Getting to central London on public transport always seems like mission impossible with engineering works and cancellations to tackle, but the £1bn expansion of the East London Line should change all this. Robert Fisk speaks to project director Peter Richards about the project.

WHEN work on the Tube extension is complete in 2010 there will be four trains an hour going from Crystal Palace, Penge West and Anerley.

These trains will serve the entire East London Line and enable residents to connect with the Jubilee Line at Canada Water, the Docklands Light Railway at Shadwell and the District and Hammersmith and City lines at Whitechapel.

The expansion aims to make it easier for people to get around in London without having to rely on major stations like Victoria, London Bridge and Waterloo.

The ambitious project is the cornerstone of Mayor Ken Livingstone's transport plans for the capital.

Sundridge Park resident Peter Richards is the man in charge.

He has been involved in the project for the past three years since Transport for London took over responsibility for building the East London Line from the Strategic Health Authority.

In his wide-ranging job he has attended meetings about the project which is expected to trigger up to £10bn worth of economic development.

One of the issues he has had to deal with is complaints from campaigners angry about delays with the project which was originally scheduled for completion this year.

The 48-year-old says construction should begin in the autumn.

The work includes building new stations at Dalston Junction, Haggerston, Hoxton and Shoreditch High Street, and replacing track and signalling on the route.

Mr Richards assured: "It is all on track and on time."

His first experience of a major transportation project came when he worked on the Jubilee Line extension.

The father-of-three has also worked on projects at Heathrow Airport and in Taiwan among others.

The Garden Road resident has been interested in engineering since he was a teenager.

His father was a surveyor and his neighbour worked at a civil engineering firm.

Mr Richards got a job at Freeman Fox in Bristol, before reading civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield.

He said: "It is an exciting opportunity for Bromley borough.

"It is a major project and will improve the transport network in London.

"It will be hugely satisfying when it is done."

GETTING MORE PEOPLE MOVING

THE East London Line (ELL) currently serves nine stations and carries about 10.5m passengers a year.

Twenty-five million more passengers are expected to use the line when the south extension is completed in 2010.

The work will see 12 stations added to the line.

Each train on the extended ELL will be made up of four carriages.

The expansion is part of the regeneration plans for the 2012 Olympics and will make it easy for Bromley residents to visit events.