The UK’s minister for transport, Alistair Darling, today (14 July) gave the green light for the east-west route on London’s Crossrail project, which would involve the construction of an approximately 17km long tunnel.
Darling said that some of the funding for the scheme would have to come from the private sector, but “the government continues to support the principle of building a new east-west Crossrail link”.
Darling said that the government also recognises the “merit in the arguments for such an increase in capacity to support London’s continued growth and success”.
Chairman of Crossrail, Sir Christopher Benson, welcomed Darling’s announcement. “This is great news for London and the UK – a real boost that business and commuters have all been waiting for,” he said. “The Secretary of State’s announcement clears the way for us to proceed with a public information and awareness programme that will include the London stations where large volumes of passengers are likely to benefit from Crossrail.”
More details in August’s T&TI
