Crossrail

What is Crossrail?

The Cross London Rail Links (Crossrail) project is a joint venture company established by Transport for London and the Strategic Rail Authority. Its task is to promote and develop two new rail routes through London: Crossrail Line 1, which would serve east to west London, would see the construction of a new tunnelled route and new stations at sites including Liverpool Street, Bond Street and Paddington; and Crossrail Line 2, which would serve north east to south west London, and would lead to the construction of a core section of tunnel in central London.

The Crossrail project seeks to introduce a brand new network of services linking areas across London, while reducing overcrowding on the London Underground and national rail services. The scheme's objectives also include supporting economic growth and regeneration in deprived parts of the capital: Crossrail Line 1 seeks to regenerate the Paddington Basin, Park Royal and the Thames Gateway; and Crossrail Line 2 aims to regenerate Dalston, Hackney and parts of south west London.


Background

The central London rail study of 1989 proposed three new rail projects for the capital, which included an east-west line and a new London Underground line, which would link Wimbledon to Hackney.

In 1991, a bill was submitted to parliament for the east-west scheme but this was rejected in 1994 because of the recession and associated fall in passenger numbers into and through London. However, the Conservative government issued 'safeguarding directions', which protected the alignments of the rail lines throughout the capital in case of future development.

In 2000, the government asked the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to look into the requirements for increasing passenger capacity to and through the capital. The request followed greater congestion and poorer service reliability on the London Underground and Network Rail. The SRA's 'London east-west study' found that both the east-west route and the Hackney-south west route should be reconsidered.

Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) was set up in 2001 as a joint venture by Transport for London (TfL) and the Department for Transport (DfT) to develop plans and costs for Crossrail. An expert review, headed by Adrian Montague, was launched by the government in July 2003 to look into CLRL's plans, and a year later transport secretary Alistair Darling announced that the proposals should in principle go ahead.

The Montague study concluded that CLRL's estimate that the project would cost £10 billion at 2002 prices was broadly accurate. However, it said that Crossrail's interchanges with mainline and underground services meant it was unlikely to be able to run 24 trains an hour at peak period, as CLRL proposed. It also questioned the case for extending the east-west line to Richmond and Kingston, noting this had provoked considerable opposition from the public. Instead, it proposed the line be extended to Heathrow.

The government accepted the Montague review's conclusions and in January 2005 introduced the Crossrail bill (although it had to be reintroduced again in May 2005 after parliamentary business was disrupted by the general election). This sought to secure the necessary powers to build the rail link connecting Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, including connecting Paddington and Liverpool Street train stations.

This is a hybrid bill, which allows it to continue being debated over more than one parliamentary session. It was thought that given the complexity of the legislation, and the need to secure planning permission for the new railway, it could not be concluded in one session.


Controversies

The cost of the Crossrail project is largely seen as its most controversial aspect and fears that substantial government funding would place significant pressures on the transport budget led transport secretary Alistair Darling to announce that the Crossrail project would not be funded entirely by the national taxpayer.

Part of the costs of the Crossrail project will be borne by those who will benefit most from the scheme, including the business community and property developments. The fares levied on Crossrail passengers would also contribute to the cost.
Nonetheless, in a May 2003 debate, Mr Darling warned that Crossrail must not be implemented "on the cheap". A decision on how much money would be contributed by each group was delayed until the Lyons review into local government funding reported back in December 2006.

As with any major transport project, there are environmental concerns about the impact of a new railway through the centre of the city - both in terms of the natural and built environments. During public consultations on Crossrail, there was criticism at a perceived lack of assessment of the noise and pollution caused by the line, while there were also concerns about the impact it would have on listed buildings in the Barbican, Paddington and Camden areas.

The short duration of consultations on the project has also been a source of criticism. Another controversy is that the government does not believe that Crossrail will be completed before the Olympics in 2012. This means that Crossrail cannot form part of London's proposed Olympic transport solution.

In October 2007, Gordon Brown and Ken Livingston appealed to City businesses to provide the remaining 1 per cent of the £16 billion needed to build Crossrail. The City of London Corporation agreed to close the funding gap by donating £400 million, allowing the Crossrail project to be formally approved by the prime minister.

Crossrail still requires parliament to pass a bill in 2008.

Construction will not begin until 2010, with the most optimistic completion date being 2015.


Statistics

The capital budget for Crossrail’s construction is estimated to be £15.9bn. This is a fully costed capital figure including appropriate allowances for both contingency and expected inflation.

(Source: Department of Transport summary of Crossrail Heads of Terms between DfT and TfL - November 26th 2007)

DfT will contribute over £5 billion in grants to the cost of the project. It will additionally be responsible for procuring contributions from the City Corporation and BAA. In total, DfT will be responsible for securing funding for Crossrail of £5.6 billion.

The Mayor, through TfL and GLA, will be responsible for total funding of up to £7.7 billion.

(Source: Written statement to Parliament by Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, November 26th 2007)

Quotes

"I believe we have come up with a workable, robust and cost-effective business plan… Crossrail will add £20 billion to the UK gross domestic product."

Gordon Brown confirming the £16bn Crossrail scheme had been given the go-ahead – October 2007

"Business supports the Crossrail project and welcomes the government's decision to give the go-ahead. But we now want to know exactly what they are being asked to contribute, in particular through the supplementary business rate. Many businesses do not accept this as a fair mechanism for funding Crossrail – and they are worried that this decision will lead to multiple requests for similar contributions up and down the country."

CBI deputy director general John Cridland giving a cautious response to the prime minister's announcement.

"Crossrail is not just a transport scheme, it is the key to the next 20 years of economic development of London."

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone – October 2007