Crossrail gets government green light

What makes you so sure it will happen this time?

There’s going to be a bill in the next parliament.

But wasn’t there one of those about 10 years ago?

Yes, but that was a private bill. This is a hybrid bill, which means that the government supports it.

Does that definitely mean it will get built?

The Severn Bridges Bill, CTRL Bill and Channel Tunnel Bill were all hybrids and they all went ahead.

So they’ve decided how to fund it then?

Er, well, no, not yet. One thing’s for sure, London and Continental’s model for CTRL hasn’t worked so they won’t be doing it that way.

So who’s going to pay for it?

The private sector will have to cough up a lot of it but just how that will all work is yet to be decided. There’s talk of an uplift in business rates.

I thought it was going beyond Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet.

They’ve decided to sort that bit out later due to problems of interfacing with the North Kent line service

Underground or overground?

Both. The section through central London will all be underground. Outside London the route lies mostly on existing Network Rail lines.

How will we fit another tube line in central London?

Well, that’s the clever bit. Developers have had to accommodate the route in their foundation designs since 1991. And the line of the tunnel isn’t straight or on the same level because it has to weave around older buildings, the underground, national security tunnels and the post office tunnels.

So when can we get our hands on the construction contracts?

Well, it’ll probably take about three years for the bill to get from its first reading to Royal Assent so expect construction contracts to be awarded in the first half of 2007 with starts on site late 2007.

What work is up for grabs?

Lots of tunnelling. And stations above and below ground. Some of these, such as Tottenham Court Road, will be massive and require demolition of existing buildings. Paddington and Isle of Dogs station will be constructed top-down; the other underground ones will be constructed as tunnels.

Does the industry have the capacity?

Who knows? At peak, in 2009-2010, over 14,000 people will be working on it. They reckon that sprayed concrete operatives will be in particularly short supply.

When will it be operational?

2013, if all goes to plan...