Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Nick Raynsford (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 28 June 2005 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Reopened Railways

Question: My right hon. Friend will be aware that we await a date for the Second Reading of the Crossrail Bill, which will open up opportunities for cross-London transport that are currently closed for rail purposes. Can my right hon. Friend give us a date for Second Reading and will he also look again at the case for a station at Woolwich, without which a six-mile section of that network will be closed to passengers from south-east London?

Answer: I know of my right hon. Friend's interest in the Crossrail project. The timetable is a matter for the business managers and I cannot make any announcement to the House on that today. The Bill has had its First Reading and, if it gets a Second Reading, it will go into Committee, and that is the opportunity for my right hon. Friend to make representations. Substantial representations have already been made in respect of Crossrail. People want major changes and minor changes, but I hope that the process can be dealt with as expeditiously as possible. My right hon. Friend is right to draw attention to two matters. In relation to London's transport needs, we are making the investment for the future. I remind the House that after years when the railways were starved of investment, when the Conservatives saw no long-term future for the railways, we now have a substantial increase in investment and more and more people are using them.

Secondary information