The new link between Clapham Junction and Surrey Quays means passengers can avoid changing in central London and commuting is now quicker, easier and cheaper too.
The extension came just one month after London Overground celebrated its fifth birthday and at least four trains an hour in each direction now link the South-West of the capital with East London.
South Londoners can also enjoy a new range of journey options both East and West with quick connections to national Rail services to Gatwick and across South-East and South-West England.
According to Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground and London Rail, the Southern extension is the last piece in the jigsaw of the outer orbital route.
“If the Circle line is the equivalent of the North and South Circular roads, this is the M25 of rail,” he said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson, before boarding the new service for the first time said: ”The Overground is hugely popular. Trains are comfortable and air-conditioned. This has helped us mount our argument to continue the integration between the Underground and the Overground”.
The new 1.3Km stretch of line cost £75 million and most of it has been funded with support from the Department for Transport, while the Mayor and Tfl contributed £15 million to it.
Around 13 million passengers a year are expected to use the new rail link while forty-eight drivers and five support staff have been hired. This is surely good news in the current economic climate.
To find out more about London Overground, go to:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/16224.aspx
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