Chapter 4

The need for Crossrail

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 Crossrail is a major project that responds to the scale of the transport challenge facingLondon and the south east. The project has been developed to meet the existing and future shortcomings of the rail network, as well as provide a coherent transportsystem linking key growth and regeneration areas across London. Crossrail will supportand help maintain the status of London as a World City by providing a world classtransport system.

4.1.2 These themes are discussed in detail in this chapter. In overview, the need for theproject is defined in the following sections:

• Section 4.2 presents a review of present day travel conditions in London and thesouth east of England with particular emphasis on the constraints of the current railnetwork in London and problems of peak period overcrowding;

• Section 4.3 presents an overview of the drivers of future growth in demand for travelin London and the south east of England including population and employmentgrowth and growth in air travel, and an assessment of their impact on the railnetwork; and

• Section 4.4 outlines the case for Crossrail by examining the project’s contribution,which includes promoting sustainable transport choices, helping to sustain London’srole in the global economy and supporting growth in London and the south east of England.

4.1.3 A full list of documents referred to in this chapter is given in Section 4.5.

4.2 Current Travel Conditions

Overview

4.2.1 Since the mid-1980s, both the population of London and the number of peopleworking there have increased. The London Plan (GLA 2004) indicates that from a post-war low point of 6.8 million in 1983, the population has risen to 7.3 million, while theworkforce has increased from 3.8 million to 4.4 million.

4.2.2 These changes have taken place, and continue to take place, alongside a substantialgrowth in travel as a whole, including increases in journey lengths and a spreading ofpeak flows across longer periods of the day from the traditional ‘rush hour’ (SDG 2005,Chapter 3).

4.2.3 As a result of these pressures, rail has become more popular as a means of travellingto, from and within London. The increasing levels of travel have worsened trafficcongestion and, as a result, the proportion of people travelling into central London inthe morning rush hour by rail (either National Rail or Underground) has increased from65% in the 1950s to around 77% today (SDG 2005).

4.2.4 These factors mean that London’s transport networks experience serious overcrowdingon a daily basis. This overcrowding is exacerbated by long-term shortcomings of the railnetwork, which have become more serious as the network has become busier. Someof these deficiencies are identified in the following section.

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Constraints of the Current London Rail Network

4.2.5 A key issue today with the National Rail network in London is that the main termini,such as Paddington and Liverpool Street, were developed at the edge of centralLondon in the 19th Century and no cross-London links were provided. North-southThameslink services, for example, were only established by the reopening of the SnowHill tunnel, between Farringdon and Blackfriars, in the late 1980s.

4.2.6 The London Underground network plays a major role in linking the main National Railtermini and facilitating travel in central London as well as providing for commuter trafficfrom the suburbs and cross-London links. Here again, however, only the construction ofthe Victoria line in the 1960s and the Jubilee line and its extension in the 1990s haveprovided major additional capacity to the system, both of which now operate at orabove capacity at peak times.

4.2.7 There are also significant issues relating to the poor quality of the environmentexperienced by rail passengers in London. Many central area London Undergroundstations, for example, have inadequate internal circulation space to allow passengers tomove freely and comfortably through them. As well as the resources that are required tomaintain and upgrade the essentially Victorian infrastructure to modern standards, thereis also a lack of acceptable modern facilities, including access for mobility impairedpeople.

4.2.8 The key characteristics of rail services in central London that have implications for theaccessibility of the area are as follows.

• Since the National Rail termini are on the edge of the central area, the majority ofpassengers need to interchange onto the Underground, buses or taxis to reach theirfinal destinations. This results in significant congestion at the London termini.

• Many people need to walk at interchanges between services and most completetheir journey to their final destination on foot.

• The capacity for additional National Rail services into London is constrained by thephysical and financial constraints of expanding the London termini and the capacityof the routes on the approach to London.

Overcrowding

4.2.9 London Underground set standards for crowding and capacity as defined by thePlanning Guideline Capacity (PGC). The ratio of demand to the Planning GuidelineCapacity gives a guide to the level of crowding, with a ratio of greater than 1representing a level of demand in excess of the planning capacity.

