Thameslink plan may still not ease the Streatham squeeze - Nicholson

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 30th Jul 2007

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Streatham, Chris Nicholson, has voiced his concerns over news that the planned investment in the Thameslink rail line may not ease the chronic overcrowding on trains running through Streaham and Tulse Hill stations.

Last week the government announced its decision to provide an extra £5 billion of funding for the modernisation of the Thameslink rail system. The announcement included plans to increase both the length and frequency of trains running on the line between Bedford and Brighton.

But after questioning officials at the Department of Transport, local campaigner Chris Nicholson has now discovered that only a small amount of this money is likely to be used to upgrade services on the "Wimbledon Loop", a popular branch of the line for rail commuters who often have to experience packed carriages while travelling between Streatham and Tulse Hill stations.

Commenting on the issue, Chris Nicholson said:

"Although I welcome the extra funding for Thameslink, it seems clear that the people of Streatham are not going to benefit from it as much as they should."

"Services on the Wimbledon loop are among the most overcrowded in the country, but the Department of Transport have told me that there are no plans to increase the number of carriages or to run more trains along this route."

"As a Streatham resident, I'm fed up of standing in packed carriages with hardly any room in which to move as I travel home from work, so I shall be keeping up my campaign to get more done to ease this overcrowding."