Options for Crossrail 2 have been released for public scrutiny, as Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail announce the start of a consultation into the proposed route.
Crossrail 2, which could be operational by 2030, is viewed by London’s transport lobbying groups as an essential project for the capital if it is to cope with the expected population boom.
Two possible lines, a Metro option and a Regional option, have been published as alternatives to the Chelsea-Hackney Line – a route which has been protected by TfL for more than 20 years.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Crossrail is set to revolutionise travel in the capital, and with a predicted 10 million people expected to be living in London by 2031, pressing ahead with the next stage of the plan, Crossrail 2, is quite simply essential.”
The Metro option has been designed to relieve congestion on the Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines through the construction of a new underground link between Wimbledon and Alexandra Palace.
TfL has said the Regional option would be “a combined underground and overground railway and could operate from Alexandra Palace and stations in Hertfordshire to various locations in south west London and Surrey”.
Announcing the consultation, Lord Adonis, chairman of the Crossrail 2 Task Force for London First, said: “I am glad to see the Mayor taking forward preparations for Crossrail 2. Now we need a credible funding plan embracing the public and private sectors, with a view to construction in the 2020s.”
The consultation will run on www.crossrail2.co.uk from May 14 to August 2.
A video fly-through of the proposed route can be seen here.
What was wrong with the original Chelsea-Hackney line?