Crossrail Progress
14 Apr 2005
London’s Crossrail project is moving inexorably forward with the recent introduction of a Hybrid Bill into the House of Commons by Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport.
The bill will give appropriate powers to the Secretary of State to build the under-city link. In a welcome move Mr. Darling publicly reaffirmed the Government’s determination to build Crossrail. ‘Last July, when I gave the go ahead for Crossrail, I said that we would be introducing a Bill for the project, and today sees that vital next stage.’
Private Finance
However, the Government is still intent on sourcing private finance for the scheme. Cross London Rail Links Ltd. prices the scheme, contained in the Bill, at £10 billion. In its otherwise concise statement the DfT emphasised the need for a substantial contribution to the cost of the project from those who benefit from it.
The Treasury and Department for Transport with TfL, are currently examining funding options. Proposals will be brought forward, as the bill progresses. The Bill contains various provisions giving the Secretary of State the powers necessary to enact the project. This includes the compulsory purchase of land. The provisions closely follow those established for the CTRL.
The Crossrail Bill is a Hybrid Bill, that is a Public Bill promoted by the Government which is treated like a Private Bill for part of its passage through Parliament, in addition to being considered in the same way as any other Public Bill. This means that those who are especially affected by the Bill may ‘petition’ against it (a petition is a written description of the particular concerns and how these might be alleviated). Petitioners may have the opportunity to present their arguments to Select Committee hearings in one or both Houses.
Major transport boost
Adrian Montague, Chairman of Cross London Rail Links, said. ‘We look forward to the progress of the Bill through Parliament. This is an exciting time for London and the South East as these proposals for a major transport boost to the capital, move closer to obtaining permission to go ahead.
The Crossrail route has four main elements:
1. The tunnel itself, with new underground stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Isle of Dogs. Major construction works will be necessary at each station and at intermediate ventilation and emergency shafts.
2. The western entrance to the tunnel will be at Royal Oak on the approaches to Paddington. Lines will run alongside the existing Great Western Main Line, between Maidenhead and the entrance to the tunnel. Engineers will construct a new junction to cope with the increased number of trains.
3. The north eastern section will run on new track from the tunnel exit at Pudding Mill Lane, connecting with the Great Eastern Main Line between Stratford and Shenfield.
4. The south eastern section will join what is currently the North London Line near Custom House, running through the existing Connaught Tunnel beneath the Royal Docks. A new Crossrail tunnel will then take the line to Plumstead where it will join the North Kent Line to Abbey Wood.
Specialist teams
Norman Haste, Chief Executive of Cross London Rail Links Ltd (CLRL), has welcomed the Bill. ‘There has been much hard work by all our teams to produce the documentation necessary, particularly the considerable number of specialist teams working on the Environmental Statement,’ he said. The optimistically named Mr. Haste also welcomed the safeguarding of the route from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet.
Not everyone’s happy. John Prideaux, Chairman of Superlink, which proposes an alternative slightly, more expensive scheme, said, ‘We welcome this step towards building a new cross-London railway, but the current scheme does not address key regional transport needs and has a huge funding gap.’
The bill marks a considerable step forward for the rail industry. Lengthy planning strictures make it unlikely the link will be open in time for the Olympics, should London win them.