DfT refuses to provide extra funding for over-budget Croxley rail link

The Croxley rail link is going over-budget again, but will not receive any additional government funding, the DfT has stated.

The line, which will extend the London Underground’s Metropolitan Line to Watford Junction via Watford High Street, was originally due to be completed by May 2016, but its delivery was postponed to 2019, while delivery costs more than doubled from £116.8m to £284.8m.

TfL took over full responsibility for the project from Hertfordshire County Council, but it was still left short of £2.73m funding, while the council tried to compensate it with the offer of a package of wasteland it had bought for £1. The project was given the formal go-ahead last November once the funding was found.

However, in response to written questions from Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, Andrew Jones, the transport minister, admitted “the costs of the scheme are currently higher than the agreed budget”. He said the higher costs were because of “prices received from the supply chain”.

Jones added that TfL was “considering how best to deal with” the cost of the scheme, but that it had “agreed to meet” any expenses over the £284.8m budget.

“The department will not be providing any additional funding for the scheme and expects TfL to complete it as agreed,” he concluded.

Jones also revealed that transport secretary Chris Grayling had “re-confirmed the importance that the government attaches to the scheme” at a meeting with London mayor Sadiq Khan on 5 December.

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