South east London will see more buses but no new train routes in the near future, Sadiq Khan has said.

People living south of the river have long been asking for an expansion of the Tube network to match the level of connectivity seen elsewhere in the capital.

Transport for London (TfL) has backed plans that would see the DLR extended to Thamesmead and the Bakerloo line to Lewisham.

But speaking today (November 28) at the launch of the new Overground names, the London Mayor said that these projects will not be completed soon.

He explained that more trains for south east London is “the prize medium- to long-term”, but that in the near future TfL wants to add more buses.

“We have seen the success of Superloop and we are working on Superloop 2,” he said.

“The advantage of buses is we can get them up and running much more quickly, whereas it can sometimes take sometimes decades to get rail lines built and trains procured.

“So, we do want to make sure those parts of London that at the moment aren’t as well-served by rail lines have improvements with public transport sooner rather than later.”  

He added that he would be lobbying the government to ensure funding was in place to extend the Bakerloo line and DLR.

Under current plans, Tube stops would be added at Burgess Park, Old Kent Road, New Cross Gate and Lewisham.

The DLR would be extended south of the river from Gallions Reach, with new stations at Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead.

Sadiq Khan said: “The point we are making to the government is that actually these new lines will enable more homes, more jobs and growth.”

He also added that he would be happy to support a future extension of the Elizabeth line.

Daniel Francis, Bexleyheath and Crayford MP, and Jim Dickson, Dartford MP, recently urged ministers to make an extension of the commuter line to Ebbsfleet “a priority”.

There is already a business case for the extension, which would see services stop in Belvedere, Erith, and Slade Green.

“I’d be more than happy for people like Jim Dickson’s constituents to benefit from the Elizabeth Line,” Sadiq Khan said.

“It doesn’t directly serve London’s interests, but it does indirectly because we want it to be quicker to come into London from Dartford and vice versa.”