Hopes Raised on Second Entrance for Putney Station
Transport minister says there is 'strong case' for upgrade after visit
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP visited Putney Station this Thursday afternoon (11 October) with local MP Justine Greening and Leader of Wandsworth Council, Cllr Ravi Govindia to discuss the proposal to get a second entrance at the station.
The personal visit to the station has raised hopes that progress may be made on the long running campaign to ease congestion at the overcrowded station. After the visit the minister said the station had a 'strong case' for an upgrade and promised to raise the matter with Network Rail.
In July Justine Greening met with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to get his support for the plan to get a second entrance at Putney station as it would "not only ease congestion, but would finally give connectivity with East Putney tube station."
She said, “Hopefully we took a step forward today towards getting a second entrance for commuters at Putney station with a visit by Chris Grayling MP to give him a briefing on our proposal. East Putney Councillor and Wandsworth Council Leader, Ravi Govindia, and I are pressing the Department of Transport for funding to allow the project to progress."
She continued, “There’s been a huge amount of development in the area and a second entrance will alleviate some of the current congestion at the main entrance to the station, particularly at peak times in the morning and evening. It will also provide a hub between Putney mainline train services and East Putney tube station, making it easier for passengers to travel between the two.”
Chris Grayling MP said, “Justine has been a great champion, working with her local councillors, for getting a second entrance to Putney station. There are a number of stations that we will want to improve in the next spending period. Putney station second entrance has a really strong case so people can get better access to the underground directly from the mainline station and to relieve congestion. It’s why I wanted to see the proposal for myself to get a clear view on how it can work in practice. I will discuss with Network Rail if it is possible to bring forward development work to look into the case for Putney.“
In August Justine Greening set up a petition for residents and commuters to show their support. To sign the petition go to: www.ipetitions.com/petition/putney-station. At the time of writing over 300 people had signed against a target of 1,000.
Back in 2013 the Thamesfield councillors wrote to the chairman of Network Rail and urging him to cut through red tape and give the project the go-ahead.
October 12, 2018