Local developments
Crossrail 2 - November 2016
What the RPWBRA is doing.
Through its membership of the Raynes Park Association (RPA), the RPWBRA is joining forces with the other residents’ and business associations in and around Raynes Park, in anticipation of another round of public consultation for Crossrail 2 this autumn.
Crossrail 2 coming to our area
Crossrail 2 is a new railway line, which is planned to come through Raynes Park and Wimbledon stations, providing a completely new link from our area to central London and northwards into Hertfordshire.
The Crossrail 2 trains are planned to provide a direct service from Raynes Park to new destinations in central London. After calling at Wimbledon, the trains will run in tunnels all the way to Tottenham Hale. There will be stations in central London, including Victoria, Tottenham Court Road and Euston/St Pancras.
It will thus make many destinations easier to reach, without the need to travel via Waterloo. For example, it should be easier to reach the City and Docklands by taking Crossrail 2 to Tottenham Court Road and changing onto the soon-to-open Elizabeth Line, rather than going via either the Waterloo & City or Jubilee tube lines, as at present.
In the opposite direction, the Crossrail 2 trains are planned to serve the existing Network Rail branches all the way to Shepperton, Hampton Court, Chessington South and Epsom. These branches will also continue to carry services to and from Waterloo. These lines, of course, converge on Raynes Park.
Likely Changes in Raynes Park and Motspur Park
As it is planned to run something like double the number of trains on these branches, it is planned to have two extra railway lines running from New Malden, through Raynes Park to Wimbledon, to carry the Crossrail 2 trains. This would thus increase the existing four lines to six along this stretch of track.
Whilst the changes planned in Wimbledon to accommodate Crossrail 2 were the subject of a public consultation last year and there is still an ongoing debate, we have yet to see any details of what is planned for Raynes Park. However, we know that Network Rail are now busy working on the details and we expect that new information will be forthcoming fairly soon.
Whilst, of course, the devil will be in the detail, the RPA is keen to get the best outcome for Raynes Park that we can; particularly if Raynes Park Station is to be modified. We are also concerned about what is planned for the two level-crossings along West Barnes Lane (i.e. at the junction with Burlington Road and at Motspur Park), as it seems inevitable that these level crossings would cease to be practical with the planned increase in trains. It is also anticipated that improvements will also need to be made to Motspur Park Station.
We consider it important that any changes to the station in Raynes Park incorporate improvements to the connectivity with pedestrian, cycle, bus and road routes. We also would like to see the plans incorporate improvements to the public realm around the station. We are hopeful that step-free access will be provided to all the platforms and that the dangerous gaps between the trains and the platform edge are done away with.
Public Consultation Postponed
Whilst Crossrail 2 in not programmed to be completed until 2032, we are likely to have several years of construction work in our neighbourhood. Despite this seeming far in the future, the opportunity for us to have our say is likely to be in 2017. After that, the key decisions will have been taken, it will be much harder to change things later.
Currently, the Crossrail 2 team are considering the recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission and Government on the business case for the scheme. As a consequence, the public consultation that was originally planned for this autumn has now been postponed.
You can find out more and subscribe for email bulletins on the Crossrail2 website, http://crossrail2.co.uk/ . You can also find out more on our MP’s website, https://www.stephenhammond.net/campaigns/crossrail-2 .
In the meantime, RPWBRA members are reminded to participate in the public consultation when the time comes.
