CECA has said recent reports that HM Treasury’s spending round for the next financial year contain £6 million allocated to the Department for Transport to develop plans for Crossrail 2 as “very welcome.”
This follows that Chancellor’s Spending Round earlier this month, in which the Government promised an “infrastructure revolution” and “continued support for the development of major transport projects, including pushing on work on the Leeds to Manchester route of North Powerhouse Rail, and driving forward East West rail links in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc.”
Michelle Dix, Crossrail 2 Managing Director, has said “We are pleased to receive confirmation that DfT has committed £6m of development monies for Crossrail 2 in the spending round for 2020/21.
“We submitted the fifth Crossrail 2 strategic outline business case in the summer and we now await confirmation of next steps from the government.”
Commenting CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said: “CECA is a long-standing supporter of Crossrail 2 as the best means of addressing congestion in the capital and delivering the world-class infrastructure Londoners deserve.
“It is very welcome that the Government is directing funding towards its development as part of a wider ambitious infrastructure strategy that includes the development of major transport projects across the UK.
“The UK is about to leave the European Union, a significant change to our political and economic systems.
“For the future health of the UK economy, it is vital that the UK Government invests in all aspects of our infrastructure and in all parts of Britain.
“We know that for every £1 invested in infrastructure, £2.82 is generated in the wider economy – not to mention the jobs created and lives improved by the work our members do.
“That’s why CECA campaigns for investment that will rebalance the economy, drive connectivity, and make the whole of the UK a better place to live and do business. In London, that means developing Crossrail 2 to better meet the needs of Londoners, businesses, and all those who travel to the capital.”