend the Bakerloo line for a long, long time. Since 2014, to be precise. Over the last 11 years, those plans have gone through countless chops, changes and consultations and still haven’t been given the official go ahead. 

The revamp would involve new stations, new trains and, in the latest update, it’s been suggested that it would allow 27 trains per hour to run on the line (compared to the current 20). That would mean trains running every 2 minutes, making huge difference to regular Bakerloo commuters. 

On Thursday, four local councillors urged the government to finally commit cash to the project. Brenda Dacres, mayor of Lewisham, said: ‘For too long south east London has been excluded from the world-class London Underground network and the benefits of being a well-connected inner London borough.

‘With Lewisham wages nearly 40 per cent lower on average than neighbouring boroughs, the Bakerloo line extension would be a game-changer for unlocking inclusive growth and opportunities not just in the south east, but across the UK.’

When the idea first arose, former mayor of London Boris Johnson estimated it would cost around £2 billion. But that estimation has since soared to a staggering £8 bil. Here’s all the latest on the plans to extend the Bakerloo line. 

What is the Bakerloo line extension plan?

The plan is to extend the Bakerloo line past Elephant and Castle and further south. It would include building new stations at Burgess Park and Old Kent Road (in a former Toys ‘R’ S store) before going on to New Cross Gate and finishing in Lewisham. 

It would also see a new ticket hall built at Elephant and Castle and improvements to the interchange station at Lewisham. 

Bakerloo line extension map

The proposed extension would look a little like this: 

When could work on the extension start?

The extension can only go ahead if it gets government funding, which hasn’t happened yet. Right now, TfL is doing a study into the feasibility of the first phase of the proposed plan – the new stations at Old Kent Road and Burgess Park in Southwark. 

Previously, the Standard reported that the government could offer funding by spring this year. Early last year, TfL projected that work could begin in 2030 and be complete by 2040. 

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