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Where railways money will be spent
Dick Murray, Transport Editor31 Mar 2009
Where railways money will be spent
* £4.5 billion on Thameslink (with another £1 billion on new trains) Capacity will increase through heart of London by 400 per cent, taking the number of train carriages per hour from 64 to 288 or 3,500 seats per hour to 17,000.
* £2 billion for Crossrail; the planned twin-bore tunnel through central London linking with existing rail networks to the west and east and connecting with Heathrow.
* £450 million for King's Cross station to redevelop the ageing site, which handles 47 million passengers a year. By 2013 the size of the station's cramped concourse will be tripled, an extra platform will be built and there will be improved access to Thameslink and St Pancras International.
* £425 million improving the track layout around Reading station - one of the most notorious train bottlenecks in the country.
* £250 million improving the East Coast main line between King's Cross and the North with new track, junctions and level crossings to improve train journey times.
* £50 million on a new link between the East Coast main line and Cambridge to increase commuter services to London.
* £26 million on Paddington station, including restoration of the Edwardian roof over platforms nine to 12.
Reader views (7)
I visit Liverpool regularly and am amazed at the disused rail infrastructure in the city. If all brought into the Meseyrail metro system it would serve more of its targeted population than Londons' Underground.
There is 4 miles of tunnel under the centre, and one mile in Birkenhead, awaiting reuse to extend the underground metro system. The tunnels are historic are amongst the oldest in the world and in excellent condition. These extensions would regenerate the inner-city areas for such a small sum of money, a fraction of what London is getting - the major cost, the tunnels are there.
Many of the London projects appear "nice to have" rail projects not essential, while the likes of Liverpool is screaming out for investment in its underground system to project the city forward. Also, inner-city areas are bottomless pits for public money, making them sustainable is wise investment - an underground rail station in Toxteth will attract investment, as London knows too well.
The priorities are wrong.
- John, London, 01/04/2009 09:30
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Phil Johns, London this months issue of Modern Railways has a feature on the Great Western and mention is made of efforts to get on with the doubleing you talk about.
This is just like the old soviet union where Network Rail have agreed their next 5 year plan which includes these projects although some like Crossrail will go into their next 5 year plan as completion is not until 2017.
The main question has nothing to do with the present government but what commuters need to know is whether David Cameron will take this plan forward in full? And he needs to reply BEFORE the next general election given the way Boris has destroyed plans on taking office.
The funds come partly from the government and also from the money Network Rail receives from Train Operating Companies etc.
The new route to Cambridge seems to be something new unless it is the East-West link from Oxford to Cambridge which is gradually being restored.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 31/03/2009 21:19
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Gene, I think the honour of worst rail line in the country has to go to the single-track branch that extends from Swindon to Gloucester and Cheltenham, and that also serves as backup when the Severn Tunnel is closed. With the billions and billions of pounds outlined by Network Rail for work in/around London in today's announcement, £35million or so would give the Cotswolds and the major cities mentioned above improvement over the Third World rail service currently provided. The fact that thousands signed a petition, Cotswold businesses and local councils have complained endlessly, six MPs have raised the issue in Parliament a number of times over the last decade -- all for nought. Network Rail and Brown & Co just don't care. They don't listen and they don't care.
- Phil Jones, London UK, 31/03/2009 16:35
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there should be more CHEAPER FAIRS, so people will save leaving there car at home.
- Phillip Williams, london, 31/03/2009 15:01
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Can someone please tell me if any of this money will find its way to improving the rail link from Leeds to St Pancras via Derby which is currently the worst railway line in the country - NOT EVEN ELECTRIFIED!
- Gene, Sanremo Italy, 31/03/2009 14:18
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can we please have something done to earlsfield. i always have to wait 30 minutes before i get on a bleedin train.
- Jim, earlsfield, 31/03/2009 13:59
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why still no proper commuter service to hastings?
- Peter Alan, archway, 31/03/2009 13:05
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