Eight senior business leaders in a joint letter have urged the British Government to make a decision on the future of Crossrail, a transport scheme that would involve the construction of a 9km long tunnel between the east and west of London. They include British Airways Chairman Lord Marshall, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Sir Peter Davis and Canary Wharf boss George Iacobescu.
Norman Haste, Crossrail Chief Executive, welcomed the support: “I recognise their concern that London’s present transport system is overloaded and cannot cope with the city’s economic growth. We have been in talks with the Capital’s business community and their views have been passed on to Government,” he said.
The letter, also signed by the bosses of Conran Holdings, Hammerson and Land Securities, voices concern that time is running out to include legislation for the scheme in the next parliamentary session.
Crossrail is a 50/50 joint venture company, formed by Transport for London (TfL) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA). It has been allocated US$242M by Central Government to develop and promote two lines through London, including an east to west line that could involve up to 14km of tunnelling under the city.
