Plans for Kingston and Richmond's inclusion in the fast link Crossrail scheme have been derailed, leaving councils, businesses and residents to pick up the pieces.

Last week the Comet revealed that transport secretary Alistair Darling had ruled out the Kingston extension of the £10billion Government backed plans the news came as no surprise to many, but was still a major blow.

Chairman of Kingston Area Travellers' Association Tony Adams has concerns about Kingston's future prospects and condemned the short-sightedness of the decision. He said the car will remain the most used form of transport in the town until public transport is improved.

He said: "We are extremely disappointed. Why they got everybody's hopes up and then disappointed them I do not know.

"Kingston, like most of London south of the Thames, does not have an underground, and Crossrail would have solved that problem. Now we are right back where we started.

"Kingston town centre has dropped to 17th place in the shopping league tables when it has been in the top five. They have to do something to stop it from dropping even further.

"The only non-car hope for the future now appears to be a tram link with Croydon and Wimbledon, although I don't know where the money for that is going to come from."

Commuters who use Kingston's slower train service into town, instead of getting the bus to Surbiton for a quick trip in, have been hardest hit.

Commuter James Morton, 27, has lived in Kingston for three years and works in central London. He said: "It would have been good for Kingston to get a fast rail link into town.

"It takes me at least 45 minutes to get to work in the mornings but it can be a lot longer if the train is late. It would make life a lot easier for residents if there were more options."

Another impact of the decision is a potential effect on house prices. Director of Kingston-based Stack and Bonner estate agents, Jason Hamilton, said: "Surbiton is a popular town with commuters but it does not have all the amenities which Kingston offers.

"If there was a fast-link, I am sure it would be of great benefit to the local public and, of course, it would be something that would make Kingston more attractive to home owners, with people willing to move to the area from further afield. And if demand goes up, prices go up too."

Not everyone, however, is sad to see back of Crossrail...

The decision not to include Kingston and Richmond in Crossrail has been condemned by many politicians and residents, but has come as cause for celebration in one Richmond community.

Sheen Park residents faced the prospect of having their properties blighted by years of construction work, and some faced losing their homes altogether because of compulsory purchase orders.

The scrapping of the proposed extension has delighted the residents and local MP Jenny Tonge, who championed their cause.

Shirley Smith, 75, has lived in her Sheen Park home for 48 years and found out about the plans in November.

She said: "It was such a relief. We were so overjoyed but we could not quite believe it.

"We have been looking at our home and at our garden and we thought, well this will all have to go.

"It is not just the house, we have brought up our family here and we have all our provisions here so we can get on. It is not just for us either, it is for our children, our grandchildren and our three great-grandchildren who all come round to the house."