Frequently asked questions

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Why do we need Crossrail?

  • London's present day public transport system faces significant challenges in meeting demand during rush hour periods. Congestion and over-crowding is experienced across much of the network. Even with planned improvements to London's mainline and Underground services up to the period 2016, but without Crossrail, significant congestion and over-crowding is forecast for travel to and from central London and across the Southeast in the rush hours. Crossrail, routed as it is through some of the most congested and over-crowded parts of London's mainline and Underground networks, will significantly increase rush hour capacity.

What are the objectives of Crossrail?

Crossrail objectives are to:

  • support the wider transport, planning, social and environmental objectives of the Government's Transport Strategy, the Mayor's strategies for London and Regional Planning Guidance;
  • relieve congestion and overcrowding on the existing National Rail and Underground networks and support the development of a network of strategic interchanges;
  • facilitate the continued development of London's primary finance and business service activities, which are now located in the West End, the City and Docklands;
  • facilitate the improvement of London's international links, including Heathrow;
  • facilitate the regeneration of priority areas, such as the Thames Gateway and the Lea Valley; and
  • provide improved east-west rail access into and across London from the East and South East regions.

What benefits will Crossrail bring?

Crossrail will bring a number of benefits to London and the South East of England. Crossrail will:

  • support the development of London as a world city and its role as the financial centre of Europe and the UK;
  • support the economic growth of London and its regeneration areas by tackling congestion and the lack of capacity on the existing network; and
  • improve rail access to and within London.

Who will take the Crossrail project forward?

We said in July 2004 that it is envisaged that implementation of the project may in due course be handed to Transport for London, if appropriate risk transfer can be agreed, and that is reflected in the Bill. The work on funding recognises the need for TfL to have sufficient capacity to handle the risks that it would take on in the implementation of such a large project.

What is the Mayor's role in Crossrail?

The Mayor has been fully involved in the project and firmly backs it. The Department and Transport for London are co-operating closely on Crossrail, not least through their joint ownership of CLRL, the joint venture company set up to take forward the development of the project. The Bill allows for the project to be devolved to TfL in due course.

What does the Bill do?

The Bill contains six main elements relating to:

  • the power to construct and maintain works necessary to deliver Crossrail. These powers will be vested in a "nominated undertaker" (and, in the absence of a nominated undertaker, in the Secretary of State) and the Bill gives the Secretary of State the ability to nominate that undertaker. This will provide the Secretary of State important flexibility in determining how the project can be implemented most effectively and efficiently;
  • the acquisition of land and interests in land necessary for those works. The powers of compulsory purchase sought in the Bill are vested in the Secretary of State but could also be transferred to the Greater London Assembly (Mayor of London) or Transport for London, again to provide flexibility in implementation. The compulsory purchase powers in the Bill would expire five years after Royal Assent, though they could be extended;
  • the establishment of a planning and heritage regime for the works. These seek to give local planning authorities and the various statutory bodies an appropriate level of control over the planning and heritage aspects of the project (and will be augmented by other arrangements, such as a Planning Memorandum and a Construction Code of Practice, designed to sit alongside the legislative framework). These provisions have been the subject of consultation with the bodies affected, and closely follow those established for the CTRL, which have generally worked well;
  • the application of existing railway and other miscellaneous legislation to Crossrail. Chief amongst these are the provisions which seek to establish the railways regulatory regime which will apply to Crossrail and its interface with the existing network;
  • the transfer by transfer scheme of property, rights and liabilities from CLRL or the Secretary of State, or their wholly-owned subsidiaries, or, with their consent, the GLA, TfL, the London Development Agency or any of their subsidiaries, that may be necessary to ensure that the nominated undertaker is capable of delivering the project; and
  • the devolution of control of the Crossrail project to the Greater London Assembly (the Greater London Authority) or Transport for London (or a combination of the two).

What is a Hybrid Bill?

