A key meeting next week will probably be the final chance to secure funding for Surrey Canal Road station on the East London Line. This week Boris Johnson confirmed to Caroline Pidgeon, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson, that funding of the station will be one of the key issues on the agenda of a meeting being held next week (Thursday 27th May) between the Mayor of London and Philip Hammond MP, the new Secretary of State for Transport.
Commenting on this news, which was revealed at Wednesday’s, Mayor’s Question Time at City Hall the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Transport Spokesperson said:
“It is immensely frustrating that a final decision still has not been made about the funding of Surrey Canal Road station.
“Unless funding is confirmed in the next few weeks a huge opportunity to improve and regenerate an area will be totally wasted. After so much dithering the stakes could not be higher.
“More than six months ago the Conservative Mayor of London and the Labour Mayor of Lewisham put aside their differences and urged the previous Secretary of State for Transport to finally make a quick decision. Regrettably he and his Department completely failed to do this.
“It is now time that good sense prevailed and the Department of Transport’s past pledge to contribute to funding of this station was finally confirmed.”