Londoners have given overwhelming support to the Mayor’s bid to build a £12 billion “Crossrail 2” express rail link through central London.
A public consultation involving 14,000 people found 95 per cent support for building the line which could be built by the mid-2030s, catering for an extra 100,000 passenger journeys at rush hour.
Supporters say it would complement Crossrail 1 when it is opened in 2018 and absorb passengers arriving from the north on the planned HS2.
Some 84 per cent of respondents backed the larger of two route options — a “regional” Crossrail 2 that would create a link between Surrey and Hertfordshire via central London. This would combine Underground and overground rail from Alexandra Palace and Hertfordshire stations to locations in south-west London and Surrey.
Some 73 per cent backed the smaller “metro” option, a high-frequency Underground service between Wimbledon and Alexandra Palace.
Transport for London and Network rail will now consider the consultation findings and recommend to the Mayor by spring next year whether or not to go ahead with the line.
The cost would be shared equally by fares, private developers and a public sector grant similar to Crossrail 1.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: “This consultation reveals that there’s a very clear stamp of approval for Crossrail 2 from Londoners and from business. The key question now is not whether Crossrail 2 should happen, but how quickly can we get it built.”
TfL’s managing director of planning, Michele Dix, said: “Crossrail 2 is vital if we are to support the predicted 10 million people that are expected to be living in London by 2031.” David Leam, director of infrastructure for London First, said: “Crossrail 2 has cross-party support and backing from Londoners and business. The Mayor now needs to mobilise that support to transform Crossrail 2 from concept to project by May 2015.”
