Khan finally extends Bakerloo Underground line ... but on the bus

SADIQ KHAN’S planned extension of London Underground’s Bakerloo line with a new bus route has been mocked as a “blunderloop”.

The Mayor of London said an express bus service will run along the route of the delayed 4.7 mile Tube line extension if he is re-elected.

He said the “Bakerloop line” would help people make journeys across parts of south-east London “much quicker and more easily” and would build on the existing Superloop bus network

The service would run between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham, via Burgess Park, Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate.

Yet the bus-only Bakerloo extension was branded a “blunderloop” by Mr Khan’s Conservative rival Susan Hall, who will be standing against him at the mayoral election on May 2. Ms Hall said: “This Blunderloop is yet another Superflop from Sadiq Khan.

“Instead of delivering the much needed Bakerloo line extension, Mr Khan has decided to settle for a bus.

“Sadiq Khan clearly isn’t listening and after he blew £30 million trying to stop the trade unions from striking, it’s no wonder Tfl’s finances are in such a state.”

In a social media post, the Labour mayor said: “The new Superloop has been a huge success and this route will mirror the proposed Tube extension.”

Howard Cox, the Reform UK mayoral candidate, warned that adding more buses to the already congested route risked causing traffic jams.

“Adding a new costly bus route with the inevitable traffic turmoil from extra exclusive bus lanes means the Old Kent Road will become even more congested and worse still, more polluting. Khan is playing transport route roulette to gain votes in the lead-up to May 2, and wasting more taxpayers’ money in the process,” he said.

Transport for London (TFL) has had plans for many years to extend the Bakerloo line south-east from its current terminus at Elephant & Castle to Lewisham, roughly following the route of the Old Kent Road.

Currently estimated to cost up to £10billion, extending the line would involve building three new Tube stations: one at Burgess Park, on the Old Kent Road and the other at New Cross Gate. No Government funding has been secured for the Bakerloo line extension.

Travelling from Lewisham to Charing Cross would be five minutes faster than by existing main line trains if the Bakerloo extension was built, according to TFL estimates dating back to 2015 when detailed planning was being carried out. No bus routes directly duplicate the Tube extension’s route but the number 136 bus is scheduled to make the journey from Lewisham to the current Bakerloo terminus in about 40 minutes.

‘This Blunderloop is yet another Superflop from Sadiq Khan – he clearly isn’t listening’

A spokesman for Mr Khan criticised Ms Hall’s mockery of the Bakerloo bus plans, saying: “This is extraordinary hypocrisy from the Tory candidate whose party cancelled billions of pounds of Government funding for the Bakerloo extension. Sadiq is totally committed to the extension.”