Transport, transcript
Press briefing on Line M37
Edited transcript of the briefing given by the Secretary for Transport on 8 October 2026, the day before Notice No. 2026/396 was published.
- Date
- 8 October 2026
- Speaker
- The Secretary for Transport
- Subject
- Line M37
- Related notice
- No. 2026/396
- Status
- Edited for length and clarity
Opening statement
Good morning. Line M37 will open in 2029, which is later than the year we gave when the line was announced. I would rather say that plainly at the start than have you find it in a timetable.
The reason is the route in the south. The line was planned to pass beneath the South Greenland reserve. When the detailed survey was finished, it showed that the original alignment needed work at the surface that the reserve cannot take. We have re-planned the route so that the tunnelling stays below the reserve and the stations sit outside it. That takes longer to build.
Nothing about the reserve is being reduced. The park stays a park. That is the point of building underground in the first place: the trains move below, and the ground above stays for people to live on.
Questions
Question. Is 2029 a firm date?
The Secretary. It is an expected date, which is how it is described in the notice. Tunnelling is the part of a project that can still surprise us. If the date moves again, there will be a new notice with a new number, and I will answer questions on it the same way.
Question. Will passengers on existing lines be affected while the works go ahead?
The Secretary. No. The works are on the route of the new line. Existing services run as timetabled, and any change to them will be published as a service notice.
Question. Could the line not simply have gone around the reserve?
The Secretary. We looked at that. Going around adds length, and it puts the line under streets where people already live, which means more disruption above ground for longer. Going beneath the reserve, with the stations outside it, disturbs the fewest people.
Question. Is this connected to the change to resident fares for Portsmere?
The Secretary. No. That is a separate decision with its own notice, number 2026/381, and its own reasons. I would ask you to keep the two apart.
Question. Where can we read more?
The Secretary. The findings are summarised in Notice No. 2026/396. If you want more detail than the notice gives, write to the Department of Transport and we will answer in writing. Thank you.