Elizabeth line: Why Abbey Wood has high hopes

The new Elizabeth line has opened after long delays to the Crossrail project. The BBC has been to Abbey Wood, which is hoping to benefit from a long-promised regeneration, to gauge the mood.

Walking out of this station in south-east London, you're confronted with an area that could euphemistically be described as having potential. Tall blocks of flats are under construction. There are bags of rubbish on the pavement. Some shops are here, but not all of them are in business.

The rebuilt railway station was completed in 2017. Perhaps the last excitement witnessed on its platform was when a pigeon boarded a Connex train in 1999. (The bird disembarked at Gravesend, according to the People newspaper.)

A Southeastern train can get you the 11 miles (17km) to the official centre of the capital at Charing Cross in about 40 minutes - a time that's been significantly shortened for Crossrail passengers. What hopes do the people who live here have for Abbey Wood?

"It will put Abbey Wood on the map," declares taxi-firm boss Nim Bhadare, the self-styled "Mr Crossrail".

He previously told the BBC that he had spent £35,000 upgrading his systems and employing more drivers, ahead of what he hopes will be an increase in punters, only to experience persistent delays.

"I think we've got over this stage of it being late and delays and everything else," the 52-year-old adds, having survived despite fears his business might go under.

"The impact about four and a half years ago would have been immense. With everything that's happened over the last couple of years with Covid, people working from home, I think it will be a bit challenging.

"Hopefully people won't change their habits, and use us as their transport."

Is he optimistic for the future, in what is an area which used to be known for its deprivation, according to Greenwich Council's most recently published figures in 2019.

"I think everybody running businesses along the Crossrail route is thinking like I am. The fact that's happening now, you know it's great, and let's just hope that everybody, including the teams that are working on it, embrace it now and move forward."

"The impact has already been has been amazing for a number of years since the work started and I can only see it going one way, which is up," says Paul Winters, branch manager of Your Move estate agent on Wilton Road.

"For a number of years now, as properties come on, they literally sell straight away. The majority of our buyers are coming from north, east and south-west London, because it is still one of the cheaper parts of London."

Prices peaked in 2017, a year before the original December 2018 opening date, according to the 46-year-old, who says property prices have increased between £100,000 and 150,000 since 2015. The average property price in SE2 is now £361,000, according to Zoopla.

Mr Winters describes the new line's impact as "transformative".

"In the last nine months, we've seen a steady growth in price and, looking ahead, it's hard to say [anything] but prices are going to go up."

Lola Oshilaja, who opened Pretty Yummy Cakes in Abbey Wood in January, says she is "very enthusiastic" about the launch of the Elizabeth line.

"We hope that it will improve business for us and we hope that we will see more customers come into the shop."

In expectation of better times, Pretty Yummy Cakes has extended its opening hours in the mornings and evenings.

Ms Oshilaja says: "I think it will have an impact because this is the first stop and this is the last stop [on the line].

"We know that many people coming from Kent want to use the train station, so they would have somewhere to wait for their train."

Does she have any nerves about the official opening, though?

"We're optimistic," she says. "It's here now so we just have to embrace it and make the most of it for business."

"The whole idea behind opening shop was the location," says Indresh Pal, who owns Fix It Pal, a stone's throw from the entrance to the station which will be used by Elizabeth line passengers.

"People were saying that once the Crossrail starts, things are going to change for good so I've been holding my breath since."

The 37-year-old cites quicker journey times to Heathrow as a big plus for residents of SE2.

"It's cut down travelling time for passengers and hopefully it's going to benefit us as well as in terms of footfall. If footfall increases, it will definitely help all the businesses in this area."

Clarification 27th June: This article was amended to clarify Abbey Wood's position in UK statistics on deprivation.

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