Surrey council bid to extend Crossrail 2 to more towns

The council said Surrey had some of the most overcrowded train services

Surrey commuters are being urged to back a council campaign to extend Crossrail as far as Guildford and Woking.

This summer, Surrey County Council launched a study to look at the benefits of stretching the second section of the rail link to both towns.

Consultation by Transport for London (TfL) on Crossrail 2 began this week.

Under current proposals, the project reaches out to Epsom and Shepperton in Surrey.

The council's cabinet member for environment and planning Mike Goodman said with Surrey train services among the 10 most overcrowded in the country, it was essential to do everything possible to meet rising passenger demand.

He said 130,000 Surrey residents travelled into London by train each day and many never got a seat.

"We believe it should go into more places and we're looking at Woking and Guildford," he said.

The study commissioned by the council will be published next month, he added.

He said: "What I'm urging Crossrail to do is to listen to this research, because we believe it could be positive news for our Surrey residents."

Mr Goodman said Crossrail 2 would not be finished until 2030 but added: "What we must do is plan it now. We've got one of the best economies in Surrey, so the justification is to come to Surrey."

He urged everyone to take part in the consultation to ensure the county got the maximum benefit from Crossrail 2.

Roadshows are being held over the next two months, with events in Epsom on 4 and 5 November, Chessington on 4 and 5 December and Shepperton on 14 and 15 December.

The TfL consultation runs until 8 January 2016.