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Crossrail Bill

Yes, I can. The depot at Romford is an integral part of the project. Clearly, if we cannot maintain the trains, Crossrail will not run for very long. I know that there are issues that the hon. Gentleman has raised in written questions in the House and that his constituents will no doubt want to raise in relation to the depot and the access to it, so yes, that will be considered. To conclude this part of my speech, what I am inviting the House to do tonight is to agree the principle of the Crossrail project, which is a railway that runs between the termini at Shenfield, Maidenhead and Abbey Wood, and to agree that the main intermediate stations are at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, the Isle of Dogs and Custom House. Separate Committees in both Houses will consider these matters further and there will be an opportunity for more general debate, as I have described. I shall outline the purpose of the Bill. Crossrail will deliver extra capacity on the rail network in London and, importantly, will provide—as hon. Members have already mentioned—a vital new link in the strategic rail network, into which it will be integrated. The main purpose of the Bill is to secure the powers necessary to build Crossrail, and that will consist of new rail tunnels running east-west through central London, connecting directly the existing surface rail routes to Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. By connecting the major London rail terminals at Paddington and Liverpool Street, it will enable interconnecting main line train services to cross the centre of London, through a number of new purpose-built stations. So, Crossrail will be part of the existing railway network either side of the London tunnels, and that adds a very important dimension to London’s railways. Crossrail will be regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation. Once built, its operations can be devolved to the Mayor of London or to Network Rail because the railway will serve London and the wider network. That will bring significant benefits. London’s present transport system faces significant problems in meeting demand during the rush hour and we need to deal with the congestion and overcrowding on much of the network during peak hours.