4.2.10 On the National Rail network, levels of overcrowding are highest on the approaches tothe London termini, or in inner London approaching important interchange stations withthe Underground. Although many services into the London termini operate above theirplanned capacity, crowding is most severe on services into London Bridge and onGreat Eastern services into Liverpool Street (GLA 2001).

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4.2.11 On the Underground, levels of crowding are generally highest on the approaches to, orwithin the central area, where sections of all lines operate in excess of their planningcapacity. Sections of the Underground that operate above their planned capacity in themorning rush hour period (according to Steer Davies Gleave 2005) include:

• southbound Bakerloo line between Paddington and Oxford Circus;

• westbound Central line between Stratford and Chancery Lane;

• westbound Jubilee line between Bermondsey and Westminster;

• eastbound Piccadilly line between Earl’s Court and Knightsbridge and southboundbetween Arsenal and Holborn;

• southbound Victoria line between Finsbury Park and Green Park and northboundbetween Pimlico and Oxford Circus; and

• southbound Northern line between Camden Town and Bank (City branch) andGoodge Street (Charing Cross) and northbound between Kennington and Old Street(City branch) and Waterloo and Leicester Square (Charing Cross branch).

4.3 The Impact of Future Growth

Future Population and Employment Growth

4.3.1 While London’s present-day transport network faces significant challenges in meetingpeak period demand, additional pressures will emerge in the future as the economy ofLondon and the surrounding south east of England continues to grow strongly. InLondon alone, employment is forecast to increase by around 636,000 to 5.0 millionfrom 2001 to 2016 and population by 800,000. Up to 48% of total employment growthis expected to take place in central London1, which places particular demands onpublic transport, given that public transport is the dominant mode for commuting andthat rail links already experience the highest levels of crowding.

4.3.2 Outside London, in the rest of the south east, the Government has committed toprovide for major growth in four areas, namely the Thames Gateway, MiltonKeynes/South Midlands, Ashford and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor.Growth anticipated in these areas is summarised in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Key Growth Areas in the South East (Outside London) - years when anticipatedgrowth is reached are shown in parenthesis

Growth Area Job Growth New Homes

Thames Gateway (excluding London) (ODPM 2004) 82,000 (2016) 69,500 (2016)

Milton Keynes/South Midland (ODPM 2003) 300,000 (2031) 370,000 (2031)

Ashford (ODPM 2003) 28,000 (2031) 31,000 (2031)

London-Stansted/M11 corridor (EERA 2004) 40,000 (2021) 63,250 (2021)

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1 Roger Tym & Partners forecast of employment change by Borough, Scenario 70:30 (as contained in GLA 2002).

4.3.3 Regional spatial strategy for the South East (RPG9, GoSE 2001 and the RTS, GoSEJuly 2004) (RSS) and London (London Plan, GLA 2004) seek to accommodate theforecast growth in population and employment, recognising that the growth trend islikely to continue and that there are benefits of sustained economic growth.

Growth in Air Travel in the South East

4.3.4 High existing levels of demand for air travel in the south east, which arise from thenature and strength of the economy, particularly in London, are forecast to increasesignificantly as economic growth continues. Future demand for air travel from airports inthe south east is forecast to increase to around 300 million passengers per annum by2030, compared to around 120 million passengers per annum in 2003.

4.3.5 In order to serve this growth in demand, Government policy (DfT 2003) supports thedevelopment of a second runway at Stansted by 2011 or 2012 and thereafterdevelopment at Heathrow, including a possible new runway in the period 2015 to 2020if certain environmental conditions are met. It is the Government’s view that expansionat Stansted will complement the major growth forecast for the London-Stansted/M11corridor.

Impact of Growth on Travel Conditions

4.3.6 In the face of the additional pressures on the transport network that will arise fromfuture population and employment growth in London and the south east of England,five major rail enhancement projects are proposed to be implemented prior to theopening of Crossrail. These are the London Underground Public Private Partnership(PPP) improvements, Eurostar and Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) domestic servicesfrom Kent, capacity increases and extensions to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR),extensions to the East London Line and Thameslink 2000. In addition, the capacities ofa limited number of National Rail routes will be increased by 2016 through the operationof longer trains on some routes and services.

