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Londoners must be encouraged to "fall in love" with Crossrail to keep the £16billion rail line on track, says the project's new chairman.
Terry Morgan plans to woo passengers by explaining how much easier their commutes will become, while promising that new stations will deliver the same "wow factor" as the Jubilee line stations designed by architects Lord Foster (Canary Wharf), Will Alsop (North Greenwich) and Michael Hopkins (Westminster).
Mr Morgan told the Standard that the best way of ensuring that the long-delayed line was completed - despite fears it could be axed by a Tory government - was to avoid construction pitfalls and rows over cash.
"It's not difficult to stop a project that isn't delivering its objectives," he admitted. But added: "I'm very confident that Crossrail will be built."
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Crossrail, which is due to open in 2017, will become the biggest construction scheme in the UK, and the capital's first major transport upgrade since the Jubilee line extension in 1999. The line will stretch from Maidenhead to Shenfield and Abbey Wood, linking Heathrow with Oxford Street and Canary Wharf. Mr Morgan, 60, a former boss of Land Rover and Tube Lines, said: "We have to get some excitement into this programme that says, 'at long last, there is some additional capacity coming into London'.
"We have seen how London has been struggling with transport. We have seen the movement from cars to public transport. This is the next step. I think we have a job to do to make sure they fall in love with it.
"At a time when things are very difficult, we all want to be optimistic about things, [to show] that we are building something for the future. You only have to go across the way to see the Olympic development site, which is fantastic. The next big challenge is Crossrail."
However, shadow chancellor George Osborne has Crossrail on his list of high-cost projects up for review if the Tories form the next government. Tom Harris, the former Labour transport minister who guided the Crossrail Bill through the Commons, said: "It's a very easy thing for the Tories to cancel."
Mr Morgan, who has a three-year rolling contract, argues that Crossrail already makes sense economically. It will create 14,000 jobs at its construction peak. But he hinted it will need to fight for support if the government changes. "We have to make sure Crossrail is up as far as we can in the pecking order," he said.
The campaign to secure public support for Crossrail will extend to commuter towns in Essex and Berkshire that will benefit from quicker journeys. Mr Morgan believes the Channel Tunnel extension - which was headed by Crossrail's new chief executive, Rob Holden - received a positive reception because of the transformation of St Pancras station. Mr Morgan has commissioned architects to add dynamism to Crossrail designs to make "a statement about London at its best."
Reader views (26)
I am relieved Crossrail is no longer coming to Abbey Wood as it would be a nightmare as the whole area would be severely disrupted as the railway station would have to be knocked down and all surrounding roads redeveloped. I haven't shopped in London for years as we have Bluewater in Kent. The only problems I have is I can no longer use Eurostar since it moved North of the river and breakdowns in the Blackwall tunnel render the whole of South East London paralysed for hours!
- Erica, Abbey Wood, 20/05/2010 00:54
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It's all about providing for the future! It's been proven that better infrastructure stimulates growth and jobs. France, Italy, Japan, Spain and Germany all have far better train services than the UK. It's time for the UK to invest in their future with new rail projects like this one. Grand projects like this one should be supported no matter who's in government.
- Doug, London, 24/01/2010 01:12
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“We all need Crossrail. It links the airports with the West End, City, Docklands, and many other places beyond, East, West and
South.”
Really? So the EXISTING London underground lines, overground lines, bus routes all AVOID those places?
Consistently? And have done so at all times since they were built?
What exactly are the ‘many other places beyond, East, West and South’?
And before the crass idea of Big Business ploy Crossrail came along, the EXISTING transport facilities have been taking people for fantasy rides into the sky?
Thus missing all the vital day-to-day transport connections, links, and destinations in and around London?
Secondly who are the ‘we’ in ‘we all need.’? Unless it is one of the pseudonymous propaganda outfits for the secret pullers of the agenda to waste vital public money under the pretext of the very false and generalised plugs for Crossrail.
Constitutionally, if the ‘we’ is in any remotely reasonable and empirical sense intended to refer to the ordinary people in the ordinary parts of London then why did the secret controllers of the ‘procedures’ in the two Houses of Parliament defy all requirements of democratic audit and BLOCK all attempts by the objectors to scrutinise the scheme before the BECHTEL-propelled rubber stamp [July 2008] was given to the ‘Crossrail Bill’?
Fourthly, why have Transport for London [TfL], Department for Transport [DfT] and successive ministers paid and placed in post in the name of serving the transport needs o
- Muhammad Haque, London United Kingdom, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Given that Crossrail is now "Under Construction" the simpliest, easiest and at very little cost to build support would be to add Crossrail symbol to Tube and Rail maps showing stations that will be served. In addition signs with the Crossrail logo together with information panels should be erected at all stations in a similar fashion to how the Overground Stations are signed.
