22.01.13
Wimbledon Loop services to continue after 2018
The Wimbledon Loop rail service will be safeguarded after the Thameslink programme is complete, the DfT has announced.
Under previous plans, passengers travelling to central London would have to change at Blackfriars station once the Thameslink programme was complete in 2018. But following pressure from local rail users, the service will be protected from 2018 onwards, rail minister Simon Burns said.
Currently, four trains run every hour from Wimbledon Loop stations serving Merton, Morden, Sutton, Carshalton, Mitcham, Streatham and Tulse Hill, through to St Pancras International and beyond.
Under the new proposals, eight Thameslink trains will run per hour via Elephant & Castle, including the four Wimbledon Loop trains, two from Sevenoaks via Bromley South and Catford, and two (peak only) from Maidstone East via Bromley South.
Burns said: “The Wimbledon Loop provides a vital service for thousands of Londoners every day, and we have worked hard to safeguard its future after listening to the concerns of local people and stakeholders.”
Stephen Locke, chair of London TravelWatch commented: “This is good news for passengers who would have lost a direct route from Wimbledon and Sutton to north London, St Pancras International and other stations such as Bedford and Luton under the previous plans.”
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Image c. DfT