4.3.7 Overall, these improvements, if all implemented and on schedule, will increase peakhour rail capacity into central London by 16% from 2001 levels by 2016 (SDG 2005).Although capacity into London will increase from all directions, the greatest absoluteincreases in capacity will occur from the north and the south, primarily due to theconstruction of the Thameslink 2000 project and train lengthening on some NationalRail routes from the south.

4.3.8 Over the same period, demand for peak travel to and from London and across thesouth east is forecast to increase significantly, with flows into central London during themorning rush hour, for example, rising by almost 25% compared to 2001 levels.Although this increase in demand will in part be met by the additional capacity on theUnderground and National Rail networks, future levels of overcrowding will exceedthose experienced today, particularly within central London. Table 4.2 shows forecastincreases between 2001 and 2016 in the percentage of passengers carried in excess ofthe Planning Guideline Capacity for a number of sections of the London Undergroundnetwork (SDG 2005).

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Table 4.2 Increase in Crowding on the London Underground Network (2001 and 2016)

4.3.9 On certain limited areas of the network, passengers flows are predicted to be higherthan could be supported in reality with consequential constraints on demand arising.Increasing congestion on London’s rail network therefore poses a threat to achievingthe projected growth in jobs and economic activity forecast for London by the London Plan.

4.4 The Transport and Planning Case for Crossrail

Overview

4.4.1 The Government’s White Paper “The Future of Transport” (DfT 2004) recognises thatincreased investment in transport infrastructure will be required to address theconstraints of the existing transport network and to support anticipated growth. TheGovernment’s goal is to deliver a transport network that meets the challenges of agrowing economy and the increasing demand for travel, while also meetingenvironmental objectives. It advocates a coherent transport network, including a railnetwork that provides a fast, reliable, efficient service, particularly for inter-urbanjourneys and commuting into large urban areas.

4.4.2 These objectives are mirrored in the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East ofEngland and the Spatial Development Strategy for London. Crossrail’s role in thedelivery of the core objectives of these strategies is considered below.

Promoting Sustainable Transport Choices

4.4.3 A key principle of Government transport policy is to improve transport to achieveenvironmental objectives, principally by reducing car travel, the promotion of moresustainable transport choices for people, and improved accessibility to services andfacilities by public transport.

Line Section % of Passengers abovePlanning

Guideline Capacity

Bakerloo Paddington to Oxford Circus2001 201632% 36%

Central Stratford to Chancery LaneLancaster Gate to Chancery Lane

22% 38%4% 10%

Jubilee Canada Water to WestminsterLondon Bridge to Canary Wharf

22% 28%0% 21%

Piccadilly Earls Court to Knightsbridge 12% 23%

Circle Edgware Road to Baker StreetKings Cross to Farringdon

0% 31%0% 3%

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4.4.4 The Government’s Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG13) (ODPM 2001)requires local authorities to focus major generators of travel demand in city, town, anddistrict centres near to major public transport interchanges, and to ensure thatstrategies for development are complemented by transport strategies and programmesfor investment. The guidance recognises that the availability and use of public transport is important in determining locational policies aimed at reducing the need totravel by car. It urges local authorities to work with public transport providers andoperators to bring forward public transport improvements, including rail, which supportdevelopment policies.

4.4.5 RSS and the transport strategies for the South East of England and London play a keyrole in the co-ordination of transport and land use planning and recognise that there is a need to improve the standard of service, making public transport more efficient,reliable, frequent, and accessible, in order to provide an attractive alternative to the car.That part of the RSS that comprises the Regional Transport Strategy for the South East(GoSE July 2004) seeks to foster an improved and integrated network of publictransport, and urges the Regional Assembly to work together with transport deliveryagencies to develop rail services with better inter and intra-regional connections. The strategy prioritises Crossrail as a transport project that supports these policy objectives.

4.4.6 Crossrail will improve the attractiveness of public transport primarily by reducing currentlevels of overcrowding on the Underground, particularly in the central area. AllUnderground lines (except the Northern line) will see a reduction in passengers followingthe opening of Crossrail, with the largest percentage decreases occurring on theCentral, Bakerloo, Metropolitan / Hammersmith & City and Jubilee lines. As a result,overcrowding will be reduced by Crossrail in the morning rush hour over large sectionsof the Underground network. Table 4.3 shows forecast reductions achieved by Crossrailin the percentage of passengers carried in excess of the Planning Guideline Capacityfor a number of sections of the London Underground network (SDG 2005).

