Call to release billions for Bakerloo line upgrade

A council has called for billions of pounds to be released for improvements to the Bakerloo line.

In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and the Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, Brent Council's leader, Muhammed Butt, said improvements would deliver “undeniable” economic and social benefits.

A proposed extension to the Bakerloo line and its upgrade are currently unfunded, as Transport for London (TfL) cannot pay for major projects without government support.

The government has been approached for comment.

Brent’s residents are among the most reliant on the Bakerloo line because the borough contains 10 of its stations.

Londoners were first consulted on the proposed Bakerloo scheme in 2014. It would extend the line south from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham via New Cross Gate, with new stations proposed at Old Kent Road and Burgess Park.

A second phase would use existing rail lines to extend the Bakerloo line further to Hayes.

The “upgrade” element of the Labour council leader’s request relates to the trains themselves which, at 52 years old, are the UK’s oldest still in regular passenger service.

The cost of the extension was estimated at £5.2bn to £8.7bn at 2021 prices, plus a further £800m to £1.9bn to reach Hayes.

Mr Butt argued that the project would “unlock 20,400 homes and 9,700 jobs and deliver a £1.5bn boost to our national economy”.

In the letter, co-signed by Dawn Butler, MP for Brent East, and London Assembly member Krupesh Hirani, Mr Butt said that the line is a “vital part of economic infrastructure, with one in six jobs in London within a 12-minute walk of a station”.

He added that the improvements would also help the government in its net-zero mission because existing trains are far heavier than their modern equivalents - and therefore much less energy efficient.

“This project is vital for London’s continued success,” Mr Butt said.