The above would cost little but make passengers aware that if Crossrail were cancelled it would be them who who would be consigned to years more of sub-standard commutting.
As for the Tories cancelling Crossrail well by next year there will be a very large hole at Canary Whalf and works at other sites which will stand as testement to how useless the Tories are when it comes to investment. More inportently cancelation will sound the death knell for PFI/PPP projects as why should private funders trust the tories to deliver on ANY project be it Rail, Hospital,etc!!
Finally if they change theiminds why should BAA or CWG offer to pay again having been let down? Meaning ALL funding will have to come from the taxpayer!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 24/01/2010 00:12
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'Mr Morgan, who has a three-year rolling contract, argues that Crossrail already makes sense economically.'
So why isn't the City queuing up to buy shares in a private company to carry it out?
It says all you need to know that Mr Morgan is on a 3-year rolling contract: this means that however badly he screws up, if we get rid of him he walks away with three years unearned salary. Anybody who thinks that that's a good deal for the public will probably believe that Crossrail is a good idea as well. There are a hundred and one more low-key schemes that deserve funding before this grandiose exercise.
- Mdj E10, london uk, 24/01/2010 00:12
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the situation in south east london is dire and boris johnson has made it worse with all the uncertainty he's created over stalling the cross river tram and other much needed investment projects.
crossrail is about making already well connected (and wealthy) sections of the capital even better connected at the expense of south london which has been ignored and starved of capital by TfL for generations.
bring back the south london trams!!!
- Phil, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Yet again it's the North of the River that receives more transport. Take a look at a tube map, look at how top heavy it is-the stations disappear when South of the river (because of the existence of trams when the tube was built). The South is crying out for more links. I live in Brixton, so please tell me how to get to Clapham Junction or Battersea, or Putney? No new rail links for us, and we're choked with traffic coming in from SOuth London. I used to live in Clapham South and used to walk to Clapham Junction, a half hour walk, as the 1 bus that got you there went every 20 minutes or so. There's the Northern Line (if it works) but ut's a north/south link, no way to go east or west. Or if you want to get to Hammersmith from major suburbs like tooting, balham,colliers wood, what then? I'm South West London, so West london-easy peasy! Um no, you have to go into London to go north of the river, then get a train to take you west. And don't even bother with a bus. And trains? Nope. The new Crossrail/East London overground link is more about getting people into the City rather than connecting up different populted boroughs, so it's all about the good worker ants. And while we're on the subjectof us worker ants, why does no-one protest about the tube working fine all week to ferry you to work, but then you're screwed at the weekend during your freetime as there is major works on many lines? Is that not taking the mickey or what?
- Ted, London UK, 24/01/2010 00:12
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"Crossrail already makes sense economically. It will create 14,000 jobs at its construction pea"
Hmm, sounds like Labour buying jobs again, remind me again how many "locals" are being to help build the Olympic site?
- Bob, Cheam, 24/01/2010 00:12
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"Hmm, sounds like Labour buying jobs again"
And buying a much-needed massive increase in the speed and capacity of London's metro network. Can't be bad, can it?
- Tom, London, UK, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Its south London that needs money spending on its transport links, chances of a south London tube line - not a hope.
- Chris, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Can people be seriously considering cancelling this now? With all the work now progressing, is it realistic to be talking about cancelling it if the Govt changes in the next twelve months? Let's get on with it.
- Aaron, Bounds Green, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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I already love Crossrail. It's exactly what London needs to help maintain global competitiveness. I'm thinking of voting Tory at the next election, but their silence on Crossrail is the one thing making me waver. When they cut it the first time, it was a dreadful mistake. Doing it again would be a disaster.
Let's pile on the pressure: George Osborne and David Cameron: commit to Crossrail!! Then you'll have my full support.
- Simon, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Crossrail is a waste of money and who sanely believes it will cost £16 BILLION??? More like £30 billion.
In short, Morgan, we can't afford it, OK, so what part of "NO" do you fail to understand?
And it's so-called benefit is clearly mainly north of the Thames - again.
For a fraction of that cost the south of London should receive a greater tube network.
- Ralph, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Is the former Tubelines boss really the person to tell people to fall in love with Crossrail?
Think of the wasted money Tubelines trousered for the last few years, not to mention the enormous salaries paid out and still being paid to reward failure.
- Andrea, Amersham, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Overcrowded, dilapidated and unreliable public transport makes commuting in London very stressful--it has a big effect on the overall quality of life.
Visionary projects like this are exactly what are needed.
I hope we will have the wisdom to complete this project, for our own sake and for generations to come who will also use it.
- Kev, Bromley, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Why should we, when some Londoners are facing losing some of their services? The South London Loop that runs between Victoria and London Bridge is being axed next year.
