Wimbledon MP demands TfL produces District Line signalling upgrade plan to tackle poor services

• Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon, has written to TfL asking for a fully costed feasibility study into re-signalling the Wimbledon branch of the District Line, with a realistic delivery timetable.
• Paul made the same request to the Department for Transport in September. The Minister for Rail refused, saying the matter is for TfL.
• TfL must now act as Paul presses for a long-term fix for the branch.

Paul’s letter to TfL sets out his request for a feasibility study covering a potential project to modernise the signalling between Wimbledon and East Putney, including specific figures on cost and timeframe.

The Wimbledon to East Putney branch was left out of the multi-million-pound Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) programme. As a result, the new automated signalling stops at East Putney, and trains to Wimbledon still run on signalling dating from the 1980s.

On 18 September, Paul wrote to the Department for Transport asking it to carry out the study. The Minister for Rail declined to do so, emphasising that the matter is “solely for” TfL.

TfL, according to the DfT, therefore holds responsibility. A completed study would give TfL a costed, deliverable plan to put to the Mayor of London & the Department for Transport, which is the first step towards getting the work approved & funded.

Paul is also asking TfL to:

• explain the reason for each planned closure on the branch
• set out its capital spending in the Wimbledon constituency for every year since 2016/17, along with its planned spending to 2029/30
• publish how much was saved by removing the Wimbledon branch of the District Line’l from the 4LM upgrade.   

Paul Kohler MP said:

‘It is no secret the Wimbledon branch of the District Line is unreliable. The service suffers constant signal failures, chronic delays and cancellations, which  my constituents have put up with for far too long.

The Wimbledon to East Putney stretch still relies on signalling from the 1980s, whilst the rest of the District Line is getting a multi-million-pound upgrade.

I wrote to the Government, but they told me this is a matter for TfL. So I am asking TfL: you need to get a grip; commission a study to determine what a proper long-term upgrade would cost and how long it will take. Wimbledon deserves a reliable tube service.’