Crossrail 2 route still to be safeguarded

Talks to secure the long-term security of the proposed Crossrail 2 north-south route across London are continuing.

The Department for Transport has confirmed that discussions with Transport for London were held over the summer.

There is no expectation that the planned route between Surrey and Hertfordshire will be built in the short term, but the aim is to safeguard planning restrictions on the land beneath which the tunnels could one day be dug.

These would prevent new structures which could make the line impossible to build, should a decision be taken in future.

In 2019 the cost was projected to be £41 billion.

The Department for Transport told The Standard that it remained “a long-term aspiration” which could “help unlock thousands of new jobs and homes.”

The suggested services would use several existing suburban railway lines, including the Shepperton branch, to Wimbledon, with a tunnel to Clapham Junction, under the Thames to a new station in Chelsea, then to Victoria, Tottenham Court Road and Euston. It would re-emerge from tunnels at Tottenham Hale.

In 2016, the government said it intended to support a Bill to enable the scheme. Four years later, with finances affected by the pandemic, work on Crossrail 2 was halted. By that point more than £100 million had been spent.

In July Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “There continues to be a strong case for developing Crossrail 2 for the long-term development of London, with previous assessments concluding it could support around 200,000 homes and around 200,000 jobs.

“Currently TfL is working with the DfT to refresh the safeguarding to ensure it reflects the latest route proposition. Active development of the scheme has been paused in recent years reflecting the lack of available funding.”

TfL pointed out that 60 per cent of employment growth in London between 2015 and 2022 was within 1km of an Elizabeth Line station. It said this demonstrated the “transformative power of reliable urban rail.”