§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has yet taken a view on whether there should be stations at Southwark and Bermondsey on the proposed Jubilee line extension to docklands.
§ Mr. FreemanI told the House on 24 July—Official Report, columns 373–74—that it was the Government's policy that stations should be built at Southwark and Bermondsey; I also said that further analytical work was to be carried out to confirm that the case for these stations was positive. The House will wish to know the outcome of this work. The appraisal showed that on current costings the economic case for the stations was positive—and was indeed as strong as that for the line itself, provided that, in Southwark's case, direct passenger access was provided between it and British Rail's Waterloo East station. The Government are therefore prepared to approve construction of both stations provided the cost of the project as a whole can be held within agreed cost limits. There is no question of London Transport or the Government seeking to withdraw provision for Southwark and Bermondsey stations from the Bill.