Last week I spoke to Michele Dix, the Chief Executive of Crossrail 2 and Chris Curtis, the Head of Crossrail 2 at Network Rail. As ever, I wanted to give you a quick update on what was discussed.
Firstly, I was briefed on a change of governance at Crossrail 2. Following a recommendation from the National Infrastructure Commission, Crossrail 2 will now be jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and the Mayor of London. We had originally been told that we would have the latest route options by the summer, and this change of governance is why there is a slight delay.
I welcome this change in governance, which I had called for in the past; it reflects governance structure for Crossrail 1, which has worked well and will make it easier to coordinate the construction works.
The National Infrastructure Commission recommended that Crossrail 2 can be delivered with a cost reduction of £4bn. This will probably mean branches and/or stations being cut out from the original plans, but I have been told that they still plan to serve Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Motspur Park. I will of course to fight to ensure cost reduction does not mean a negative impact on Wimbledon.
Crossrail 2 aim to publish their updated route option for Wimbledon this month and I have been told they are looking into three options for Wimbledon, all of which they will publish but with one main recommendation. A public consultation will soon follow this, and I have submitted a Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport to ask about their preparations for the consultation and when they expect it to be held.
It is likely that Raynes Park station will need a significant rebuild to accommodate Crossrail 2. I have asked for more information on this as soon as possible, and I will want to see that commuters are not overly disrupted by this.
I have also been told that there may need to be closures of some level crossings in the Motspur Park area. This could be very disruptive for local traffic and I have asked Network Rail to brief me on their plans as soon as possible. If this needs to happen, I want to work with Network Rail, Crossrail 2 and Merton Council so that alternative routes for the traffic can be found.
When the next consultation comes, your local Conservative councillors and I will do everything we can to ensure Crossrail 2 works for Wimbledon, Raynes Park and Motspur Park and to publicise it so that residents’ voices are heard. To help do this, we have set up a dedicated Crossrail 2 website, where you can sign up to receive the latest news.