  • A Hybrid Bill is a Bill which has aspects of both a Public Bill and of a Private Bill. It is brought forward by a Minister and, as is the case with any Public Bill, contains provisions that are general in effect in that they affect everyone or affect particular classes of persons.
  • However, the Bill also contains provisions that have an adverse impact upon particular individuals, notably in relation to the powers to acquire particular land. Therefore the Bill is not a Public General Bill but what is called a "Hybrid Bill" because the procedures of the House require it to comply with the elements of the procedures for Private Bills, as well as complying with the usual procedures for Public Bills.
  • The main difference is an extra Committee stage in each House (the Select Committee stage) which will consider petitions from those whose individual rights are adversely affected and have petitioned to be heard.

What route is in the Bill?

The Crossrail route has four main elements:

  • - a new central tunnelled section with new sub-surface stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Isle of Dogs. Major construction works will be necessary at each station site, and at intermediate ventilation and emergency intervention shafts; and
  • - three outlying sections of the scheme - western, north eastern and south eastern. These will largely run on existing track, or on land currently in railway use, and make use of modified existing stations:
    • - the western section will run along the existing Great Western Main Line between Maidenhead and the entrance to the central tunnel at Royal Oak. A new junction will be constructed to allow for the increased number of trains accessing Heathrow from the Great Western Main Line;
    • - the north eastern section will run on new track from the tunnel exit at Pudding Mill Lane, then on the Great Eastern Main Line between Stratford and Shenfield; and
    • - the south eastern section will join what is currently the North London Line near Custom House, running through the existing Connaught Tunnel beneath the Royal Docks. A new Crossrail tunnel will then take the line to Plumstead where it will join the North Kent Line to Abbey Wood.

Has there been any consultation on the route?

  • Yes, a great deal of consultation. The Crossrail concept has been around in one form or another for many years. We and Cross London Rail Links Limited (and its predecessors) have widely consulted stakeholders affected by the project during its development, and we will continue to do so in a number of fora as the Bill progresses.
  • CLRL held two twelve-week rounds of public consultation along the route (from September 2003-January 2004 and from August-October 2004). These involved public information centres at key locations, mail drops to those potentially affected, newsletters, a dedicated web-site and a 24-hour telephone helpline. A large majority of respondents to both rounds were supportive of the project.
  • More recently, CLRL held a series of information centres at key points along the route 10-19 February, where they gave local residents the latest available information about the project in the run-up to introduction of the Bill.
  • Local authorities and statutory agencies affected by the proposals have been invited to attend meetings of the quarterly Crossrail High Level Forum (chaired by Tony McNulty) and its sub-groups. These meetings provide an opportunity for the Department and CLRL to give an update on progress, and for local authority and statutory agency representatives to raise any issues of concern.

I'm not happy with the consultation, whom can I complain to?

  • In accordance with the recommendations of the Code of Practice on the Dissemination of Information during Major Infrastructure Developments, Crossrail has appointed an independent Referee to adjudicate on issues arising from the dissemination of information about the development of the Crossrail scheme.
  • The Crossrail Referee is Professor Tony Kennerley, who also serves as the Complaints Commissioner for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. In this regard, Professor Kennerley already has a reputation for fairness and independence based on direct experience of major transport projects and the issues that concern people affected by them.
  • Anyone who feels they have not received the information they require from Crossrail, and has been unable to resolve this issue in communication with Crossrail, may ask the Referee to adjudicate. This must take place in writing and the Referee will respond within 28 days, unless a further time limit is agreed. For further information, please contact the Referee's office:

The Crossrail Referee                
The Business Centre
Unit 120
11 Burford Road
Stratford
London
E15 2ST

email: info@crossrailreferee.org

website: www.crossrailreferee.org

helpline: 0845 230 9723

What about the environmental impact of the project?

