The benefits include:
- The project will drive national growth by contributing £1.5bn in gross added value (GVA) to the UK economy per annum, securing London’s competitive global position and facilitating growth in the North of England.
- 150,000 good jobs will be supported across the full length of the line, and the construction supply chain, providing a unique opportunity to raise productivity in the London & North regions simultaneously.
- Enhancing connectivity for 48% of those living within reach of the existing line within the top 30% most deprived communities in England, extending the line will breakdown existing barriers to the good employment that will improve their living standards.
- In the city experiencing the most severe housing and homelessness crisis in the UK, the delivery of this project will support the development of 107,000 new homes across the full length of the line.
- Renewing the line and replacing its 50-year-old rolling stock will accelerate the UK’s journey to Net Zero, by reducing energy consumption by 20%, increasing public transport capacity by 150,000 trips per day, and reducing car journeys by 20,800 daily.
How will the Bakerloo Line Upgrade & Extension benefit your local area?
The upgrade
The Bakerloo Line is in urgent need of an upgrade. With the current train fleet 16 years past their estimated lifespan, they are the oldest in use in the UK. As a result, the line is at critical risk of sudden closure at any time resulting in the loss of a transport service critical to London's economy.
The line is also a drain on the public purse costing £55,000 more per carriage than any other underground line to maintain. By the mid-2030s, it will have cost over £500 million to maintain the current train fleet, haemorrhaging taxpayers' money on an inefficient transport line that is no longer operating at full capacity or frequency.
London needs a modern & integrated transport network to match its ambitions in economic growth, housebuilding, and becoming a net zero city.
The upgrade of the line will increase the capacity of the trains to 150,000 extra public transport trips a day and improve reliability by increasing the number of trains per hour from 20 to 27 resulting in a train every 2 minutes at peak times.
A new and improved line will also support the development of new homes, additional commercial floorspace and more green areas in 6 of London's opportunity areas across the existing line including Harrow & Wealdstone, Wembley, Old Oak/Park Royal, Kendal Canalside, Paddington, and Waterloo.
A breakdown of the new homes and jobs by borough that will be supported by the project across the existing line is below:
- Harrow: 5,000 homes; 1,000 jobs
- Brent: 39,500 homes; 78,500 jobs
- Kensington & Chelsea: 3,500 homes; 2,000 jobs
- Westminster: 1,000 homes; 13,000 jobs
- Lambeth: 1,500 homes; 6,000 jobs
The extension
Alongside supporting thousands of homes and jobs outlined in Southwark, Lewisham, and Bromley's local plans, the extension will also directly unlock a number of new homes and jobs in an additional 4 London opportunity areas that could not be accessed without this phase of the project. These include Elephant & Castle, Canada Water, Old Kent Road, New Cross, Lewisham & Catford.
The extension will also make 1.2 million existing jobs accessible to residents within 45 minutes of Catford; 125,000 jobs within 45 minutes of Old Kent Road; and 100,000 jobs within 45 minutes of Hayes, breaking down economic barriers.
A breakdown of the new jobs and homes supported and unlocked by the extension by borough is below:
- Southwark: 32,500 homes; 42,200 jobs
- Lewisham: 20,650 homes; 6,230 jobs
- Bromley: 2,750 homes; 270 jobs
How can you help bring this transformational project into reality?
The extension project is as shovel ready as any transport scheme will ever be with a tunnel entrance for the Bakerloo Line built into the Elephant & Castle station upgrade project and phase 1 of the route is safeguarded by the Transport Secretary.
To set the signals to green, we need the government to match our ambition and commit to part-funding the project to secure its delivery for London.
- Sign-up to the campaign here to Back the Bakerloo and send a message to the UK Government to act now.
- You can also share your support on social media using the hashtags #BackTheBakerloo and #Biz4Bakerloo.
Reports
- Moving London Forward: The Bakerloo Line Upgrade & Extension - economic impact report
- London Growth Plan published by the Mayor of London & London Councils
- London Infrastructure Framework published by London Councils
- Transport for London Supply Chain: Economic Impact Assessment 2023/24 published by Transport for London and Hatch
