Mayor Khan reiterates importance to London of Crossrail 2 proposals

London will grind to a halt without Crossrail 2.

That was the claim made by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, during a speech at the London Transport Museum’s annual fundraising dinner in February.

Khan said Transport for London modelling showed that at least 17 stations would be overcrowded without the new route, and that thousands of passengers arriving at Euston on HS2 Phase 2 would lose time saved on journeys due to queuing at Underground stations.

“Crossrail 2 is crucial,” he said. “It’s crucial to meeting our ambitious targets for new affordable homes. It’s crucial to unlocking future economic growth in the aftermath of the EU referendum. It’s crucial to ensure that Euston station keeps running smoothly when HS2 opens. And it’s crucial if we are to prevent Waterloo, Victoria and many other stations from rush hour meltdown.”

Planned London Underground upgrades and the opening of Crossrail will provide capacity now, but that will only last for so long, said Khan.

He claimed that Crossrail 2 would increase London’s rail capacity by 10% and bring an additional 270,000 passengers into London each morning peak. It would also bring more than 800 stations on the national network within just one interchange.

Khan added that the project will enable development of up to 200,000 new homes and 200,000 new jobs, while creating 18,000 new jobs during construction and a further 60,000 new jobs in the supply chain across the UK.

“Half the cost of the project can be met through funding from London, but we need the Government to meet the other half if we are to avoid this unbearable strain on our transport network,” he said.

“Crossrail 2 is the answer to help the entire country, because when London succeeds, Britain succeeds.”

Transport for London is currently preparing an updated business case and funding plan for the Secretary of State for Transport, ahead of a decision on further Government support in the spring.

It is hoped that construction could start early in the next decade, with trains running in 2033.