  • A full Environmental Statement (ES) has been prepared for Crossrail, and copies deposited with the Bill. The ES runs to many volumes, and a non-technical summary is also available.
  • On 14 December 2005, a second Supplementary Environmental Statement (SES2) for Crossrail was published on the Bill Supporting Documents website in advance of its formal publication which is expected in January 2006. Until then SES2 is only available electronically. SES2 adds to the Environmental Statement (ES), published with the Crossrail Bill on 22 February 2005 and the first Supplementary Environmental Statement (SES1), published on 26 May 2005.
  • Although the formal consultation period on SES2 will not begin until hard copies are published, comments may be made immediately and sent to Tim Neate, Consultation Manager, Major Projects Division 3, Zone 2/08, 76 Marsham Street, London, SWIP 4DR (email: crossrail@dft.gsi.gov.uk).
  • The Department for Transport invited comments on the main ES when it was published in February. That comment period closed on 10 June 2005, so that comments could be compiled into a report, presented to both Houses of Parliament and published before Second Reading of the Bill. We also invited comments on SES1, and that comment period closed on 8 July 2005. We received a substantial number of submissions and would like to thank all those who have submitted responses.
  • A Command Paper containing copies of all responses to the Environmental Statement received by 10 June 2005 was presented to Parliament on 7 July 2005. The Command Paper provides a guide to the main issues raised by respondents to the ES as well as containing copies of all responses received in Annex F of the document.
  • Comments on the ES and SES1 can still be made and sent to the above address. Comments received after 10 June on the ES, and all comments on the two SESs will be complied into a report that will be presented to both Houses of Parliament before Third Reading of the Bill in the House of Commons. MPs and Members of the Lords can also be lobbied through the normal democratic process.
  • The Bill seeks to establish a planning regime that will apply to the project, similar to that established for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. There will be a range of agreements outside the Bill, such as a Planning Memorandum and a Construction Code of Practice, which are designed to sit alongside the legislative framework. These draft agreements have been the subject of consultation with the bodies affected, and closely follow those established for the CTRL, which have generally worked well, and taken together these are intended to give local authorities and statutory consultees (eg English Nature, the Environment Agency etc) an appropriate degree of control over detailed matters.

What is safeguarding?

  • Safeguarding is a planning mechanism which, in this case, requires local planning authorities to consult CLRL on any planning application within the safeguarded zones. This allows CLRL to ensure that any planning permissions granted do so in a way which keep open the ability to build Crossrail.

What have you safeguarded?

  • We have safeguarded the route as shown on the Bill plans.
  • We have also safeguard the land required for a possible future extension to Ebbsfleet. We have consulted on revised safeguarding directions for the route between Abbey Wood and Ebbsfleet and on the possibility of also safeguarding the Reading extension. The safeguarding team at Cross London Rail Links have been analysing the consultation responses and ministers will make a decision on the proposals in due course.

When will Crossrail be built?

  • The construction start date will clearly depend on the length of the Parliamentary process. Also, after Royal Assent there will have to be a major procurement process, in terms of parcelling the work up into individual contracts, advertising them, inviting tenders and appointing contractors etc. And there will be a programme of enabling works, largely utility diversions.
  • Realistically, given everything that has to be done before the first spade can break ground, to achieve a start before 2008 would be very demanding. Dates specified at this point should in any case be treated with caution. The fact that the construction start date could change should come as no surprise since it is in the nature of large projects at this relatively early stage of their development.

What do I do if I am affected by Crossrail?

  • Those directly affected by the project will have had notices served on them informing them that the Bill has been introduced and telling them where they may get hold of copies of the full range of supporting documentation (eg the Environmental Statement).
  • Following the successful Second Reading of the Crossrail Bill in the House of Commons on 19 July, the Bill has been formally committed to a Select Committee, which will in due course consider petitions lodged against the Bill.
  • At Second Reading, a deadline of 16 September 2005 was set for the submission of petitions. As the petitioning period took place over the summer months, petitioners were given 9 weeks to petition rather than the more usual 3 weeks.
  • Now that the deadline for petitioning has passed, no more petitions can be lodged to be considered by the Select Committee in the House of Commons. However, the Bill will go before a Select Committee in the House of Lords in due course, and at that stage petitions can again be lodged against the Bill.