Crossrail extension to Ebbsfleet a “no-brainer”
Completion of the delayed Crossrail project should include reinstatement of an early plan to run its south eastern portion as far as Ebbsfleet.
That is the message from the leader of the London Borough of Bexley, Teresa O’Neill. She says it would be “a no-brainer” to extend the route eastwards from its current terminus at Abbey Wood, in order to provide an interchange with High Speed 1 at Ebbsfleet, adding that it would also stimulate economic growth in the Thames Estuary region.
When the earliest plans were drawn up in the 1990s, Crossrail was originally intended to run as far as Gravesend, in Kent. This part of the route was then cut back to Abbey Wood (in Greater London) following a review in 2004.
However, as recently as March 2019 the Government indicated that it was open to the idea of reversing this decision. It committed £5 million to help fund feasibility studies and other preliminary work for a prospective new route, as part of a 2050 vision for the Thames Estuary that could support up to 50,000 new jobs and 55,000 new homes.
Speaking at a Crossrail conference in London on December 10, O’Neill said: “The original vision for Crossrail was to run to Ebbsfleet, so we have a job that is still to be done and we shouldn’t forget that.
“That joining-up will give many of my residents connectivity with Heathrow and central London, while also providing vital extra capacity and the opportunity for growth, by connecting to brownfield sites (in the Thames Estuary) to build new homes.
Given the environmental and economic benefits it’s a bit of a no-brainer.”
The extension of Crossrail is backed by the C2E campaign that comprises local authorities, Transport for London, the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and the
Thames Gateway Kent Partnership.
It was also recommended in 2018 by the independent Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission, chaired by National Infrastructure Chairman Sir John Armitt, and which also recommended construction of three new Thames crossings by 2030.
O’Neill said that while the business case for an extension of the 73-mile Crossrail route to Ebbsfleet stands up on its own, it is also likely to have been made more cost-effective following the recent increase in Crossrail’s total funding envelope from £14.8 billion to £17.6bn.
She argued that a delay in the opening of the central section of
the route from December 2018 to at least March 2021 could also be used more usefully to get construction under way, before through services begin running the entire length of the network.
She added: “The route [to Ebbsfleet] remains protected from development, and the cost of the overruns on Crossrail would have more than paid for it, so wouldn’t it make sense to now carry on?
“When we talk about finishing Crossrail, please don’t forget about this and that we need to get it back on the agenda. I also disagree with it being described as an extension, as it is a part of Crossrail and it needs to happen.”