Minister welcomes progress at key Crossrail station

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan visited the construction site at the Crossrail Canary Wharf Station today to see the progress being made on Western Europe's largest infrastructure project.

Canary Wharf is the first Crossrail station under construction and the start of work was marked on 15 May this year by a joint visit from the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London.

Sadiq Khan said:

“This project will boost the UK economy by at least £20bn and create and support thousands of jobs, relieve congestion and provide a high speed rail link across London. It's good news to see that this project is well and truly underway."

“Work is on schedule, with the station foundations being laid through a specialist 'Giken' piling method designed to minimise noise pollution to surrounding buildings.”

Boasting independent step-free disabled access from street to platform, Canary Wharf Station will be constructed below the water within the West India Docks complex.

Earlier in the day the Minister had visited the newly opened Crossrail Visitor Centre near Tottenham Court Road.

The Visitor Centre opened earlier this month to act as a one-stop shop for local residents, businesses and anyone interested in learning more about the redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road Tube station and the Crossrail project in general.

As construction progresses further centres will open along the route, helping to ensure that people are kept informed.

Crossrail is "a signal of faith in the future"

A major construction project to build a high-speed railway line through London is a signal of faith in the future of the UK’s economy, the Prime Minister has said.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the start of construction work on Crossrail, Gordon Brown praised the partnership between the private and public sectors that is making the scheme possible.

The Crossrail project aims to provide a high-speed railway line through London, stretching from Berkshire in the west to Essex in the east.

The Prime Minister and Transport Minister Lord Adonis were among the guests at the ceremony on Friday morning at Canary Wharf, where the first Crossrail station will be constructed.

The PM said:

“Today we are sending a message that our faith in the future is such that today, in the midst of a downturn, we are starting the biggest infrastructure project in this country - one that will serve not just London, but as a message to the whole world that we will invest in this downturn and we will emerge a stronger country as a result.”

Mr Brown added that the project was an important example of a public and private sector partnership.

BAA, Canary Wharf Group and the Corporation of London will contribute hundreds of millions of pounds towards the project, while Government and Transport for London have set up a £15.9 billion funding package to cover the costs of Crossrail.

When it is completed in 2017, the railway will run for 118km, including 21.5km of new underground tunnels through central London, and is expected to bring 1.5 million people within 60 minutes’ commute of London’s major business districts.

(DFT) Passengers set for faster more convenient rail services

A new train service enabling thousands of Kent commuters to leave their cars behind and travel to London on high speed trains will lead to faster, more convenient journeys for rail passengers and boost the local economy, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said today.

Mr Hoon was visiting the region today to discuss the potential of bringing Crossrail services to the Thames Gateway area. The Government is working closely with councils and local stakeholders to safeguard a route there.

Whilst there, he also viewed plans for two new domestic rail platforms at Ebbsfleet station and an extended 9,000 space park-and-ride facility - both set to open in December 2009 - which will help slash journey times for rail passengers.
Inspecting the progress of work at the station, Geoff Hoon said:

"Ebbsfleet has successfully served high speed international rail services for some time now and I am delighted passengers on domestic services travelling into London and to the South East coast are about to benefit from faster journey times.

"The Government has committed £51 million to develop transport in the region and this is just one of many schemes we are supporting, including a number of local road improvement schemes and the 'Fastrack' bus service - which I also viewed during my visit to the area - which now carries more than 1.5million passengers every year."

The Secretary of State also met with local councillors and was accompanied on his tour of Ebbsfleet and the Fastrack bus service by Dartford MP Howard Stoate.