Crossrail

The Corporation of London believes that Crossrail is the most important transport proposal for Central London at the present time.

Crossrail is a proposed east-west rail service running through Central London, joining Liverpool Street and Paddington stations in its central section, and then in its ‘classic’ form, offering routes west to Reading, including a spur to Heathrow, and east through Stratford towards Shenfield. In its current form, this project is known as Crossrail Line 1 and has a number of options and spurs for extended east and west connections. (There is also a separate proposal, Crossrail Line 2, that would run north and south, and is phased to follow Line 1)

London is different to other UK cities in that public transport is the dominant mode of transport to work with the share of rail in this market rising steadily. This demand will continue to grow as the economy grows. If London is to cope with this growing demand on public transport, it will need new rail lines, and of all the possibilities, Crossrail is the most developed and offers the best return on benefits to cost. Crossrail could take ten years from getting the go-ahead to being fully operational. It is therefore crucial for London and Londoners that the project is finally put into motion.

The Government has released £150m for planning work to be carried out by Cross London Rail Links Limited ‘Crossrail’. Launched in January 2002, ‘Crossrail’ is a 50/50 joint venture company formed by Transport for London (TfL) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). It is tasked with promoting and developing the Crossrail project.