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Table 4.3 Crowding Reduction on the London Underground Network with Crossrail (2016)

4.4.7 In addition, major reductions in passenger flows will occur on other sections of theUnderground, that although not “overcrowded”, are still classified as being “busy” withat least 80% of the Planning Guideline Capacity utilised. The most significant stretchesthat will be affected are:

• westbound on the Metropolitan/Hammersmith & City lines between Liverpool Streetand Paddington; and

• westbound on the District line between Upton Park and Embankment (SDG 2005).

4.4.8 Crossrail will also have indirect impacts on the frequency and reliability of Network Railservices. By creating a new heavy rail underground line beneath central London, whichconnects the main line terminal stations at Paddington and Liverpool Street, Crossrailwill reduce the need for many passengers to interchange at these stations. This willenable the provision of more frequent and reliable services on existing radial NetworkRail lines that serve Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex.

4.4.9 After the opening of Crossrail, the number of passengers using other National Railservices will drop and crowding will be reduced. The services that will most benefit willbe those using Liverpool Street (Great Eastern), Paddington, Fenchurch Street, CharingCross and Cannon Street, which will all have fewer boarders and crowding due to thediversion of passengers on to Crossrail services. The number of passengers boardingWest Anglia services into Liverpool Street from the Lea Valley will increase following theopening of Crossrail. However, with the provision of additional trains on this route,crowding will also be reduced on these services.

Line Section % of Passengers above Planning Guideline Capacity

Bakerloo Paddington to Oxford Circus

2016 without Crossrail 2016 with Crossrail

36% 10%

Central Stratford to Chancery Lane

Lancaster Gate toChancery Lane

38% 19%

10% 0%

Jubilee Canada Water toWestminster

London Bridge to Canary Wharf

28% 13%

21% 8%

Piccadilly Earls Court toKnightsbridge

23% 16%

Circle Edgware Road to Baker Street

Kings Cross to Farringdon

31% 0%

3% 0%

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4.4.10 Crossrail will also create a range of new direct journey opportunities and improveaccessibility across parts of the south east and London, particularly from southeastLondon and Kent by the provision of a new rail crossing of the River Thames betweenCustom House and Abbey Wood.

4.4.11 Examples of ‘before’ and ‘after’ Crossrail travel times for a range of journeys are shownin Table 4.4.

Table 4.4 Illustrative Journey Times and Time Savings with Crossrail (in minutes)

Source: CLRLL based on TfL Railplan model

4.4.12 The Crossrail journey time savings and relief of overcrowding will cause some people toswitch from private cars to rail. CLRLL estimate that London-wide 20,000 people willswitch from using car to rail in the morning peak period, with most of this switch takingplace in transport corridors served by Crossrail. Again, CLRLL has estimated that thiswill result in 15,000 fewer car journeys being made within London during the morningpeak period.

Sustaining London’s Role in the International Economy

4.4.13 Both the Government and the Mayor for London recognise the importance of the needto invest in London’s transport infrastructure, and Crossrail specifically, if London’s rolein the international economy is to be sustained. The Government’s Transport WhitePaper “The Future of Transport” (DfT 2004) states:

“Investing in the capacity of London’s transport system is vital to maintaining its pre-eminence as a world class capital and business centre. The case for Crossrail isstrong and will only strengthen further as demand on the capital’s existing transportnetworks grow.” (para. 4.24).

Before Crossrail After Crossrail Saving

Abbey Wood to Isle of Dogs 30 9 21

Isle of Dogs to Paddington 29 18 11

Ealing Broadway to Farringdon 25 17 8

Hayes to Tottenham Court Road 34 24 10

Southall to Custom House 58 36 22

Paddington to Liverpool Street 17 11 6

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4.4.14 The Mayor’s London Plan contains policy to improve the strategic public transportnetwork in London, including cross-London rail links to support future development. It identifies Crossrail as a high priority in supporting London’s core business area, stating:

