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Artist’s impression of the planned Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station |
Queen’s green light for Crossrail
THE controversial £16billion Crossrail project was given the green light by MPs this week.
The rail scheme, which will cut under vast swathes of the borough and has caused much consternation from campaigners was, given Royal Assent on Tuesday as the Crossrail Bill was passed by MPs, putting the wheels in motion for digging to start in 2010, with the first train set to run in 2017.
The bill has taken three years to pass through parliament, with hundreds of petitions submitted to the government objecting to the proposals that will see 24 trains an hour passing through the West End.
Groups from Westbourne Park, Paddington, Soho and Mayfair have doggedly lobbied the government, demanding an alternative route. They fear five years of misery caused by noise, bulldozers, demolition and transport chaos when the digging starts.
The company behind the project – Cross London Rail Links Ltd, a joint venture between Transport for London and the Department of Transport – has reassured objectors that disruption will be kept to a minimum.
But many campaigners are refusing to lie down, promising a legal challenge. Others are keeping their fingers crossed that the company goes bankrupt.
Under the plans, new stations will be created at Paddington, Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road.
Ron Whelan from the Mayfair Action Group said: “It’s going to be a complete nightmare and has been ill thought out from the start.
“Not one resident wants it and they should have found an alternative route.”
The message was more positive from London Mayor Boris Johnson. He said: “Crossrail will shorten journey times for Londoners and visitors to our city, whether they are heading for the bright lights of the West End or the citadels of commerce at Canary Wharf.”
The 74-mile route will run overland from Maidenhead to Paddington before going underground, with central London stops at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.
The government is stumping up a third of the money up-front, with the City of London and businesses making up the rest in a complex funding jigsaw. |
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