Prior proposals Before the
Baker Street and Waterloo Railway (now the Bakerloo line) opened between
Baker Street and
Elephant & Castle in 1906, several alternative schemes were proposed for extending the line at both ends. One failed scheme, the
New Cross & Waterloo Railway Bill of 1898, had proposed the construction of a line as far south as , but it was not considered by parliament before it was dropped. The possibility of building a line through Camberwell first emerged in 1913, when the
Lord Mayor of London announced a proposal for the Bakerloo Tube to be extended to the
Crystal Palace via
Camberwell Green,
Dulwich and
Sydenham Hill. In 1921, the
Underground Electric Railways Company of London costed an extension to Camberwell, Dulwich and Sydenham, and in 1922, plans for an extension to
Orpington via Loughborough Junction and
Catford were considered. No action was taken to move any of these proposals forward. In 1928, a route to
Rushey Green via Dulwich was suggested. Again, no action was taken, although the
London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee supported the idea of an extension to Camberwell in 1926.
1931 and 1947 extension proposals In 1931, an extension to Camberwell was approved as part of the London Electric Metropolitan District and Central London Railway Companies (Works) Act, 1931. The route was to follow
Walworth Road and
Camberwell Road south from Elephant & Castle, with stations at Albany Road and under at Camberwell. Elephant & Castle was also to be reconstructed with a third platform to provide the additional turn-round capacity, a new ticket hall and escalators. The need to prioritise the extension from to to provide relief for the
Metropolitan line, financial constraints and the outbreak of the
Second World War prevented any work from starting. The 1931 enabling powers were renewed by the Government in 1947 under the Special Enactments (Extension of Time) Act, 1940, and the projected extension as far as Camberwell even appeared on a 1949 edition of the Underground map, but no further work was done. Train indication signs showing Camberwell as a destination were created in anticipation of the southern extension and erected in some Tube stations; these signs were still visible at until the 1990s. made the best use of the terminal capacity at Elephant & Castle, and this weakened the case for an extension from Elephant & Castle. By 1950, post-war austerity, the levelling-off of demand, and above all the disproportionately high cost of the project with a three-platform deep-level terminus and the need to purchase 14 further trains and build a new depot for them, meant that the project became unaffordable and it was cancelled. Demand on the Bakerloo line was relieved following construction of the
Jubilee line in the 1970s, as the Stanmore branch now solely served the new Jubilee line.
1970s and 1980s extension proposals In the 1970s, the
Greater London Council considered extending the line to
Peckham Rye, however this proposal was not taken forward due to high costs, low ridership projections and subsequent poor value for money. Within the report, two extensions of the Bakerloo line were considered – an extension to Lewisham along the Old Kent Road, and an extension to
Canary Wharf and Docklands. Neither proposal was taken forward. The line would serve areas such as Walworth or Peckham not served by Underground or National Rail stations, provide fully accessible journeys thanks to
low floor trams, and provide faster journeys than existing bus services. Consultation on the proposed tram took place in 2006–7, with the tram line proposed to open in 2016 at a cost of around £1.3bn. Throughout the early 2000s, no Bakerloo line extensions were being considered by TfL, as the
Public Private Partnership (PPP) to upgrade the Underground did not include provision for line extensions within the PPP contracts. However, it was noted that there could be demand for a Bakerloo line extension in future decades. Following the election of Mayor
Boris Johnson, the Cross River Tram was cancelled in 2008 due to lack of funding. In November 2006, TfL published a transport strategic report for London,
Transport 2025: transport challenges for a growing city. The report considered a variety of long-term transport improvements in London, with a Bakerloo extension considered as the most beneficial option for extending the Tube in South London. It considered three route options for the Bakerloo line; from Elephant & Castle, the proposed routes were either south to Camberwell and Streatham, or east to Beckenham and Hayes:
Option 1: via
Burgess Park, east to and , with the option of taking over the
Hayes Line to terminate at
Option 2: south to Camberwell Green, and then on to and , with a branch at which would take over the National Rail line to
Option 3: a similar route to option 1, but after
Burgess Park running via the
Old Kent Road and before joining the Hayes line at and terminating at Hayes. A subsequent feasibility report into an extension of the Bakerloo line from Elephant & Castle was commissioned by TfL in 2007, with potential routes south to Camberwell and Streatham, or east to Beckenham and Hayes.
