Crossrail

Crossrail 2 and NPR timetable and funding decision needed this year, says NIC

Sir John Armitt has called for the independent financial review of Crossrail 2 to report back by the end of this year.

Speaking at the UK Transport Infrastructure Summit on Wednesday, the chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) called on the government to ensure that the review is completed “as soon as possible, with a view to setting out a firm timetable and funding proposal by the end of this year.”

“The next stage of consultation should then follow to enable the introduction of a hybrid Bill later this parliament, with the overall aim of opening Crossrail 2 in the early to mid-2030s,” he added.

The review was announced by transport secretary Chris Grayling back in March, with a view to ensuring  that Crossrail 2 demonstrates value for money to the taxpayer.

Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, welcomed the call for the review to be completed in 2018.

“We urge the financial review to be undertaken as soon as possible, so the project can proceed on the originally planned timescale,” he explained.

“Without doing so it will be more difficult to integrate Crossrail 2 with other projects like HS2, reducing the ability to manage congestion on the network.”

Separately, Armitt also hailed other ongoing and upcoming rail improvement programmes – which form a key part of NIC’s priorities list of where urgent action is needed to support infrastructure programmes.

“HS2 remains on track – if you’ll pardon the very bad pun – and progress is being made by Transport for the North and others on developing a Strategic Transport Plan,” he continued.

“More immediately, it will be important that government sticks to the agreed timetable for upgrading the TransPennine Route and reaches agreement, ideally before the end of this year, on a timetable and funding envelope for the Northern Powerhouse Rail network.”

Top image: TfL

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