Press Release

Mayor unveils major package of improvements for West London
30-10-2008   556

As the new Westfield Shopping Centre is opened, £200m investment delivers new Tube, Overground and bus stations in Shepherd's Bush

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today opened the new Westfield Shopping Centre in Shepherd's Bush, the largest of its kind in Europe, and unveiled £200m of associated investment in transport infrastructure that will improve the quality of life for residents, boost local businesses, and benefit thousands of visitors to the centre.

Ahead of opening the centre, the Mayor joined Tim O'Toole, Managing Director of London Underground, as well as Michael Gutman, UK CEO for Westfield and Stephen Greenhalgh , Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Councils he visited the brand new Wood Lane Tube station on the Hammersmith & City line, the first new station built on an existing line for 70 years.

The enormous investment in infrastructure will support and stimulate the economy both in the local area and across London, with a raft of transport improvements transforming the connections that West Londoners have to the transport network. These include:

• A rebuilt Shepherd's Bush Central line station, with new enlarged ticket hall, brand new escalators for the first time in 80 years, and enhancement so that the station will cope with the increased demand that will follow the opening of the Westfield centre
• A new fully accessible White City bus station, next to the new Wood Lane Tube station, capable of carrying 10,000 passengers every day
• A brand new, fully accessible Overground station on the Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction line, offering passengers a north-south rail link at Shepherd's Bush.
• A refurbished and improved White City Central line station.
• Four new cycle routes and 570 secure cycle parking spaces around the site.
• Upgraded pedestrian access with new crossings around the whole site.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: "This is a fantastically exciting day for West London, which - with its incredibly impressive new shopping centre and gleaming new transport facilities - will now become a major destination well and truly on the London map.

"This huge investment in infrastructure will help to boost the London economy and will make life better for the people of West London, who will see the real benefits of an unprecedented improvement in public transport.  The new Wood Lane station, and the connection to the London Overground network, will radically improve the transport links for people in West London, who have been crying out for better connections for years. And the shopping centre will bring new investment into the local community, and will help to support the regeneration not just in the area around Wood Lane, but for many miles around."

The improvements will enable the vast majority of visitors to the new shopping centre to travel to and from Westfield by public transport, and will improves travel to the area for everyone, including cyclists who will benefits from four new routes and 570 cycle racks.

These major transport improvements were the result of partnership working between TfL, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Westfield, who invested £170 million coupled with a further £30 million from Transport for London.

Managing Director of London Underground, Tim O'Toole, said: "The completion of these world class transport links in the borough makes it one of the best connected in London, which is great news for local people and businesses.

"Wood Lane is a stunning new station, spacious enough to cope with large capacity crowds especially with football matches at Queens Park Rangers Football Club and the large numbers of people expected to use the new shopping centre. In addition local people will see great improvements at the rebuilt Shepherd's Bush station, which has been completed on time after an intensive period of work this year."

Notes to Editors

• London Underground (LU) is undertaking a major programme of renewal as part of Transport for London's Investment Programme. This will inevitably result in some disruption for passengers, but TfL is working hard to provide information and alternative travel options.  The work is essential to provide for London's growing transport needs now, and into the future. TfL is urging all Londoners and Tube, London Overground and DLR passengers to "check before you travel" at weekends, allowing extra journey time where necessary. Weekend travel news is available at www.tfl.gov.uk;
• Wood Lane is the first new station to be built on an existing line (not on a new line or extension) for more than 70 years. (The last one was Elm Park Tube station on the District line in 1935);
• It brings the number of stations on the Hammersmith & City line to 29;
• Nearly 46m people travel each year on the Hammersmith & City line with 149,405 travelling on weekdays;
• It's predicted that as many as 6,665 people will use the new Wood Lane station between noon and 3pm on Saturdays, once the nearby Westfield London shopping centre opens.

The package also includes:

• Two new pedestrian crossings -  one on the West Cross Route opposite Shepherd's Bush London Overground station; and the other on Shepherd's Bush Green opposite the revamped Shepherd's Bush Central line station as well as a step free pedestrian route across the A3220 linking to Ariel Way;
• The removal of LU Central line sidings from the site into new underground sidings, which allowed the land above to be built on;
• Pick up points for Taxis and people of reduced mobility.

View a slide show of the Mayor at Westfield Shopping Centre and Wood Lane Tube station.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Press information is available from the Mayor’s Press Office - contact Jonathan Edwards on 0207 983 4337 or 07825 781 014; email jonathan.edwards@london.gov.uk
GENERAL PUBLIC/NON-MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Call the Public Liaison Unit at the Greater London Authority on 020 7983 4100
DUTY PRESS OFFICER: For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000

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