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Campaign for west London Crossrail stop
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard24.02.09
AN extra Crossrail station could be added for residents in west London.
The proposed route goes through Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington and Chelsea, but does not stop in either borough. The closest stops are Acton to the west and Paddington to the east.
But council leaders are calling on Transport Minister Lord Adonis to rethink the plans.
Stephen Greenhalgh, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham, has said he wants a station at Old Oak in the north of the borough, which would be the focus of a huge regeneration project.
It is hoped a stop would help regenerate large tracts of railway land to the north of Wormwood Scrubs. Mr Greenhalgh last week took Lord Adonis on a tour of the 32-hectare site.
He said: "I met Lord Adonis to try to convince him that if a Crossrail station was built here it will release the untapped potential of this part of the borough and make it a very attractive site for new homes, shops and businesses. Regeneration to the north of Wormwood Scrubs would help us meet our target of building 6,500 new homes in the next 10 years.
"With the co-operation of Network Rail and the Minister for Transport, the area around Old Oak Common, which we call the northern site, could and should be London's key regeneration opportunity."
Kensington and Chelsea is also keen to have a station but has not decided on a location.
A spokeswoman said: "We have always supported a station in North Kensington and believe there remain strong arguments for it."
Crossrail goes from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west across to Essex and Kent in the east. The first trains are due to run in 2017.
The project is a joint venture between Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: "Like many options available to improve rail services in the capital, a Crossrail station in west London is under consideration and an announcement about this will be made in due course."