“Crossrail 1 is critical to supporting the growth of the financial and business servicessector in central London and in the Isle of Dogs, where there is market demand foradditional development capacity. By linking these two areas, Crossrail 1 would createa virtual unified economic and business core in London. Significant intensification ofdevelopment around key interchanges within the Central Activities Zone and to itseast and west are crucially dependent on the delivery of Crossrail 1, which is plannedfor phased completion from 2012. The scheme will also improve links to Heathrowthereby supporting connections for London’s global businesses.”(GLA 2004, para. 3.186) 2

4.4.15 The importance of Crossrail in sustaining London’s role in the international economy isrecognised by a range of project stakeholders. The Institute of Directors, for example,has stated: “Crossrail is a vital infrastructure project for London. If the Capital is tocompete as a place for business, the public transport has to improve.”

4.4.16 London First has stated: “If we want to…. keep London competitive, we have toimprove its transport system. This means relieving current overcrowding on thenetworks and catering for continual growth. Crossrail is essential for achieving these goals.”

4.4.17 It is the CBI’s view that Crossrail: “Is the single most important new piece ofinfrastructure for London. The benefits of an east-west link will spread beyond the Capital.”

4.4.18 Crossrail plays an important role in sustaining economic growth because it directlyserves the West End, City and the Isle of Dogs, which are the three most productiveclusters of the finance and business service sector in London and the UK. Each ofthese areas is forecast to suffer from severe transport capacity constraints during peak periods.

4.4.19 By providing additional capacity in the London rail network, Crossrail will enable morepeople to travel to, from and across London. Operating 24 trains per hour in the peakperiods through central London, Crossrail will have a planned capacity of up to 26,000passengers per hour in each direction between Paddington and Liverpool Street.

4.4.20 Crossrail will increase rail capacity into the City by 20%, and increase capacity into theIsle of Dogs by 50%. The additional capacity on the transport network will removeconstraints on future employment growth in central London thereby facilitating growth in employment.

4.4.21 Jobs located in central London are more productive than jobs elsewhere in the UK, sothere is an economic benefit from additional central area employment enabled byCrossrail. In turn, these additional jobs increase the productivity of existing central areajobs, through increased competition and efficiency factors. Crossrail will therefore generatewider economic benefits, and an associated increase in taxation revenue to the Treasury.

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2 CLRLL estimate based on peak service frequency for 24 trains per hr and Planning Guideline Capacity of 1,100 passengers per train.

Improving International and Inter-Regional Transport Connections

4.4.22 The Regional Transport Strategy for the South East and the London Plan aim toimprove and develop more sustainable transport connections to the region’s airportsand international rail stations, in recognition of the gateway function to Europe and therest of the world. The London Plan recognises that:

“As a world gateway city, London will be dependent upon excellent globalcommunications extending well beyond the plan period. London is a world transporthub and one that needs substantial improvement. This requires significant airport andport capacity, located to serve spatial and economic priorities, and stronger publictransport linkages to them.” (GLA 2004, para. 1.4).

4.4.23 Crossrail will improve international connections by providing a new direct, high capacityrail link with Heathrow from central and east London. Operating every 15 minutesthroughout most of the day, the service will provide a significant increase in capacity tothe airport. The journey time from the Isle of Dogs to Heathrow Central will be around40 minutes, compared to a current journey time of over one hour.

4.4.24 Crossrail will also connect with services to Luton, Gatwick and Stansted airports fromnew stations at Farringdon and Liverpool Street. In addition, the platform capacityreleased at Liverpool Street as a result of Crossrail will help other operators increasetrain frequencies to and from Stansted Airport. Crossrail will also provide interchangewith Eurostar international services at Stratford.

4.4.25 The Regional Transport Strategy for the South East also aims to develop rail links thatimprove inter- and intra-regional connectivity, which is essential to regional economies. It prioritises investment in international and inter-regional movement corridors. Crossrailis identified in the strategy as a priority project in supporting the upgrade of the GreatWestern Main Line and in improving public transport to Heathrow Airport.

4.4.26 The Regional Transport Strategy for the East of England similarly recognises theimportance of links between London and its region, particularly in the south of theregion where large numbers commute into London to work. It identifies Crossrail as apriority project to relieve congestion on the rail network and improve access to all tojobs and services.

