Councillor Peter Brooks and staff have been on the streets publicising the campaign, which centres on a press and PR drive involving local civic fortnightly paper Greenwich Time, along with local press, TV and radio.
Town-hall chiefs, who are rousing public support ahead of Crossrail’s proposed route consultation deadline of 27 October, point out that despite the line passing through Woolwich Arsenal station, trains will not stop there.
The council is attempting to prompt its 217,000 residents to take action with ‘Posters on Wheels’ vans touring the borough, while postcards for residents to sign to show their support have been delivered borough-wide to be forwarded to Crossrail. Banners are also flying from all civic buildings.
Greenwich Council head of comms Katrina Delaney said that Crossrail would be a ‘great boost to thousands of local people’ and give them ‘access to jobs, leisure facilities and travel that was previously more difficult to come by’.
She pointed out that the link would tie in with the Docklands Light Railway, due to open in Woolwich in 2008, and ‘complement’ the multi-million-pound regeneration of the Royal Arsenal.
Crossrail, which has been lobbying at all three party conferences to bolster parliamentary support, was given the go-ahead by transport secretary Alistair Darling in July.
The project comprises two lines. The first could start operating in 2012 and runs between Paddington and the Isle of Dogs.
The other line runs north-east to south-west, connecting Dalston with Clapham Junction.
