A transport enthusiast has mounted a campaign to re-open a station on the London Overground that was demolished during the Second World War.

Retired journalist Philip Aris, 70, of Hazellville Road, Archway, is calling for Hornsey Road station on the Gospel Oak to Barking route – also known as the Goblin line – to be reinstated after 70 years out of use.

Although the station – between Upper Holloway and Crouch Hill – was closed and the building demolished in May 1943, the original platforms still stand and Mr Aris’s campaign to get it resurrected has garnered plenty of support.

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He said: “Hornsey Rise is changing quite rapidly. There are lots of new houses and new people, not just commercial or industrial property any more.

“There’s a growing demand for transport in the area. The line’s very busy nowadays as it goes to Walthamstow and Leytonstone, which are increasingly fashionable, popular places to live. It seems like a good time to link to all those areas.”

Mr Aris continued: “The Goblin line has been very run down and neglected over the years. There was a campaign to get it electrified, which will now happen by 2017, and it seems like that would present a good opportunity to re-open the station.”

The line is set to be extended east to Barking Riverside after George Osborne pledged to fund the work. He pointed out that the line may also be extended to Old Oak Common, the projected super hub that will link with Crossrail, HS2 and Heathrow airport – meaning that it would be possible to get from Archway to almost anywhere by train, without going through a central London terminus.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “There are no current plans to re-open Hornsey Road station, but we remain open to the possibility of this changing in the future.”