Camberwell Underground

[NikkiSE5]

Hi everyone,

I've spent a long time reading several articles, countless posts in South London Press and forum discussions concerning a Bakerloo Line extension to Camberwell. This idea is already under TfL's 20 year plan but Camberwellians (!) have been promised a tube station since the 1920s! A tube station in Camberwell extended one stop from Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo Line could be beneficial to many, not just those who live in Camberwell. There really isn't a major tube station in our part of South London (except Brixton but its a bit of a trek) so a tube station in Camberwell would mean:

Waterloo- 3 stops- Think Commuters. Doctors, nurses and other important staff going to one of Europe's most ground breaking and influential hospitals, King's.

5 stops- Charing Cross- Think Theatreland, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery.

7 stops- Oxford Circus- Think Shopping! Enough said.

I also want to mention the idea of this station as a green project for London, not just a tube station. This is most likely the best chance at getting recognition, funding and community support. Anything to make London look greener, right?

So, if you're interested then please join the Facebook group-

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=133160235271

Or sign the petition (which will be set up very soon!)

Thanks for your time- there's a lot more information in the Facebook group and the links connected to it. Please feel free to leave comments and please invite others to support the campaign.

I'm a Camberwellian, I'm 16 years old and I would really like to see the idea of a tube station in Camberwell become a reality sooner rather than later.

[Horsebox]

Thanks for the info, Nikki, and welcome to teh forum.

I've read about this extenion before but will check it out your link when not half asleep.

A tube station in Camberwell would be really handy and save the awful slog up Walworth Road on the 176.(6)

[NikkiSE5]

Thanks for the support.

The petition is now available for signing-

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/camberwellunderground

Don't forget the Facebook group-

http://www.facebook.com/groups/edit.php?officers&gid=133160235271#/group.php?gid=133160235271

:)

[????]

I wouldm't hold your breath - estate agents in the 80s were saying how 'the tube was coming to Camverwell' and you think there's money about for this type of capital expenditure at the moment? Wishfull thinking.

[????]

....but good luck Nikki, ignore old cynics like me

[ratty]

I think South London has the wrong type of soil. Too chalky or something. Anyway - never gonna happen. Who in their right mind would want to go to Camberwell anyway??

[brum]

ratty Wrote:

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> I think South London has the wrong type of soil.

> Too chalky or something.

Blame it on the last ice age - that's when the geology was formed, apparently.

[computedshorty]

?

[ayresc]

makes loads of sense if the Denmark Hill line will no longer be going to Victoria.

[SeanMacGabhann]

all true computedshorty and good points

But it is fairly typical of this day and age that the collective "we" balk at a challenge like this

Victorians just ploughed on and did it anyway.

[kford]

Here's the Tube map from 1949 - they were thinking of it then:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clive.billson/tubemaps/1949.html

Wouldn't it be easier to reopen the overground station in Station Road? It's only a couple of stops into Blackfriars.

[Jeremy]

It would be great for the area, and maybe even ease the awful congestion caused by hundreds of buses through Camberwell Green and Walworth Road. And a Bakerloo line / London Overground interchange at Denmark Hill would be awesome.

It will never happen though.

[computedshorty]

?

[Quaywe]

If the water/well is an issue for Camberwell then I reckon extending the Victoria Line from Brixton to East Dulwich would be a better idea.

[NikkiSE5]

Thanks for all the posts.

There are soooo many people who say this is not going to happen!! The truth is this station has been promised since the 1920s and at least once every decade since then. Each time it has been re-proposed to some form of transport authority and later postponed or denied. The difference now is that those in favour can campaign more easily to raise public awareness and get the Mayor's attention.

In response to arguments here:

1. There is already a half finished extension that was put on hold a few decades ago but was never taken up again.

2.It will actually happen! This extension isn't a random idea. The persistence of Camberwellians and other residents in Camberwell means that this tube station is already on the TfL 20year plan. Unfortunately, there is a risk that the extension may be moved further back into the TfL 50 year plan because of London 2012 and now the Rugby 2015 bid we which have just won.

So what we're trying to do is keep Mr Johnson on his feet and show him that the benefits would be huge, especially if it was a green tube station e.g. sonar panels on ground level used to power a percentage of the lighting underground (I don't know, I'm not an environmental specialist!). This would make this station a brand new, world class, putting-london-at-the-forefront-once-again, super green station.

I understand all scepticism headed our way but since older, more influential figures than me have tried but I really feel like this could go a lot further than previous projects. Since this issue was last raised, Facebook has been born, hence the Facebook group- http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=133160235271

The last group of people who set up a petition for this idea only managed to obtain about 200 signatures. I would like to think we have made more progress since then considering that last night at about midnight I created a petition which already has 22 signatures.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/camberwellunderground/

So thank you for your feedback. I understand the viewpoints of all the critical comments and hope that all those who believe this is a good idea will spread the word, join the group or sign the petition.

[bob]

Camberwell use to be called Cripelwell because of the many springs and wells that were supose to heal people, so I fear the water tabel is to high for tunnels as all ready stated.

Bob S

[Nero]

As well as campaigning for a Tube link, why not add your weight to the campaign for a stop on the overground train? It's wonderful to speed past the back of Walworth Rd when you are usually creeping along in an overcrowded, underventilated bus. A stop near to the Green would be great.

[Jeremy]

Nero, I assume you're thinking about a station between Loughborough(sp?) Junction and Elephant & Castle.

If so, I'm fairly sure there used to be one, which would have been accessed via Camberwell Station Road.

[Michael Palaeologus]

I think that the original tunnel stopped half way up the Walworth Road because of the water table issues. That section is now used by the Bakerloo Line to turn trains around, storage and as stables for tiny Unicorns that are used on ceremonial occasions.

The focus on overground track (London Overground, the cross river tram, etc) is related to the problem of underground development in our area.

Little ever happens because we are south of the river and so do not figure in the minds od London's political classes, unless there is an election looming or they have a 2012 Olympics to justify.

Still 10 out of 10 for trying.

[Sandperson]

How did you find out about our tiny unicorns?

[woofmarkthedog]

brum Wrote:

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> ratty Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I think South London has the wrong type of

> soil.

> > Too chalky or something.

>

> Blame it on the last ice age - that's when the

> geology was formed, apparently.

---------------------------------------------------

Per mile this area of London is some of the most expensive to excavate & build I was told by an engineer.

W**F

[boosboss]

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think that the original tunnel stopped half way

> up the Walworth Road because of the water table

> issues. That section is now used by the Bakerloo

> Line to turn trains around, storage and as stables

> for tiny Unicorns that are used on ceremonial

> occasions.

The furthest south the Bakerloo Line trains currently go is sidings just under the roundabout. Storage is between E&C and Lambeth North on London Rd. You might be right about the tiny unicorns stables though ;-)

[cathg]

Don't hold your breath. i remember plans for a a Camberwell Bakerloo Line extension when i moved to SE5 in 1983. i even remember seeing plans which showed that the proposed station was going to be on the Father Redcap side of the green and that they were going to have to extend the green south onto Church Street because medieval grazing rights meant that the green had to stay the same size! Never saw any cows or sheep there though. Or signs of a station being built...

[Jeremy]

I expect the appearance of the cows and sheep will coincide with the building of the station - as well as the freezing over of hell.

[charliecharlie]

[quote=Here's the Tube map from 1949 - they were thinking of it then:

]

love the map kford

hhhmmmm 70 years thinking about it so far

that should mean we only need only another 30 years to raise the funding, 15 more planning it, 20 to build it, 5 more to debate what to call it and we should have it up and running 2079...