TfL agrees half a billion pound design and build contract
Transport for London has awarded Ferrovial Agroman Laing O’Rourke the contract to design and build the Northern line extension to Battersea.
The half a billion pound, six-year contract covers the main construction works. The full cost of the scheme, expected to be up to £1bn, is being funded entirely through developer contributions from Battersea Power Station and other developers and, from 2016, the creation of a new Enterprise Zone in Nine Elms. The powers to build the line are expected to be announced by the Government shortly and construction is due to start next year.
Wandsworth Council has been lobbying for the Tube extension for years while working closely on the scheme with TfL and the Greater London Authority to develop the business case and financing package.
Two new Tube stations will be built – one at Battersea Power Station and another just off Wandsworth Road. They would connect to the rest of the Northern Line at Kennington Station and could be open by 2020.
The Northern line extension will help regenerate the Nine Elms area of Battersea by supporting up to 25,000 new jobs and more than 18,000 new homes. The people of Battersea will get access to the tube network for the first time, and journey times to the West End and the City will be cut to just under 15 minutes.
Mike Brown MVO, the Managing Director of London Underground, said: "This is an important step in ensuring the delivery of this vital extension which will significantly improve transport links in the area.”
Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia said: "It’s fantastic news that a contractor has been appointed and we are a step closer to achieving this vital tube link that we have been campaigning for so long. It will breathe new life into Nine Elms and yield billions of pounds in new economic growth and tax revenue.”
Find out about the council's other plans to improve transport in the borough at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/travelchoices.
August 27, 2014