Calls for Crossrail 2 to come into City of London

A councillor in The City has called for changes to plans for the line, which is not expected to open until the 2050s reports Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter

Office towers in The City of London. — (Credit – LDRS)

Crossrail 2 should stop in the west of the Square Mile to support the projected jobs growth around the Fleet Valley area, a City of London councillor has said.

Common Councillor Shravan Joshi, who has previously held senior roles including Chair of Planning and Transportation, urged the City of London Corporation to make the request to the Greater London Authority (GLA) as part of its response to the draft London Plan.

He said: “If we are going to promote the Fleet Valley as a development centre, a development area, [we need] infrastructure. And I’m not talking about utility infrastructure. It’s transport infrastructure.”

A spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL), which is overseeing the scheme, said the current safeguarded route was developed following “extensive technical assessment”, with a public consultation and costs also considered.

Crossrail 2 is one of the capital’s most anticipated infrastructure projects, intended to act as the North-South partner to the Elizabeth Line ’s East-West route.

The indicative route, which dates back to 2015, would see trains run from Hertfordshire into Central London before branching into three routes in Surrey, south of Wimbledon.

It will connect with National Rail stations, including Victoria, and provide a direct link with the Elizabeth Line at Tottenham Court Road.

Formal backing was given by Sir Sadiq Khan and the Department for Transport in 2017, with work due to begin in 2023. To-date however there has been little progress, with a decision made in October 2020 to pause to allow for more to be done on its design and development.

TfL is still waiting for a response from the government to a business case submitted in 2021. It was reported this week that Crossrail 2 is not expected to open until the early 2050s.

During a discussion about the City of London Corporation’s response to the draft London Plan, which directs development across the capital, Cllr Joshi said recommendations should be made to balance out and create a more aesthetically pleasing Square Mile.

“If you’re looking at the preservation of heritage, which is paramount in our local plan, actually we are very overweight in the eastern cluster and then not much else going on anywhere,” he said.

Key to this re-balancing, Cllr Joshi continued, is the development of the Fleet Valley, an area just north of Fleet Street which is designated as suitable for tall buildings.

However he said that if the Fleet Valley is to undergo such growth, a major investment in local public transport will be required.

“If our worker population is going to grow by a third by 2050 we need to be thinking about mass public transport for 2050 today, because we know it takes decades for anything to happen in London infrastructure.”

Cllr Joshi added it is “disappointing” Crossrail 2 is not due to come into the City, with the nearest planned stops being at Angel, Euston and Tottenham Court Road.

He suggested officers make a request that this be amended, and that the route runs through the western part of the Square Mile.

“I think it’s really important we don’t miss this opportunity to make our claim on that. If we are going to have that third of increase and it’s going to be focussed on that Fleet Valley area, we need that public transport to really match that growth.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “Crossrail 2 remains a priority for TfL and the Mayor of London, but the project is currently paused and there is no timetable for restarting development work. If delivered, Crossrail 2 would support sustainable growth by helping unlock thousands of new homes and jobs in London and across the South East.

“The current safeguarded route was developed following extensive technical assessment and public consultation, balancing transport needs, engineering constraints, costs and wider benefits.”

The consultation on the draft London Plan is to run until 15th October. It will then be subject to an independent Examination in Public before being formally adopted, expected in early 2028.

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