Current project 2010s In May 2010, Mayor
Boris Johnson published the Mayor's Transport Strategy (MTS), which outlined the Mayor's plans for public transport in the capital. The MTS specifically supported a southern extension of the Bakerloo line, noting that it would utilise spare Bakerloo line capacity, serve areas with low transport connectivity, and relieve congested National Rail lines into central London. The proposal was noted, however, to be a long-term project, requiring further study by TfL. A consultant's report for Lewisham Council in 2010 analysed the costs and benefits of a variety of different routes for a Bakerloo extension, with costs between £1.6bn and £3.6bn, depending on the destination and the route option chosen. In July 2011,
Network Rail published a long-term planning document for London and the South East – the
Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). This recommended an extension of the Bakerloo line from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, where it would take over the line to Hayes and thus release capacity on National Rail lines into Charing Cross. In January 2012, Network Rail published a summary of its London & South East RUS recommendations, which stated that further feasibility work on an extension was required. In March 2012, Lewisham Council's consultant on the Bakerloo extension advised: "There is a good to strong, but not overwhelming case for a Bakerloo extension", explaining many other rail projects in the London area were competing for funding – including
Crossrail 2 and Tube upgrades. In early 2013, Mayor Johnson confirmed that detailed feasibility work into the extension by TfL was underway, and that
Southwark Council was working out the level of development required to justify the economic case for the extension. In early 2014, Mayor Johnson stated that the Old Kent Road would be designated as an Opportunity Area, causing concern that this could cause TfL to prefer a route via Old Kent Road rather than Camberwell. In July 2014, the London Infrastructure Plan 2050 further supported the Bakerloo line extension as a long term transport project for London.
2014: Initial route consultation In September 2014, TfL launched an initial public consultation into the Bakerloo line extension. The proposal included a new tunnel from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, before a further extension using existing rail lines south of Lewisham to Beckenham Junction and Hayes. The cost of the extension would be in the region of £2–3bn and construction was proposed to start in the mid 2020s, with a completion date of the early to mid 2030s. As part of the consultation, feedback was sought on various route options: • Option 1a: a direct south-east route via the Old Kent Road, with 2 stations or • Option 1b: a southern route, via Camberwell and Peckham Rye stations • Option 2: Extending the line further east from Beckenham Junction to
Bromley. The consultation was met with wide support from the public,
London Assembly members, local MPs, and local boroughs such as Southwark, Lewisham and
Greenwich publicly supporting the proposal. However,
Bromley Council called the extension "unacceptable", due to the potential loss of fast trains to London Bridge. Subsequently, some Lewisham councillors accused their counterparts in Bromley of being against the extension. Other boroughs lobbied for alternative routes:
Croydon Council suggested in July 2015 that the extension should go to Croydon instead of Bromley. Following the consultation, TfL analysed the various responses received, and assessed various routes options suggested. Destinations of routes assessed included Streatham, Crystal Palace, Croydon, Orpington & Bromley, Woolwich Arsenal via Deptford, as well as the original proposed route to Hayes & Beckenham Junction. In December 2015, TfL published the results of the consultation, noting that it had received over 15,000 responses, of which 96 per cent were in favour of an extension. An extension to Lewisham would be built as a first phase, as it would be easier, cheaper and less disruptive to build. In Southwark, campaigners welcomed the news, suggesting they would push for both the Camberwell and Old Kent Road branches to be built. TfL stated that it would now begin detailed technical work on the extension, with a further consultation to follow in 2016.
2017: Station options consultation In February 2017, TfL opened a detailed consultation to examine potential sites for stations and ventilation shafts along the proposed route to Lewisham. The consultation proposed two new stations on the Old Kent Road (each with two location options), and interchange stations at New Cross Gate and Lewisham. The consultation also stated that expansion and improvement work would be required at the existing Elephant & Castle station, to provide better connections to the Northern line and National Rail services. Local campaigners broadly welcomed the consultation, with criticism of the proposed ventilation shafts at Faraday Gardens (a local park) and
Bricklayers Arms, where an additional station was requested.
