by Norman Haste, Cross London Rail Links
November 2004

165 years after Robert Stephenson’s original plan, the idea of a cross London rail link is finally getting closer to reality! Seriously though, Crossrail, the trans-London rail network, has now entered a new and crucial phase in its bid to improve commuting in the South East.

Cross London Rail Links Ltd, was only formed three years ago to develop and promote the two new cross London rail links called Crossrail Lines 1 and 2. In 2001 it was allocated a budget of £154m by central government to carry out feasibility work on both lines and secure the statutory approvals needed to build Line 1.

On July 14, 2003, Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport, gave the go-ahead for a major public consultation to take place on a route submitted to him by Cross London Rail Links Ltd (CLRL) for Line 1. The proposed route which links Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and North Kent in the east, through new tunnels under central London, was backed up by a strong business case, as identified by CLRL’s extensive consultation and published on 8 September, 2003.

Following the guidelines for communication on large scale infrastructure projects, as laid down by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Crossrail undertook its first round of public consultation on its proposals between 27 October and 3 December, 2003. During this period, the public was invited to find out about Crossrail’s proposals and give their initial comments at Public Information Centres situated along the proposed route. The relevant local authorities were also invited along with other stakeholder groups to comment.

Analysis of the results revealed that the majority of respondents were in favour of the idea and the route. Three out of four views from members of the public were positive and all of the directly affected local authorities were supportive of the idea. These responses were included in our report on the initial round of public consultation which was submitted to the Department for Transport at the end of January 2004.

In July 2003, Alistair Darling appointed a Review Team under Adrian Montague, to assess whether Crossrail is likely to deliver on time and within budget and look at funding possibilities.
The team’s findings, delivered in the Montague report, concluded that while further research is still needed in a number of areas, there is a strong need and a desire for Crossrail across the capital which would ease congestion on London Underground and shorten journey times into and through the capital.

An announcement in Parliament on 20th July 2004 by the secretary of state for transport, gave the go ahead for Crossrail to prepare a hybrid Bill for submission to Parliament ‘at the earliest opportunity’, and asked Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) to present practical, confirmed route proposals for the Crossrail Line 1 scheme.
The scheme is judged to offer the most advantageous benefit to cost ratio of 2:1 set against the need to provide a solution to London’s transport challenges.

The Government is examining options and consulting the various London interests to find a funding solution that is equitable to all parties. The base capital cost would be £7 billion, which increases to £10 billion when including allowance for contingency in accordance with HM Treasury ‘Green Book’.

CLRL is now preparing the required documents to be deposited in Parliament early in 2005, which include the Bill, Environmental Statement, Parliamentary Plans and Sections, Book of Reference and other documents.

On current assumptions, powers for the scheme would take about two years from deposit to be approved by Parliament. This will include an examination of the proposals and objections to them in public before two Parliamentary Committees. Construction could start in 2007 and take about five years. Following operational tests, trains could start running from 2013. The assumed timetable for the Parliamentary process onwards is as follows:

Submission of Bill – early 2005
Commons Second Reading
Commons Select Committee
Additional Provisions (if any)
Commons Standing Committee
Lords Second Reading
Lords Select Committee
Commons Consideration of Lords Amendments
Royal Assent - 2007

During preparation of the Bill documents, consultation with stakeholders such as government agencies, local authorities and community groups is continuing. The second round of public consultation took place between 5 August and 27 October 2004 and was aimed at seeking comment on our more detailed proposals. A further round of local Information Centres were held along the route displaying area specific information, supported by Information Exchanges at Farringdon and Spitalfields.The responses are currently being reviewed and a report of the results will be available later.

Crossrail was originally a 50-50 joint venture between Transport for London (TfL) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). In October 2004 the Department for Transport (DfT) took over the SRA’s role on the project and Adrian Montague was appointed by the Government as independent board chairman of CLRL.

The seven-strong board was also restructured with Tim Thirlwell, John Carter and Mike Fuhr replacing the three directors originally appointed by the SRA. The three existing TfL Directors – Bob Kiley, Jay Walder and Ian Brown remain in place.

Their appointments demonstrate the importance of this project in the Government’s plans to bring lasting improvement to transport in the region. If implemented, Crossrail could increase rail capacity in central London by 7% and around the City by 20% by 2016. Congestion on the underground network overall could be reduced by around 11%. It could also allow more services into London from the Lea Valley.

The Crossrail network plans to run from the leafy glades of the Essex countryside at Shenfield to the world’s busiest airport in west London – Heathrow. It will also run from the North Kent area, recently earmarked as one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects, to Canary Wharf, the new and rapidly growing business and finance centre of London, and onto the city centre itself. Crossrail connects up the three business centres of West End, City of London and Canary Wharf.

Crossrail will connect up with major tube lines in central London and the main surface rail network in a number of different places en route. Unusually, it is a train within a tunnel, not a tube, and in this sense is similar to the French RER trains and other such trains in cities across the world. Among other innovations, Crossrail trains will be ‘step free’ at newly built crossrail stations to provide easy access for people with mobility disabilities.

There is also a potential shift from road to rail use leading to improved air quality, energy conservation, reduced road congestion and associated road traffic accidents.

The value of Crossrail will be significant for London’s business community, helping businesses to expand and attract staff from further afield than before. Crossrail also has the support of the London Chambers of Commerce, CBI, Institute of Directors and other businesses linked with London First.

The CBI has said: ‘This is the single most important new piece of infrastructure for London. The benefits of an east-west rail link will spread well beyond the capital.’ (Jane Calvert-Lee, Director, London)
Based on its existing proposal, it is envisioned that Crossrail will help to create over 636,000 new jobs by 2016. These jobs will be spread throughout London, with many concentrated in the Isle of Dogs, West London and South London. In addition, the improved transport links are expected to help open up new areas of land involving the development of over 140,000 new homes in East London and 60,000 more in West London.

Some preparatory advanced works have already been completed under Moorhouse, a prestigious new 20-storey office complex at Moorgate in the City of London, located entirely within the safeguarded area.

A 36 metre-deep draught relief shaft (117 feet) has been sunk under the building to provide draught ventilation and access to the Crossrail tunnel network. The construction also includes development of a third of Crossrail’s underground ticket hall for Liverpool Street Station, beneath ground level.

Crossrail continues to develop its work with young people, educating them about the project through the Young Crossrail project.The curriculum-based programme involves students from 800 schools along the preferred Crossrail route. Students receive a regular newsletter called ‘The Link’ about Crossrail developments, and they take part in innovative projects which encourage them to develop their design skills.

Recent projects have included a competition to design a crossrail carriage and supervised research sessions with the public as part of Crossrail’s second consultation programme.

One group of gifted and talented students undertook a 10 week course in architecture and design where students are working with designers, architects and engineers to develop a design brief for a new Crossrail station underwater at Canary Wharf.

We want to show the students how interesting, stimulating and challenging engineering and planning can be. They are also the passengers of the future. Crossrail will need around 15 per cent of the country’s engineers for what will be the largest infrastructure project in Western Europe, and it is a matter of great concern that there is a shortage of engineers available now.

The course which ran to December 2004 is one of the first of its kind to be offered by the transport industry.

There is a 24 hour seven day a week helpline on 0845 602 3813 and an e-mail address as well as a website which contains background information.