Kingston Council leader Kevin Davis has backed high-speed rail service Crossrail 2 extending to the borough, saying the scheme will “sound the death knell for unpleasant overcrowding”.

Plans for Crossrail 2 show the building of a new railway connecting Kingston’s stations to central London via a tunnel through Wimbledon, as well as increasing train frequencies.

Wimbledon residents held a protest meeting earlier this month at the plans, which include the demolition of Centre Court Shopping Centre, Wimbledon Bridge House and some homes in the area.

Kingston Council has now thrown its support behind the proposals, which if approved would see the rail service completed by 2030.

Mr Davis said: “In terms of infrastructure Crossrail 2 is the single, biggest project bringing benefits directly to all parts of Kingston.

“It will bring increased capacity and sound the death knell for unpleasant crowding and the current congestion that blights the lives of commuters.”

Since October Transport for London has visited sites across Kingston as part of a public consultation into the proposals.

The train line would see services to London Waterloo almost double per hour for some stations in the borough. Kingston’s service would rise from six to 12, Surbiton from nine to 12 and New Malden from 10 to 16.

Richard Grosvenor, secretary of the Kingston Federation of Residents, said: “It would be foolish not to welcome Crossrail 2 with open arms because our train services to the rest of London desperately need improvement.

“But I would caution against excessive expectations for the project’s claimed benefits to Kingston.

“Crossrail’s claims of doubling the number of services from Kingston into central London look unrealistic.”

The results of the consultation are expected to be released in Spring. Visit crossrail2.co.uk for information.