New Abbey Wood Crossrail station approved

An artist's impression of Abbey Wood Crossrail station which will open in 2017

Plans for a new two-level Crossrail station have been approved for south London.

Bexley and Greenwich Councils have given the green light for the Abbey Wood station, expected to open in 2017.

The current station will be demolished and a temporary area will be built in the current car park, which will open next year.

From 2018, Crossrail will add up to 12 extra trains an hour linking Abbey Wood with central London.

Journeys from Abbey Wood to Bond Street will be reduced from 44 minutes to 25 minutes, Crossrail says.

Passengers travelling to Heathrow Airport will see their journeys cut by about 40 minutes to 51 minutes.