EYE-catching plans for the new £130million Crossrail station at Abbey Wood have been released for the first time.

Computer generated images show what the two-level station will look like when it opens in 2017 providing 12 extra trains an hour linking Abbey Wood with central London.

It features a wide concourse and forecourt connecting the station to the Harrow Manorway dual carriageway which runs above the current facility.

There will be two new platforms for Crossrail and north Kent services as well as six lifts to help passengers get around the station and provide step-free access to every platform.

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The two-level station will feature lift access to all platforms. 

The £130 million cost includes the laying of new tracks and work on bridges along that section of the Crossrail route.

The plans were submitted to Bexley and Greenwich Councils for approval on Monday (July 8) and Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme says they will "transform the local area".

He added: "The station will dramatically improve transport links, reduce congestion on existing rail services, provide a boost to the local economy and support wider regeneration in south east London."

The existing station will be demolished and replaced by a temporary station by summer 2014, which will be located in the current station car park.

By 2018, it is claimed trains will run every five minutes during peak times allowing residents to travel through the capital without having to change trains, reducing the journey to Canary Wharf and Bond Street by 20 minutes quicker and Heathrow by 40 minutes.

By 2021, a Crossrail report predicts property values around Abbey Wood station will grown by 22 per cent above the average rise for homes in Greenwich.

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Journey times from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf should be cut by 20 minutes. 

Rob McIntosh, Network Rail’s Crossrail programme director, said: "We’re very proud to be delivering such a transformational project on behalf of Crossrail.

"We’ll be sharing our plans with locals and passengers as we progress on this four-year programme."

When the £16 billion Crossrail project opens in 2018, the east to west service should increase London's rail network capacity by 10 per cent and relieve congestion on busy tube lines.

A public drop-in session where people can view the proposals for the new station will be held on Thursday (July 11) between 1pm and 7pm at Abbey Wood Community Centre.