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A London Assembly member has called for the Crossrail 2 route to be safeguarded and insisted the line would benefit the whole of the UK.
Planning work on the proposed Hertfordshire to Surrey rail line was mothballed in late 2020 following the Covid pandemic and the financial issues it caused at Transport for London (TfL).
The latest safeguarding of the route - legal protections to stop its construction being made impractical due by new developments - was put in place in 2015 despite work continuing on plans for another five years.
In June it emerged that TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT) were still in discussions about safeguarding the most up-to-date route for the project.
No action has yet been taken over the megaproject, and NCE understands it is not one of the top priorities for TfL at present.
But assembly member Elly Baker, who represents the Labour Party, called for action to be taken and for Crossrail 2 to go ahead.
She told NCE: “The Elizabeth Line has been a massive success. It’s sped up journeys for Londoners, unlocked housing and stimulated our economy – making our city an even better place to live.
“Crossrail 2 could support our city even more. We cannot let it fall off the agenda. This sort of infrastructure investment will keep London’s transport system world-class and will support the high-skill jobs of the future.”
Baker said she has been “frustrated” that there was no capital investment by the previous government into Crossrail 2.
She added: “We know that this would help London’s economy, residents and visitors. On top of that, it could benefit rail manufacturing in the UK, with the rest of the country benefitting from high-skill, well-paid work in the supply chain.
“The previous government wanted to offload land that had been safeguarded for HS2 north of Birmingham – which would have removed options for passenger journeys and putting more freight on rail. It would be negligent to take away this option for London in the future so I will be making representations that the land reserved for Crossrail 2 is safeguarded appropriately.”
NCE revealed in 2021 that £115.8M was spent on developing plans for the project in the six years to December 2020.
In June, mayor of London Sadiq Khan said revealed that the DfT wanted TfL to agree on the level of compensation to pay to those whose property value will be affected by the potential build.
The DfT has been contacted for comment about the current status of the scheme and its safeguarding.
Crossrail 2 was mothballed at the same time as other TfL schemes like the extensions of the Bakerloo line and Docklands Light Railway as well as the West London Orbital. Teams working on the projects were immediately reduced, but some work on their feasibility has continued.
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