Ealing, Acton and Southall on planned Crossrail route

Consultation to consider where train will stop in West London

There was greater optimism over the possibility of a Crossrail service for more parts of West London after the route on which residents will be consulted was revealed.

Initial indications were that only Ealing Broadway would be served by the Crossrail. The report published by Adrian Montague on which the Government basd their decision to proceed included a map with on Ealing as a stop. However now Crossrail has published a map (see below) which includes Acton, Hanwell, West Ealing and Southall as stops. The Acton stop would be at the current Mainline station.

Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, announced the Government's intention to proceed with the £10 billion Crossrail project in parliament. It will be the largest infrastucture project ever undertaken in the U.K.

Norman Haste, Cross London Rail Links (CLRL) CEO,welcomed the Secretary of State's announcement giving the go ahead for Crossrail to prepare a hybrid Bill for submission to Parliament 'at the earliest opportunity'.

He said, 'We are ready to meet the Government's requirements and will now press ahead with a second round of consultation commencing on August 5. Further engineering and planning considerations along the route will be looked at in the light of the Government announcement.'

The route now being consulted on runs from Maidenhead in the West to Shenfield and Ebbsfleet in the East via Paddington, Liverpool Street and then either Stratford or Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf). There will be a spur to Heathrow after Hayes station.

Mr Haste continued: 'Having listened to the views of the public and stakeholders, we are also consulting on more stops between Paddington and Hayes.'

The proposal to extend the line out to Heathrow was warmly received by the report with the broad support of the business community making it a relatively attractive option. It will however partly duplicate the service already run by BAA between Paddington and Heathrow.

Four Crossrail trains an hour will operate on the line in addition to the four Heathrow Express trains already in use. The revenue potential of this stretch of the line is such that the incremental cost of its implementation is seen as marginal.

Alistair Darling has categorically ruled out the plan to extend the line to Richmond which would have involved a major interchange station at Turnham Green.

Local MP Clive Soley said in parliament, "I agree that it is probably right to drop the Richmond link, which was one of the most environmentally damaging sections of the route."

How Crossrail is to be funded has yet to be decided making the project still not certain to proceed.

July 27, 2004