Plans for new Crossrail station at Abbey Wood are approved

A Crossrail tunnelling machine

Plans for a new station to serve a major rail scheme have been approved.

Two London councils, Bexley and Greenwich, have given the green light for a new Crossrail station at Abbey Wood in south London.

The new, two-level station will open in 2017 and will be built above two new dedicated Crossrail tracks and those used by North Kent services.

Work on the temporary station, which will be situated in the current station car park and open in autumn 2014, will get under way next month. Demolition of the existing station will begin once the temporary station opens.

From 2018, Crossrail will add up to 12 extra trains an hour, linking Abbey Wood with central London and beyond, cutting journey times and reducing congestion on existing services.

The journey from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf in London's Docklands and to Bond Street in the West End will be around 20 minutes quicker and passengers travelling to Heathrow airport will be able to cut about 40 minutes off their journey.

PA