Peckham Rye station upgrade sees funding axed by government

Long held plans to upgrade Peckham Rye station has seen government halt funding today after nine years of waiting.

Work was due to begin shortly before today’s announcement despite Network Rail stating “Peckham Rye is the busiest interchange station in the entire country without step free access to platforms or accessible facilities for passengers.”

The station sits in a growing part of London with plans for 900 homes nearby at the Aylsham Centre due to be decided next week.

Expect that to be rejected before possibly being approved on appeal when called in by the Mayor, though a reduction in social homes and now transport cuts make it ever less likely.

Network Rail ‘s upgrade project was set to see a new entrance, new lifts, wider platforms, larger passageways, new toilets, a bigger entrance and gate line.

More cuts

Today’s range of cuts for rail appears to contradict the governments continual PR statements of “supporting the builders, not the blockers”.

At the recent spending review the government also failed to support a Bakerloo line extension despite thousands of homes proposed on the Old Kent Road, which will add to pressures on Queens Road Peckham station.

The Starmer administration have also failed to support devolution of rail services in London – including under current Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander – with many London suburban rail cuts remaining in place despite campaigning against when in opposition.

Today’s announcements on what will be funded was often a case of renouncing schemes for the umpteenth times while continuing to ply the divide and rule, London and the south east v elsewhere narrative.

As an example, they announced for about the tenth time funding for Bristol to Portishead.  At £27 million it’s chicken feed in the wider context of transport and government spending.

That project has also been talked about for twenty years.

Not serious about rail

Allocating small sums to specific areas and playing off regions is a favoured tactic of the Department for Transport and seen time and again recently under Labour. Unlike other developed nations England can only apparently invest in one area or another.

Devolved nations appear to be doing a lot better job than Westminster does in England.

And of course as this isn’t France – where 20 tram schemes have opened since 2000 while billions are invested annually in Paris – it’s thin gruel moved from one spot to another.

See also, say, Spain. Does Madrid see few improvements as Barcelona gains Metro extensions? Of course not. Amazingly other nations manage to support various cities and regions.

Ultimately what today’s announcements show is despite all the PR and statements this isn’t a government much interested in public transport improvements, rail (particularly in London) nor the wider benefits derived from improvements such as new housing.

It’s a continuation of years of failure. It’s also an issue that’s ripe for political opponents to capitalise upon.

Labour have already been seeing recent defections in SE London. Keep cutting and they’ll likely see more.

Future

Where we go from here remains to be seen. Southwark have already appointed contractors to remove the eyesore building outside Peckham Rye station for new public space. While that may happen the much-needed attached station building project won’t happen.

Work on that is supposed to start in September after many, many years of talk.

The station building cuts follow many, many reports, focus groups, workshops, consultations and exercises.

It’s a calamitous decision – like many other rail cuts announced today which will also see years of work binned and thousands of skilled, trained workers laid off – which goes against everything this government claim to stand for.