Contact: Peter Murnaghan, ext 6920 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report advises Members of the progress with the cross-London rail link and the emergence recently of an alternative rail link proposal `Superlink', which could have implications for Hampshire.

2. Corporate Strategy

2.1 This report supports Aim 2 (Stewardship of the Environment) of the Corporate Strategy by considering the development of a new transport corridor that links key destinations in the South East.

3. Crossrail

3.1 In 1988 the Central London Rail Study recommended the construction of a heavy rail line beneath the streets of London as a means of easing congestion on the London Underground. Various alignments beneath London have been proposed over the years, but the plan has settled upon a route that would link Heathrow Airport and Maidenhead with Shenfield and Abbey Wood via intermediate stations at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon. A map of Crossrail is attached as Appendix 1.

3.2 The main benefits of the Crossrail scheme are of improved travel within London, especially relieving congestion on the London Underground. Crossrail has the support of the London Mayor and the Government. A Hybrid Bill has been lodged in Parliament. It is expected that Crossrail will cost in the region of £10 billion. The Department for Transport envisages construction of the line commencing in 2007, with the first trains running in 2013. Contrary to some press speculation, the line is not apparently linked to the London Olympic bid, as it will open one year after the Olympics.

3.3 Funding for the scheme is currently proposed as a combination of Government grant, additional fares revenues and a levy on businesses. However, businesses have yet to give their support to the concept of providing a solution.

3.4 As currently proposed, the Crossrail scheme would offer minimal benefits for Hampshire.

4. Superlink

4.1 Superlink is an alternative scheme that has been recently proposed by a group of railway managers. This proposal includes the same core cross-London tunnel from Paddington to Liverpool Street, but with a network of lines feeding into this tunnel and linking to terminals on the opposite side of the capital. The network would link a number of locations on main lines, several of which are areas identified for growth in the South East Plan. These include Basingstoke, Reading, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Cambridge, Ipswich and Southend, as well as Stansted and Heathrow Airports. A map of the Superlink network is attached as Appendix 2.

4.2 Superlink's promoters claim that their scheme would provide capacity to cater for an additional 100,000 commuters into London, whilst offering congestion relief on a greater number of existing rail corridors. By virtue of its more extensive service pattern, Superlink has a higher cost, at £13.2 billion, but its promoters claim it has a higher benefit/cost ratio of 4.5, compared with 2.0 for Crossrail. There is a chance that the promoters' estimates of the costs and benefits of Superlink are more optimistic than the more highly developed estimates for Crossrail.

4.3 If Superlink could be built, it would appear to offer more benefits for Hampshire than the Crossrail scheme. The inclusion of Basingstoke with a direct link to Central London by way of Heathrow Airport would appear to offer new journey opportunities and provide some spare capacity on the traditional route to Waterloo. The promoters envisage future extensions to the network, which could see through routes from Southampton and Portsmouth, once the core network becomes established.

5. Consideration

5.1 Although it has limited impact on the area outside Greater London, Crossrail retains the support of Government, which is committed to supporting the passage of the Hybrid Bill through Parliament. The Superlink proposal has, perhaps, arrived too late in the process to allow a radical rethink of the railway map of London and the South East. The South East Regional Assembly has been critical of the Crossrail proposals for falling short of key destinations (notably Ebbsfleet, for the Channel Tunnel rail link and Reading) and has expressed concern to Tony McNulty MP that the scheme could undermine the delivery of the South East Plan's 20 year planning vision.

5.2 Now that the Crossrail Hybrid Bill is sufficiently well developed, there is little realistic chance of the rival plan gaining significant support from Government. Indeed, so far as Hampshire is concerned, the provision of extra capacity for London commuting would appear to be at odds with the County Council's policies to reduce the need for travel and make the best use of existing networks. To date, the Superlink promoters have not invited Hampshire, or the other authorities who represent growth areas in the region, to become engaged in the debate. In view of the Government's position, there is little likelihood of Superlink being accepted and the County Council should keep a watching brief on the progress of the Hybrid Bill. Should this process fail, the emergence of the alternative scheme will be an opportunity for Hampshire to take a position on the proposal.

Recommendation

That Members note the emergence of an alternative to the Crossrail proposal, and ask officers to monitor the progress of the Hybrid Bill through Parliament.

304/PJM