South Wimbledon station has won the 2005/6 London Underground (LU) Station Energy Challenge competition beating Hillingdon and Charing Cross stations into second and third place.

The efforts of stations to cut their energy use can have a dramatic impact on the total amount of energy LU uses each year

The Bakerloo line won the Line Award and the Charing Cross group of stations won the Station Group award. The Greenford Group was runner-up.

The LU Station Energy Challenge is an annual competition which awards the Tube station that managed to save the most energy with a special trophy.

Energy saving methods such as turning off lights and escalators in engineering hours has allowed LU to dramatically reduce energy consumption.

Rob Lawford, Morden Group Station Manager, said: "This is a tremendous achievement for South Wimbledon station.

"Reducing the amount of energy that London Underground uses each year is not only cost effective, but also reduces the Tube's impact on climate change."

During this year's Energy Challenge, stations managed to reduce energy consumption during the year compared to five years ago by 25.5 per cent, beating a target of 20 per cent.

The cost of leaving one platform fluorescent light on constantly every year is £56.

Platforms normally have about 50 fluorescent lights so the cost is £2,800 per year.

The amount of electricity used by an escalator varies depending on how long it is and how far it rises but as a guide will cost in the region of between £7,000 and £12,000 each year.

The efforts of stations to cut their energy use can have a dramatic impact on the total amount of energy LU uses each year.

A new LU Station Energy Challenge started in the first week of April. Stations are being asked to reduce energy consumption by 22.5 per cent by the end of the 2006/7 financial year compared to the position five years previously.

  • Transport for London is investing £10bn over the next five years to improve and expand London's transport network, more than half of that in London Underground as we work to transform the Tube
  • The Charing Cross Group is made up of Elephant & Castle, Lambeth North and Charing Cross stations
  • The Greenford Group is made of West Ruislip, Ruislip Gardens, South Ruislip, Hanger Lane, Ealing Broadway, Northolt, Greenford, Perivale, West Acton, North Acton and East Acton stations