Crossrail 2 Gives "Disappointing" Response To Wimbledon's Concerns

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"We know no more than before" say Friends of Wimbledon Town Centre

Crossrail 2's official responses to issues raised in its consultation, which closed in January, are "disappointing" according to the Friends of Wimbledon Town Centre.

The £12 billion Crossrail 2 scheme would give a proposed journey time to Tottenham Court Road of 14 minutes for trains stopping at Wimbledon, but there are fears about the upheaval to the town centre while it's built.

A significant part of Centre Court Shopping Centre would need to be demolished to extend the size of the station, and local businesses and residents have raised concerns about the effects on their lives while the town centre work goes ahead.

Subject to Government funding and approval, construction could begin in 2020 with the first Crossrail 2 service running in 2030.

Now Crossrail 2 has published its 74-page "Response to issued raised" document, outlining steps taken to address a range of concerns.

Following publication, the Friends of Wimbledon Town Centre group has said to its members: "Crossrail 2 recognises the challenges at Wimbledon and is seeking to understand the alternative options although it is cautious about raising hopes that a different solution can be found.

"It states that any alternative will have issues, cause disruption and delay, as well as referring to the need to improve affordability.

"Whilst some progress on the overall Crossrail 2 scheme has been made, we are disappointed that there is no progress on the proposals for Wimbledon Town Centre. We are concerned with the tone of the response and the fact it is already providing reasons for not progressing with alternatives.

"Six months after the consultation closed, we know no more than before and we must wait until the autumn, when there will be a further consultation, for any more detail."

The Friends have has summarised the comments about Wimbledon below:

• Disruption to Wimbledon town centre during construction -  Construction work  could be phased to minimise disruption to the town centre.
• Wimbledon station - A number of alternative suggestions were put forward, including tunnelling the South West Main Line non-stopping services, reconfiguring the existing station layout and considering the use of fewer and narrower platforms. Work is underway to understand these solutions, and weigh up the pros and cons against the existing proposals.
• Deep tunnelled CR2 station -  Further work is underway to understand the impacts and worksites required for providing a deep tunnelled Crossrail 2 station at Wimbledon.
• Tunnel South West Main Line - Whilst tunnelling the South West Main Line non-stopping services could free up platform space for Crossrail 2 at Wimbledon station, it would create other issues including increasing the cost and time taken to build Crossrail 2 by two to three years.
• Reconfigure Wimbledon station - No decision on station options have been made at this stage. Crossrail2 are working with Merton Council to identify how proposals could integrate with the Council’s ‘Future Wimbledon’ master plan.
• Entrances/exits at Wimbledon Station -  Additional station entrances and exits are under consideration to improve the flow through the station and town centre.
• Demolition of Centre Court shopping centre - Half of Centre Court could be retained and options are being considered to reinstate the rest of the site before the station opens.
• Only one option consulted on – Other options did not meet Crossrail 2’s engineering and operational requirements.
• Gap Road tunnel portal - Further design work is being carried out to determine the requirements at Gap Road.
• Weir Road depot - Further work is under way to work out the best layout for the Weir Road site. Alternative sites are being considered.
• Dundonald Road turn-back – This worksite has been located away from residential properties to minimise disruption during construction.
• Raynes Park, New Malden and Motspur Park - More detail on proposals for these stations will be available at the next phase of consultation.

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July 13, 2016