Boris Johnson’s powers of persuasion have once again wooed George Osborne. In today’s spending review, the Chancellor has put aside £2 million to investigate Crossrail 2 — a new underground line for London. The fact the Mayor was able to bag another win from Osborne — Crossrail 1 was protected from funding cuts in 2010 — is testament to the political power of both the Mayor and the capital. Boris doesn’t even have re-election to think about this time.
Crossrail 2 is key to Boris’ London legacy. His grand 2020 vision is peppered with references to the new line, which he claims is vital to London’s future and work could even begin alongside the current Crossrail project:
‘It would galvanise economic activity in that quadrant of London, while bringing simultaneous and symmetrical improvements to Hackney and other parts of north east London. The question about Crossrail 2 is not whether it should happen, but how quickly we can get it moving.’
His wish has been granted. Following today’s announcement, funding for the project could be in place by the next London Mayor elections in 2016 and construction could commence as soon as 2018/19.
Pushing the project into the limelight is a bold move by both Osborne and Johnson, considering Crossrail 1 hasn’t even opened and the plans for Crossrail 2 have been kicking around for over 40 years. Building the line wouldn’t be cheap or easy either. Construction estimates are around £12 billion before this feasibility study, and crowded subterranean London is becoming more and more difficult to dig through. But as Andrew Neather explains in today’s Evening Standard, Crossrail 2 is essential to deal with London’s growing population:
‘The capital is growing fast. Any Tube commuter knows the system is bursting at the seams. So how will it cope in 2030, with perhaps another 1.8 million Londoners and 700,000 more jobs? Even with Crossrail 1 and the Tube upgrades, congestion on the Victoria, Piccadilly and Northern lines especially will be getting unbearable: the projections are really quite alarming. Crossrail 2, running through Clapham, Victoria, Tottenham Court Road, Euston and King’s Cross, would transform that crush and take pressure off some above-ground lines too.’
Along with the Boris Island airport, Crossrail 2 is a prime example of the ostentatious Victorian attitude Boris so loves and aspires for London. Today’s gift from Osborne could make Crossrail 2 just the legacy the Mayor wants to be able to leave London.
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