Crossrail - funded but far from approved
05.10.2007
RFG welcomes the Government statement that the Crossrail project is now funded, with contributions from both state and the private sector. This is good news for the rail passengers in and around London.
However, the project still needs parliamentary approval, and the Government has a long way to go before it achieves this. Two years ago, RFG pointed out that Government was trying to steal rail freight capacity from rail freight users in order to build Crossrail on the cheap. This situation is still unresolved.
On the two main surface lines in to London, the Great Western from Reading carries much of the stone and other building materials needed to keep the economy moving. Capacity for these trains is being taken by Crossrail.
On the Great Eastern to Shenfield and Ipswich, much of the UK’s imports come in by container, and are taken onwards to the Midlands and the North West by rail - through London. The Government gave planning permission for the expansion of the Haven ports at Felixstowe and Bathside Bay on condition that many of the additional containers would go inland by rail. It is now saying that there is no space on the GE line with Crossrail, but is failing to commit to fund the alternative route upgrade via Peterborough and Nuneaton.
So, even though the Rail White Paper states that ‘it is not in the nation’s environmental or economic interests that passenger traffic should grow at the expense of freight traffic…’ this is exactly what Government is still planning to achieve, by failing to take into account even for the needs of freight from projects and growth figures for 2015 already approved by Government.
Government has finally agreed that freight should be considered within the Crossrail timetable process, to see what can be fitted in with the infrastructure proposed. However, there are easy solutions for Government which would remove the need for weeks of debate at the House of Lords Select Committee, due to start early in the New Year.
These include:
· Crossrail agreeing to reduce the number of its trains running between peak hours. Twelve trains per hour from Shenfield all through the day will be almost empty unless the whole population of that town goes to London on the same day, and
· commit to funding and enhancing Felixstowe-Peterborough-Nuneaton direct by the time Crossrail opens and, since one does not always trust government ‘assurances’ commit to not running any Crossrail trains on these routes until that work is complete.
Finally, if Government wants to regain the trust of the rail freight and ports industry, they had better stick to their commitment to use industry processes for Crossrail to obtain its access and other rights, by removing Clauses 22 to 44 of the Crossrail Bill and amending the relevant parts of its Crossrail Access Option which at present give Government ‘Henry VIII’ powers to remove other operators’ rights to run trains, and to change almost anything else they want for the benefit of Crossrail. If these clauses remain, that will be the end of regulatory independence, on which so much private investment in the railways is predicated.
RFG Chairman Tony Berkeley said - ‘we note the Prime Minister’s statement that, by generating an additional 30,000 jobs and helping London retain its position as the world's pre-eminent financial centre, it will support Britain's economic growth and maintain Britain's position as a leading world economy.’ Crossrail won’t do any of this if its building materials and the imports for this pre-eminent financial centre have to trundle up the M4 or the A14 in trucks. We need a bit more joined up government!’
However, the project still needs parliamentary approval, and the Government has a long way to go before it achieves this. Two years ago, RFG pointed out that Government was trying to steal rail freight capacity from rail freight users in order to build Crossrail on the cheap. This situation is still unresolved.
On the two main surface lines in to London, the Great Western from Reading carries much of the stone and other building materials needed to keep the economy moving. Capacity for these trains is being taken by Crossrail.
On the Great Eastern to Shenfield and Ipswich, much of the UK’s imports come in by container, and are taken onwards to the Midlands and the North West by rail - through London. The Government gave planning permission for the expansion of the Haven ports at Felixstowe and Bathside Bay on condition that many of the additional containers would go inland by rail. It is now saying that there is no space on the GE line with Crossrail, but is failing to commit to fund the alternative route upgrade via Peterborough and Nuneaton.
So, even though the Rail White Paper states that ‘it is not in the nation’s environmental or economic interests that passenger traffic should grow at the expense of freight traffic…’ this is exactly what Government is still planning to achieve, by failing to take into account even for the needs of freight from projects and growth figures for 2015 already approved by Government.
Government has finally agreed that freight should be considered within the Crossrail timetable process, to see what can be fitted in with the infrastructure proposed. However, there are easy solutions for Government which would remove the need for weeks of debate at the House of Lords Select Committee, due to start early in the New Year.
These include:
· Crossrail agreeing to reduce the number of its trains running between peak hours. Twelve trains per hour from Shenfield all through the day will be almost empty unless the whole population of that town goes to London on the same day, and
· commit to funding and enhancing Felixstowe-Peterborough-Nuneaton direct by the time Crossrail opens and, since one does not always trust government ‘assurances’ commit to not running any Crossrail trains on these routes until that work is complete.
Finally, if Government wants to regain the trust of the rail freight and ports industry, they had better stick to their commitment to use industry processes for Crossrail to obtain its access and other rights, by removing Clauses 22 to 44 of the Crossrail Bill and amending the relevant parts of its Crossrail Access Option which at present give Government ‘Henry VIII’ powers to remove other operators’ rights to run trains, and to change almost anything else they want for the benefit of Crossrail. If these clauses remain, that will be the end of regulatory independence, on which so much private investment in the railways is predicated.
RFG Chairman Tony Berkeley said - ‘we note the Prime Minister’s statement that, by generating an additional 30,000 jobs and helping London retain its position as the world's pre-eminent financial centre, it will support Britain's economic growth and maintain Britain's position as a leading world economy.’ Crossrail won’t do any of this if its building materials and the imports for this pre-eminent financial centre have to trundle up the M4 or the A14 in trucks. We need a bit more joined up government!’
