Putney, Roehampton and Southfields MP Justine Greening hasgained agreement from London Underground bosses to have a lift put into Southfields station in a refurbishment which will hopefully also see the ticket hallway improved. Previously, there were no plans for a lift into the station and the refurbishment was due to take place in 2010. The new lift should be in place within the next 2-3 years with initial planning already underway.

In addition, an extra tube train serving Putney and Southfields during peak rush hour is planned to start when timetables are next updated in June 2006.

Ms Greening confirmed the good news at her latest monthly meeting with Bob Thorogood, London Underground’s manager of the District Line.

Commenting on the decisions, Ms Greening said she was delighted that residents would see station improvements and tube service improvements

“After so many years of pressing for better access to Southfields to make our public transport accessible for all the public, it’s great to have finally got agreement from London
Underground to put a lift into Southfields station. The stairs are very steep and they’re difficult for anyone who isn’t 100% mobile – whether you’re a mother with a pram, elderly or disabled – this is fantastic news.

During the recent election I said I would work hard to persuade London Underground to put a lift into Southfields so I’m pleased to get such a positive result so early on. I think it shows that making a constructive case as to why we need improvements in our tube service locally is all important to persuading LU managers to get things changed.”

The new tube that will be provided at rush hour is another improvement to help ease the over crowding on local tube trains.

Ms Greening said that she would now be closely monitoring the plans for Southfield station and also had agreement from the District Line manager, Bob Thorogood that he would come to the area for a public meeting to discuss plans with local residents later in the year when more details were available.

“It’s important that as local residents we get as much opportunity as possible to say what we think about the plans so that the improvements are made as smoothly as possible.”

September 29, 2005