Accommodating Growth in London

4.4.27 The Mayor’s London Plan forecasts, on the basis of current trends, a populationincrease of 800,000 people and an increase of 636,000 jobs over the period from 2001to 2016. Adopting a policy of sustainable development, the Plan proposes that thisgrowth should not be addressed by planned dispersal but should be absorbed within amore compact city, without encroaching on London’s open spaces and Green Belt. Anunderlying objective to achieving this sustainable growth is the integration ofdevelopment with public transport capacity. The Plan requires London Boroughs toconsider proposals for development in terms of existing and proposed transportcapacity, and to ensure that where adequate capacity does not exist that developmentis appropriately phased (GLA 2004, Policy 3C.2). In line with the objectives andtransport proposals contained in the Mayor’s transport strategy, the Plan sets out aspatial framework for growth.

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4.4.28 Research which supports the London Plan forecasts that up to 48% of employmentgrowth can be accommodated within central London (GLA 2002). The London Plansees improved public transport capacity as fundamental to accommodating thisgrowth. Crossrail is identified as the Mayor’s highest priority public transport project,highlighting the substantial increase in capacity that Crossrail can deliver and its role inuniting the Central Activities Zone with the Isle of Dogs. The Plan considers thatsignificant development opportunities around key interchanges within central Londonare crucially dependent on the implementation of Crossrail. Paddington, TottenhamCourt Road and Farringdon/Smithfield are all areas served by Crossrail and identified inthe London Plan for development.

4.4.29 The second largest growth area identified in the London Plan is East London. The Planforecasts that beyond the City and the Isle of Dogs, the East London sub region couldaccommodate a further 56,000 jobs and an additional 104,000 homes in the period to2016. The Plan recognises that the East London sub region needs further significantimprovements in transport accessibility, which Crossrail can help to deliver. Areasidentified for development, which will be supported by increased public transport andimproved accessibility with Crossrail, are Whitechapel, the Isle of Dogs, Stratford, Royal Docks and Ilford. Whilst not directly served by Crossrail, developmentopportunities at Belvedere and Erith are also likely to benefit from connections toCrossrail at Abbey Wood.

4.4.30 It is anticipated that the West London sub region will also accommodate significantemployment growth of 86,000 and 45,000 additional homes. Crossrail is identified aspart of the planned transport investment to accommodate this level of growth, and willsupport development opportunities around Heathrow and at Hayes / West Drayton /Southall.

4.4.31 Crossrail will also assist in sustaining and developing the West End and London’snetwork of town centres. The London Plan seeks to promote the strategic importanceof town centres in accommodating economic growth, recognising that they areinherently sustainable locations, accessible by public transport, and with the capacity tomeet a range of needs. The West End, one of two designated International Centres inLondon, will be served by Crossrail and, as a result, 390,000 more people will live withina 60 minute journey time of the area.

4.4.32 In addition, many Metropolitan and Major Centres designated in the London Plan,including Ealing Broadway, Ilford and Romford (Metropolitan Centres) and Southall andStratford (Major Centres), together with District and Local Centres, will be directly servedby Crossrail. Crossrail will improve accessibility to these centres assisting the policyobjectives of the London Plan, and Borough UDPs to enhance the accessibility of towncentres, particularly by public transport, and to capitalise on opportunities for higherdensity development. Figure 4.1 shows the Crossrail route and sub regional growthareas.

Improving Transport Infrastructure within and to the Thames Gateway

4.4.33 The Thames Gateway is a national and regional priority for regeneration and growth.The Government has set out its commitment to providing for growth in the ThamesGateway in the Sustainable Communities Plan and has produced an interim strategyand assessment of potential development capacity, pending production of the RegionalSpatial Strategy for the South East.

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4.4.34 The Government’s plan for the Thames Gateway is that it will develop a strong,polycentric spatial structure with strategic clusters of employment, including the Isle ofDogs, Stratford and Ebbsfleet. It is estimated that 120,000 to 180,000 new jobs couldbe created between 2001 and 2016, and that there is sufficient land available to reachand exceed the upper end of this range. With funding support, the Government alsoenvisages that targets for 120,000 new homes can be met.

