Hughes quizzes minister over future of Thameslink plans for London Bridge station

4.04.14pm GMT Thu 4th Feb 2010

In a debate in the House of Commons this week (2nd February) Simon Hughes quizzed junior transport minister Chris Mole about the future of the planned rebuild works at London Bridge station. Recent reports have suggested that the government is not now certain that the money will exist to start the works which are due to begin in the autumn on 2012.

Mr Hughes also made a call for better information for people travelling across the river from London bridge to be given much more warning about alternative travel arrangements while the work is being carried out to extend Blackfriars station south of the river, and sought assurances that once the Thameslink work between London Bridge and St Pancras is completed there will not be the same need for closures in the years which follow as passengers have experiences on the Jubilee Line over recent months.

A link to the full debate is here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm100202/halltext/100202h0004.htm#10020246000003

After the debate Simon Hughes said:

"It was reassuring to hear the minister say briefly that construction works at London Bridge are still due to start in the autumn of 2012. Sadly we ran out of time to probe him in the debate and we certainly were given no cast-iron guarantees either from Labour or the Conservatives that if either of them was to win a majority at the next election they would secure the funding for the rest of the work at London Bridge.

"Obviously none of us locally have accepted that Network Rail's disruption at Borough Market is not going to continue to threaten the future of the market once all the demolition and relocation has taken place. Sadly, although we fought this battle valiantly, this is a battle that we have lost. All my energies now are directed to making sure that whatever the difficulties, the wholesale and retail Borough Market survives and prospers, and that we see the completion of the new Blackfriars station, the later rebuilding of London Bridge and hopefully the continuation of full South London Line services in the decade ahead."