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A second entrance could be built at Southwark Tube station in a bid to “help ease overcrowding” if proposals put forward by Transport for London are given the green light.

The new station entrance, which would be built in Greet Street at the interchange with Waterloo East, is now the focus of a public consultation which was launched by TfL on Wednesday.

Around 17 million customers use Southwark station each year and, according to TfL, the huge number of entries and exits there have doubled every five years from 2007 to 2017.

The number of rail users is also expected to “increase significantly” in the next 20 years and TfL says the new entrance will help tackle overcrowding at the Jubilee line station.

Proposals for the entrance include a planted roof and community space, as well as plans to work with the local borough to improve the area around Southwark station, which opened in 1999.

The entrance has also been designed in a bid to provide more direct routes to The Cut and the Waterloo area, which hopes to cut down journey times and “support businesses and restaurants”.

After launching a public consultation on Wednesday, Marlon Osborne, head of customer service for the Jubilee Line, said the proposals would make thousands of journeys easier.

“A second entrance at Southwark station will make customer journeys easier for thousands of customers every day as well as supporting the growing number of homes and jobs in the area," he said.

“I’d encourage all those living and working nearby to attend the exhibitions to learn more about the plans, share their views and help shape how the community space inside the station is used.”

Two exhibitions are being held in the coming weeks so Southwark residents, businesses and customers can find out more from the project team.

The continued modernisation of London Underground is a key part of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to make London a greener, more accessible place.

The investment in improving public transport will help reduce reliance on the car and contribute to the Mayor’s target of 80 per cent of journeys made by public transport, cycling or walking by 2041.

Public consultation runs from 12 September to Tuesday 10 October. For more information click here