4.4.35 However, the Government recognises that substantial improvements to the transportsystem, including improved rail links, are required to realise the scale of growth requiredin order to serve the volume of travel through the Thames Gateway that growth willbring. In addition, improved access is seen as essential to creating new communitiesand attracting significant private investment. The coherence of the sub region willdepend on good connections to London and cross-river links in order to widen job andinvestment opportunities.

4.4.36 A joint statement “Growth and Regeneration in the Gateway” produced by the East ofEngland Regional Assembly, the Greater London Authority and the South East ofEngland Regional Assembly (ODPM 2004), as a precursor to the emerging RegionalSpatial Strategies, considers that improvements to the transport system are crucial:

“A transport system that is already liable to congestion and delay in several areas willneed to accommodate major growth in population and employment and to handlethe increasing flows of people and goods moving through the Gateway between theUK and the continent. The continuous strengthening of transport infrastructure iscritical to the success of the Gateway, a key driver for change.”

4.4.37 Along with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and related domestic services, the ThamesGateway Bridge, and a Lower Thames Crossing, the Statement identifies Crossrail asone of four strategic transport projects that will make the biggest contribution to theachievement of growth in the Thames Gateway. It will achieve this by deliveringsignificant improvements in capacity and providing links with central and west London.

Improving Strategic Rail Links within and to the Western Policy Area

4.4.38 RSS for the South East (GoSE 2001 and 2004) identifies the Western Policy Area,covering an area to the west and south of London, as one of the most prosperousareas in the UK, with proximity to London and Heathrow Airport sustaining its growth.That part of the RSS comprising the Regional Transport Strategy for the South East(GoSE July 2004) aims to improve strategic rail links within and to the Western PolicyArea to maintain the economic success of the sub region. The focus of the spatialstrategy for this sub region is to concentrate future development in existing urbancentres. The transport strategy supports this aim by identifying regional ‘hubs andspokes’ where investment in public transport will be prioritised in order to supporteconomic development. Crossrail is identified in the strategy as a priority scheme andwill support these objectives by upgrading the Great Western Main Line and improvingconnections between London and the regional hub of Slough.

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Management of Commuter Flows between South Essex and London

4.4.39 There are strong connections between London and south Essex and consequently highlevels of commuting. The draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England (EERA2004) highlights the problems of pressures on the rail routes into London and the needfor improved infrastructure. Crossrail is identified in the strategy as a priority schemethat meets objectives to improve access to jobs and services and addresses problemsof congestion. Crossrail will assist in delivering these improvements on the GreatEastern Line through congestion relief at Liverpool Street and the provision of additionaltrains on this route.

4.5 References

Department for Transport (DfT) (2003) The Future of Air Transport, DfT, December 2003

DfT (2004) The Future of Transport: A Network for 2030, DfT

East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) (2004) Draft Revision to the RegionalSpatial Strategy for the East of England, EERA, December 2004

Regional Spatial Strategy for the Southeast comprising:

1 Government Office for the South East (GoSE) (2001) Regional Planning Guidancefor the South East (RPG9), GoSE, March 2001(excluding original Chapter 9); and

2 GoSE (2004) Regional Transport Strategy (Replacement Chapter 9 of RegionalPlanning Guidance for the South East RPG9), GoSE, July 2004 (See the Town and Country Planning (Initial Regional Spatial Strategy) (England)Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 2206), reg. 2 and Schedule)

Greater London Authority (GLA) (2001) The Mayor’s Transport Strategy, GLA, July 2001

GLA (2002) Demand and Supply of Business Space in London, SDS TechnicalReport Twenty One, GLA, August 2002

GLA (2004) The London Plan, Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London,GLA, February 2004

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) (2001) Planning Policy Guidance NotePPG13: Transport, HMSO, March 2001

ODPM (2003) Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, ODPM, February 2003

ODPM (2004) Growth and Regeneration in the Gateway, Statement by the East ofEngland Regional Assembly, Greater London Authority, and the South East of EnglandRegional Assembly, ODPM, August 2004

SI 2004 No. 2206, Town and Country Planning (Initial Regional Spatial Strategy)(England) Regulations 2004, Reg. 2 and Schedule

Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) (2005), Crossrail Summary Transport Case, SDG, February 2005

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