Crossrail 2 - to Alexandra Palace station, and to the Tottenham Hale line

London First issued a Crossrail 2 report today (although, apart from moving the Wood Green station to Turnpike Lane, there is actually little new).

"A major new rail link connecting south-west and north-east London, via a tunnel beneath central London, is recommended today in a new report by London First.

"The new line, Crossrail 2, would transform journeys for commuters from the south-west and the north-east, including Wimbledon, Kingston, Twickenham, Hackney, Islington, Tottenham, Cheshunt and Hertford East. It would also provide essential relief to major London interchanges, including Euston, Victoria and Clapham Junction, and reduce pressure on congested Tube lines. In some cases, journey times would be more than halved.

"Rapid population and central London employment growth will create the need for significant additional capacity on London’s transport networks from the mid 2020s onwards. Over the next 20 years, employment in London – mostly in central London – is projected to rise by 700,000 and the capital’s population is expected to rise by 1.5 million to almost 10 million, its highest level ever.

"If the necessary planning and consultation for Crossrail 2 were to begin now, the new line could be open by the early 2030s."

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Evening Standard reports that:
"Boris Johnson backs Crossrail 2 to slash journey times between north and south London"

"The route of a north-south Crossrail 2 through central London, creating an extra 100,000 journeys during the morning peak, was unveiled today.

"The proposed express service would run from Cheshunt and Alexandra Palace in the north to centres including Epsom, Shepperton, and Twickenham in the south-west.

"Much of the route would be via a new tunnel that would be drilled between Wimbledon and Tottenham Hale and Alexandra Palace. The service could be running by the mid-2030s.

"The proposal, in a report published today by business lobby group London First, was welcomed by Mayor Boris Johnson and is a significant step forward for a project that has been talked of for decades.

Also link to:
"Andrew Adonis: We need Crossrail 2 to serve our high-speed city"

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Network Rail issued a press release:

"Our projections show that by 2031 we will need to accommodate 36% more commuters into London each day. Network Rail is already delivering the biggest capacity improvement programme since the Victorian era, but even that will not be enough on some routes."

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Click on image for:
The Brent Cross Railway
(across outer north London)

Click for video (top-right) of
Sir Terry Farrell's Ninky Nonk
at Old Oak Common