The Extension of the Bakerloo line

I headed over to Central London a few weeks ago (it was nice, thank you, it's wonderful), and decided to get there by catching the Bakerloo line from Elephant and Castle. Stepping into a carriage, it felt unlike any other train that I've been on; it felt like something from the 1960s. Small roundels adorn the windows, saying "No Smoking", the train was far less brown than I had expected, and the seats were lined with some sort of leather - a nice touch, if not a bit old-fashioned. I obviously wasn't expecting a luxurious journey and it's hardly like the trains on other lines are far better (the Central line could also do with an upgrade), but these stalwarts have operated since 1972 - the oldest trains in the UK still running. When they started service, Derby County had just won the First Division. Still, the trains aren't the only thing that could be changed on the Bakerloo line.

 

My train was heading only as far north as Queen's Park, and a small note on the Tube map in the carriage explained that this is an extremely common occurence. The best for many commuters will be Stonebridge Park, and Harrow residents seem to be rather unlucky if internet anecdotes are anything to go by. This was, after all, the first time I'd been on the Bakerloo for a while. Ordinarily, this wouldn't spur a blogpost, unless:

• there was a related reason I could discuss, or;
• I was out of ideas.

Luckily for me, both of these were the case, so, belated introduction aside, here's a blogpost on the future* southernmost tube line.

The plan

You can read about it in more depth here.

Almost everyone knows about the potential Bakerloo extension down south. The Elephant and Castle terminus has a tunnel beyond it, after all - it's like everyone wants the Bakerloo to get more impressive than it is now. Right now, though, it may only get as far as Lewisham, thus achieving a link with the Overground and DLR along the way. With this, there would be stations by Burgess Road and Old Kent Road - where they would be located is still unknown, but TfL seem to have them as a priority - they're part of the OKR Opportunity Area, and the area surrounding Burgess Park and Camberwell in particular is known for being very distant from existing rail lines. From here it would run to New Cross Gate and then Lewisham, along a route TfL have suggested since 2014. It would cost about £8bn to construct and seven years to complete, but seeing how projects like HS2 have got more expensive over time, I wouldn't be surprised to see those figures go up. Then again, I'm merely a student who doesn't know the area all that well, so maybe I'm wrong. TfL have said it might be finished by 2040, though - I hope that's not a bit too optimistic.

The extension to the plan

TfL have long toyed with the idea of taking over the Hayes line. Operated by Southeastern, this railway runs from Lewisham down to Hayes in Bromley, ticking off Catford and Beckenham along the way. It could have been operated by the Jubilee line, albeit running down to Addiscombe and not Hayes, but the Jubilee now goes towards Stratford instead. 

If the Bakerloo managed to get this far south, there would be an interchange with the trams at Elmers End, and also provide smaller suburbs like West Wickham with a more frequent service beyond the current terminus of Charing Cross. But for this to happen, you'd obviously need the Bakerloo to get beyond Elephant and Castle, which doesn't look all that likely right now. But hey, at least the tracks are there. And pedants would lose a quick conversation starter too, as Hayes would become by far the southernmost station on the tube; it's 15km from Elephant - gone would be the days of the Northen line being the most southern.

The incomplete plan

Most residents want the extension, according to a consultation in 2019. The land where the route to Lewisham would be built was safeguarded in 2021, and the mayor of London approves. Then again, there's an election this year, so that could change. There are even websites asking one to support the extension. Yet nothing has changed since those developments, and considering how even the trains get more and more outdated as time goes on, maybe it's too optimistic to assume the Bakerloo will ever get further into South London. I'll certainly be keeping tabs on this, and so will those who live along the route, but who knows? 

No one, seemingly. But I'd certainly want the extension/s to happen, if for the simple reason that South London is devoid of the Tube right now. Only the Northern line down to Morden, the District to Wimbledon and the Victoria to Brixton truly serve the south, aside from the Jubilee's brief travels in Bermondsey and Greenwich which deviate back north soon after. And South East London itself could sure do with a Tube line, and I'm certain that if it gets down to Hayes, Croydon residents wouldn't complain as much about their lack of Tube as they do now.

But that's all uncertain...right now.

However, having later taken an Elizabeth line train, with their lovely purple interiors and modern feel, I can only hope something similar happens with the Bakerloo. In fact, they want to put in place new trains eventually, also increasing capacity on the line. If anything, the future of the Bakerloo doesn't look as faded as the current trains do.