Sainsbury's criticised the proposed location of the
New Cross Gate station, stating it preferred another location for the station, so that it could build 1,500 homes and a new supermarket on the New Cross Gate Retail Park instead. In July 2017, the initial response to the consultation was published by TfL, noting that over 4,800 responses had been received. Further work to analyse the responses, and detailed technical & feasibility work would continue. In March 2018, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the
Canary Wharf Group announced that they had an alternative extension proposal via
Surrey Quays,
Canary Wharf,
North Greenwich and
Charlton Riverside, crossing the River Thames twice. This extension would serve development sites along the route, as well as relieving the overcrowded
Jubilee line between Canary Wharf and
Canada Water. The alternative proposal was criticised by Back the Bakerloo – a cross-party campaign group of businesses, developers and local councils set up by Southwark and Lewisham Council to push for the extension. In September 2018, TfL published its detailed responses to issues raised in the 2017 consultation. As well as confirming proposed locations at the two Old Kent Road stations, the report proposed a new integrated ticket hall at Elephant & Castle underneath the new shopping centre, and a more direct route reducing the need for ventilation shafts. This would rule out a station at Bricklayers Arms.''
An additional station was also estimated to cost around £200million, whereas the more direct route reduced the costs by around £100million – as well as reducing journey times. Further technical work would take place before a final detailed consultation in 2019, prior to permission to build the extension being sought. 2019: Detailed consultation In October 2019, TfL announced a further consultation, seeking views on the finalised extension proposal. As well as seeking name suggestions for the two Old Kent Road stations, the consultation included: • details on new Bakerloo line platforms and an integrated station entrance at Elephant & Castle tube station, to be built as part of the new
shopping centre development. • proposed alignment of the tunnels from
Lambeth North to Lewisham. • details regarding a further extension beyond Lewisham in future to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. As with previous consultations, local campaign groups, developers and several local councils supported the extension, with Back the Bakerloo urging Prime Minister
Boris Johnson to support the extension and contribute to its construction cost. TfL had warned that only 9,000 of 25,000 homes could be built on the Old Kent Road if the extension was not built. Bromley Council welcomed the confirmation of the extension to Lewisham, but claimed that an extension to Hayes had been "resoundingly rejected" in 2014, and that it would challenge the proposed extension in its response. It added that it would prefer investment to serve
Bromley town centre and that Bromley residents preferred fast trains to
London Bridge rather than the Underground. Opposition councillors criticised this as ignoring the opinions of local residents, stating that 68% of Bromley residents supported the extension to Hayes in the 2014 TfL consultation. In September 2019,
Sainsbury's and
Mount Anvil had submitted a planning application to build 1,161 homes and a new supermarket on the site of the current New Cross Gate Retail Park. The October 2019 TfL consultation explained that the site was required for construction of the extension, and that other suggested worksite locations were too small or would damage the environment. Sainsbury's and Mount Anvil subsequently withdrew their application in February 2020, stating that the extension had "blighted the site", making their development unfeasible. This new ticket hall – to be built by developer
Delancey – would serve both the Northern line and the future Bakerloo line platforms, bringing escalators and step-free access to the station. It would also reduce the need to take land to build the station, saving on future construction. This was previously used to fund part of the
Crossrail project, raising £4.1bn. In November 2020, TfL released the report of the 2019 consultation. Over 8,700 responses had been received, with 89% support. A further 20,600 identical positive responses were received via the Back the Bakerloo campaign. There was also strong support (82%) for a possible further extension to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. TfL also confirmed the names for the two Old Kent Road stations – Burgess Park and Old Kent Road. TfL stated that the next step was safeguarding the route, and applying for permission to build the extension via a
Transport and Works Act Order, subject to funding being available.
Route safeguarded, project on hold In 2021, the route from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham was
safeguarded by the
Department for Transport, protecting land above and below ground for future construction of the extension. This was welcomed by Mayor Sadiq Khan, TfL and local councils. Due to the financial situations resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, work to implement the extension was put on hold, with TfL's Comprehensive Spending Review submission stating "we are being realistic about what is affordable over the next decade". In March 2021, TfL's finance chief stated that the extension would not be seen in the next decade. In April 2021, Southwark Council agreed to consider whether a
tram down the Old Kent Road to serve development sites along the corridor might be an alternative if the Bakerloo Line extension did not proceed, as this could be delivered faster and cheaper than the Bakerloo line extension. The council is limited to around 9,500 homes on the corridor if the extension is not built. In 2025, property developers along the Old Kent Road stated that the government’s spending review had “killed” the project by not providing funding for the project. == Proposed route ==