It might have been the longest wait for a train in history, but after 70 years residents welcomed the arrival of the first service into Mitcham Eastfields station on Monday.

The 3.50pm from Victoria pulled up at the first new suburban station to be built in London since World War II at 4.09pm, marking the end of a campaign to connect Mitcham town centre to the mainline that has lasted the best part of a century.

Commuters can now travel from Mitcham to central London via Victoria, Blackfriars and London Bridge in less than 20 minutes, or board services to the south coast, Bedford and even Luton airport.

Siobhain McDonagh, Mitcham and Morden MP said: "The campaign to get a station here began in the 1930s and I've been part of it for a quarter of a century.

"The community in Mitcham has done a great job and getting this station has been one of our greatest achievements since I became an MP. I am so proud for everyone involved. We have put Mitcham on the map!"

Completion of the £6m project comes as a result of a partnership between Merton Council, Network Rail, Southern, First Capital Connect and Transport for London.

Confusion surrounded the arrival time of the first train, expected on Monday morning, as Network Rail first announced a delay to the station's opening for final testing. However Southern Trains declared services would begin in the afternoon.

It was initially hoped the station might have opened last December but Network Rail, who put forward the majority of the project's funding, maintain it has been delivered on time and on budget.

Russell Makin, a local resident and Mitcham councillor was one of the first passengers to step off the first train from Victoria.

When he bought his ticket the officer was unaware that the station existed, but as he put in the details out came the ticket bearing Mitcham Eastfields. Russell said that it's something he will treasure.

Merton Council cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Diane Neil Mills, said: "The whole history of Mitcham has been shaped by the railway back from when a horse-powered line was first built through the area, from Wandsworth to Croydon, in 1803, to when the steam powered rail network for Surrey missed Mitcham out. This is fantastic news."

Station timeline

  • 1803: A station first opens near the centre of Mitcham as part of the horse-drawn Surrey Iron Railway along the Wandle Valley, between Wandsworth and Croydon. It is believed to be the first station built on one of the world's first railway lines, transporting goods between the Wandle's mills.
  • 1830: The railway network through Surrey rapidly expands as the Napoleonic wars created a need to connect London with the country's naval base in Portsmouth. Mitcham, however, is not included in the new network.
  • 1846: The Surrey Iron Railway closes, beginning a 162 year wait for a new station to be built near the town centre.
  • 1933: A housing development is built next to the line by Eastfields road. Mitcham resident Bea Duncan recalls that developers sold the properties on the basis that construction of a new station was imminent. The first questions in Parliament about a new station for Mitcham are believed to be recorded by Hansard in the early 30s.
  • 1970s: New road arrangements and a roundabout in Eastfields Road is constructed far enough away from the railway to leave room for a new station.
  • 2007: More than 800 residents are believed to attend two public meetings campaigning for the new station. Planning permission is granted in August. Construction begins in October.
  • 2008: The scheduled opening of Monday, May 19 is delayed by two weeks for final tests. The station opens on Monday, June 2 with the first train arriving at 4:09pm.