Plans for a new Crossrail 2 station in Fulham is gaining momentum, in the same week it was revealed the controversial station in Chelsea could be ditched to save money.

A government report says funding for the £27 billion Transport for London (TfL) railway, which would run from the capital’s north-east to south-west, should be handed over, but also acknowledges the depth of opposition to a new station being proposed in King’s Road.

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), which produced the Transport for a World City report published on March 10, says the Chelsea station “does not provide the strategic interchange or crowding relief provided by other stations”.

But Hammersmith and Fulham Council is using the same report to promote plans for a Crossrail 2 station at Imperial Wharf as it continues to build its case for the new interchange.

'Vital addition to local rail network'

Council leader Stephen Cowan said: “The NIC’s endorsement of Crossrail 2 is great news. We support their push to get construction started. The logic now is that the new station is at Imperial Wharf.

“Bringing Crossrail 2 to south Fulham will provide better links to the London and national travel infrastructure and allow us to accelerate economic growth in this important part of London.

“It would be a vital addition to the local rail network for commuters and be an important facet of our plan to make Hammersmith and Fulham the best place to start and run a business in the European Union.”

Those opposed to the station made their feelings known before a public meeting in November last year

H&F also said its plans not dependent whether a Crossrail 2 station was built in neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea.

Meanwhile, news that the £1bn Chelsea station, planned for the junction with Sydney Street , may not go ahead has been welcomed by Chris Lenon, chairman of the the No Crossrail in Chelsea campaign group , which has the support of 10,000 people and 80 small and medium sized firms.

He said: “The report echoes what we have been saying from the beginning - and what Transport for London themselves acknowledge. The planned Chelsea station will be the only new station on the line, the only station without an interchange with another line and is not the best option for reducing passenger congestion.”

The report by the NIC, chaired by Lord Adonis, says costs for the scheme can be reduced by the removal a sub-surface central London station, and noted the campaign against the Chelsea station.

It said: “Although this station would provide improved access to an area which has not previously had good Underground connections compared to other inner London areas, a stop on the King’s Road does not provide the strategic interchange or crowding relief provided by other stations.”

'Ludicrous'

Mr Lenon continued: “It is clear there is no transport or business case for a Chelsea Crossrail 2 station. 10,000 local people and 80 small and medium sized businesses oppose a Chelsea station, while our MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands , favours an alternative site at Imperial Wharf .

“Spending more than £1bn on the richest part of London, when so many other places in our great city require investment, is ludicrous.

“Crossrail 2 is a great project. We support it. But plans to build a massive new station in the heart of Chelsea must be scrapped.”