Pray you don't have to get to or in between Kings College Hospital, the Maudsley or Guys Hospital for starters.
- Flo, London, UK, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Crossrail is a complete waste of money, there is already a good service from Shenfield to Liverpool St and another from Maidenhead to Paddington. All we will get is a slow all stations service from one end to the other.
Scrap it and replace it with cheaper light rail schemes on the surface which would take a lot of the load off the corss London Undergound lines. Build the cross river tram as well as the DLR line to Dagenham. This would benefit more people than Cross Rail.
If O wanted to get to Heathrow from my part of Essex (one station beyond Shenfield)I would go into Liverpool St, head for Paddington and take the Heathrow Express, much quicker.
Phil. Billericay
- Phil Robinson, Billericay UK, 24/01/2010 00:12
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I echo what others have said about south London links. Rail companies have also decided to cut links from many inner SE London stations like New Cross, St Johns, Brockley and Greenwich direct to and from Charing Cross in favour of out of town links from Kent (from Dec 09). I'm more interested in restoration or improvement of public transport in south London.
- Mcw, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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More support could come if the line was operated as flexibly as possible - ie allow trains from further afield to use the tunnels - from places as far off as Ipswich, Ely, Oxford, Swindon, etc. Then you'd get those people on board too, even if only a limited service were offered, over weekends and holiday periods, for instance.
- Stephen Lawrence, Cambridge, England, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Not only is Crossrail needed, it should have been built 20 years ago. Anyone taking the Central Line during rush hour will tell you that overcrowding is becoming positively dangerous. I second Simon from London, I won't be voting Tory until I hear that Crossrail has their complete backing.
- S Robertson,, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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I am amazed that we should be 'encouraged' to like this project. It's a pig-in-the-poke and we all know it.
All this quote of creating new jobs should be examined a little closer
How many will be in the UK, and then London and not design and manufacturing teams abroad? How many will go to UK 'long-term' residents not those shipped in from abroad because they will work cheaply. How may people below the age of 21 will get jobs. How many will be a duplicate job ie one person filling a number of 'new' roles that count as separate jobs. Don’t believe the hype !
No matter what we need to save money to recover the economy especially on expensive imports so, scrap the SE London section, with additional tunnels and no perceivable value there is no point in developing this part of the network. It leads to a tip full of festering garbage at Woolwich and Abbey Wood, the potential consumers do not justify the phenomenal amount of funding !
Make the Heathrow leg fully funded by BAA, including the highly expensive flyover for train access. Or if no funds, scrap this access route. Why should the people of London fund the Spanish privately owned BAA?
This must make some sense !!!!!!
- Jerry, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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As well as marketing his project, the new chairman should have a very close look at the two expensive project management contracts his predecessor let for c £500million which look rediculously over-priced in this recession (like the banking sector, it is the taxpayer who carries all the risk, not a private sector firm on a fee) when he could and should get rid of at least one project management contract, recruit readily available project professionals and client project manage in house saving nearly £100 - £200 million over the 8 years of the project.
- Jim, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Chris, London. I don't see South or South East Londoners being unable to get into work, without a Tube line. The pictures of hundreds walking over London Bridge every morning (used often in the media) is a sign that they are commuting, using something called the Overground Train. Just look at the "London Connections" map and you will see how many more public transport options people from these parts of London have! And it's a much better journey "experience" than the Tube.
We all need Crossrail. It links the airports with the West End, City, Docklands, and many other places beyond, East, West and South.
I wont be voting Tory either, unless the Conservatives support this vital project 100% - and it WILL create jobs, not just within construction, but in a wide range of other industries. Can we just get on with it?
- Rod, Epping, UK, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Good point Andrea re Morgan being ex Tubelines (Bechtel).
This industry is another one taxpayers should pay more attention to because, although it can't bankrupt us as the banking sector has or waste quite as much taxpayers money as the Defence sector apparently has, the contract values are truly huge (and in CrossRail wrongly virtually all to be paid for by the taxpayer) and it all seems very incestuous and cosy at the top in terms of governance, potential for conflicts of interest and the overall ethics of having a chairman transferring so easily from the private sector Tubelines to its public sector client organisation which also happens to be procuring the biggest project in Europe.
- Mike, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Quote form 'Jerry' "...It leads to a tip full of festering garbage at Woolwich and Abbey Wood, the potential consumers do not justify the phenomenal amount of funding" !
Deeply offensive Jerry. What a hoot you are.
- Chris, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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Yes Jerry let's just scrap the bit of Crossrail that will make the most difference to us rubbish tip dwellers in Woolwich and Abbey Wood. Personally I'd rather enjoy being able to go direct from Abbey Wood to Tottenham Court Road and avoid the continuous gate closure to the Northern Line at London Bridge.
- Paul, Abbey Wood, London, 24/01/2010 00:12
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