Elephant and Castle Station Capacity Upgrade project downscaled

While future Underground passenger usage and therefore a continuous income flow continues to remain uncertain, TfL is still to feel the implications of June’s £1.08bn central government bailout agreement.

The conditions imposed include a commitment by TfL to find savings of, or to increase income by, £300m in the 2021/22 financial year. The organisation has separately committed to identify increases of revenue of between £500m-£1bn annually from 2023.

The plan to extend the Bakerloo Line beyond Elephant and Castle during the mid-2030’s southbound to Lewisham has already been officially mothballed. Now the stretched purse strings have caused TfL to announce that it can no longer commit to the level of funding previously intended for the Elephant and Castle Station Capacity Upgrade (ECSCU) project.

So that the project is not delayed, TfL has agreed to use the existing thirdparty funding to complete the core scope of the works. This includes a new station box and connecting tunnels. Completion of the final station fit-out and opening will now be delayed until TfL can find the finances.