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CrossRail is going nowhere because it doesn't go where the traffic is, according to the promoters of Superlink.
CrossRail is an ageing project. It was recommended in the 1988 Central London Rail Study as a means of easing congestion on the Underground.
Essentially, CrossRail was a central London scheme, put together in a hurry, with heavy rail extensions bolted onto the ends. In today's world, where fundability reigns, rearranging traffic flows in London is not enough. Crossrail;'s central tunnel doesn't actually generate incremental revenue - only large volumes of new traffic will do that and minimise subsidy.
This is the argument of Superlink Ltd, the business led railwayman's alternative to an ‘unfundable' CrossRail. Readers may groan at a rival ‘back to the drawing board' approach just as Crossrail has gained permission for a Hybrid Bill. But the people behind Superlink give the proposal credibility.
John Prideaux created the modern Intercity business, then headed up BR's Channel Tunnel Rail Link project when it was planned to come in from the south of London and run in tunnel to Kings Cross with a spur to Waterloo. John came up with the route via Stratford to St Pancras which didn't go down well with BRB but is being built.
Then there's Michael Schabas who promoted the Jubilee Line Extension on behalf of the Canary Wharf developers. In 1993 he was advising a residents group on the CTRL and proposed the approach from the east into St Pancras. John Prideaux took him on board.
At Provincial Services Chris Stokes sponsored the London Midland Region's Manchester Airport Extension scheme plus the Hazel Grove chord and the Windsor Link. As Deputy Director Network SpouthEast he actually represented BR on the Central London Rail Study which recommneded Crossrail.
So three very experienced people who all do total railway. Their take on Crossrail has been to focus not on the central tunnel, but on the needs of the Region's railways. Thus they are promoting Superlink as a scheme which supports South East planning policies.
For example, the largest concentrations of new houses will be in the Thames Gateway, along the Stansted- M11 corridor and in Milton Keynes which is set to double in size. These will all require more rail capacity.
Thus the Superlink team has started with these regional requirements and then seen how the various routes can be connected to best effect. They have also considered alternative routes foer the tunnel itself.
All the major rail routes from the East are congested. While the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Domestic Services will take some pressure off London Bridge, there is little scope to relieve Fenchurch Street or Liverpool Street.
Superlink's proposes extending the central tunnel continuing past Canary Wharf to Newbury Park. Just west of Barking Superlink would have a connection with the Tilbury Loop Line, giving access to the north Thameside regeneration areas. The Tilbury line service could be increased to eight trains an hour with formations strengthened from eight to 10 cars.
Direct services to Central London plus airports and the major rail interconnections would increase the attractiveness of Thameside, for both new housing and employment. The buzzword is ‘development capture'.
Superlink would also connect with the Great Eastern Main Line at Shenfield. This would allow some services from Chelmsford, Colchester and Ipswich to run through to Canary Wharf , the West End and, as we shall see, to Milton Keynes . Superlink would also run over the Great Eastern Branch to Southend Victoria . Currently spare capacity on this route cannot be used because of congestion into Liverpool Street .
By putting some existing services onto Superlink, the promoters say that paths would become available for more suburban services into Liverpool Street from Shenfield plus additional stops by fast trains at Stratford . New journey opportunities would also be created.
As the map shows, a massive expansion in housing is proposed in the M11 corridor. Already there are concerns about the inability of the existing utilities to cope, and that includes transport.
Superlink's proposal is for a connection into the existing West Anglia line near Harlow . Cambridge and Stansted Express trains would be transferred to the new line. removing these fast trains would make the route through the Lea Valley an homogenous metro-type service, increasing capacity in the Stratford-Tottenham-Enfield-Harlow corridor.
At the same time a direct fast rail services of four trains an hour would be provided between Stansted and Heathrow, running non-stop to Canary Wharf and Paddington respectively. Four trains an hour from Cambridge also would allow the Kings-Cross Cambridge fast service to be reduced, freeing capacity at Hitchin Junction and the Welwyn Viaduct twin track section.
Destinations west of London have always tested Crossrail: at one time it was expected to run up the Chiltern Line. Superlink claims to have found three routes to the West which can generate revenue.
First is the M4 corridor (Slough Maidenhead Reading), a miniature silicon valley with an overheated employment market exacerbated by high priced housing. Superlink proposes taking over all the services using the slow lines between Reading and Paddington and pairing them with the Thameside group of services. Thus affordable housing to the east is linked with hi-tech jobs to the West, plus direct access to the West End and Canary Wharf for travellers into Paddington.
Heathrow is an obvious destination and pairs with the Stansted/Cambridge service in the East. Superlink's twist is to keep going at Terminal 5, on the surface down the eastern side of the M25 to a direct connection into the South West Main Line at the existing grade separated junction at Byfleet This would allow Superlink to run through to Basingstoke and Guildford via Woking . A connection at Staines would also allow Superlink to run to Reading over the Winsor lines, serving another expanding employment area.
This part of Superlink is a more direct version of the 1990's Airtrack scheme, based on using the existing line from Staines via Virginia Water to Woking .
Finally, and I have deliberately saved it until last, Superlink proposes serving the M1 corridor – Watford-Milton Keynes and Northampton . Young Mr Brunel originally intended that the Great Western Railway should terminate at Euston and at Kensall Green the Great Western and the West Coast Main Line are about a mile apart.
While the WCML slow lines are at capacity during the peak, diverting commuter services onto Superlink would at least improve distribution within central London in the peak. relieving the Victoria and Northern Lines. These services would be paired with the Chelmsford . Colchester and Ipswich service in the East.
Which brings us to the central tunnel. Superlink reckons that this will represent half the capital cost of the project: you could buy the Leeds or Edinburgh light rail systems for the cost of just one of the stations.
While the current Crossrail route is safeguarded, it has not gone through the statutory approval process. John Prideaux knows a lot about this from his time at Union Railways. To succeed, promoters have to be able to demonstrate that they have identified and considered reasonable alternatives.
Superlink has identified two alternative alignments. Its Southern route, takes Crossrail south under the Royal Parks before picking up the line of the Thames, with stations at Park Lane, Waterloo, Blackfriars and London Bridge.
A second alternative remains north of the Bayswater Road and Oxford Street after leaving Paddington, with a station between Bond Street and Oxford Circus before swinging north to a station between Euston and St Pancras, then turning south east with a Station at Farringdon before picking up the Current alignment.
Superlink is also questioning the value of Crossrail's Whitechapel station. If this were dropped, the tunnel could run direct between Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf .
This is all breathtaking stuff. You can see the proposal being greeted with groans at the thought of starting again after £300 million has been spent developing the current Crossrail Scheme. Is it ‘helpful' to ‘rock the boat', just as permission has been given for the hybrid bill.
But I have a lot of respect for those concerned. In particular they have hands on experience of what it takes to get Bills for mega-projects through parliament combined with deep understanding of railway operation and economics. And they a not exactly impressed by what Cross London Rail Links Ltd has achieved for £300million to date
Politically, the Mayor of London doesn't care where the traffic that goes through Crossrail comes from, or what it does for anyone outside London . On the other hand, Superlink must be very attractive to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott as he tries to solve the housing shortage in South East England.
Superlink argues that Crossrail is unfundable. Within the team Michael Schabas is the demon computer modeller and he claims to have produced a model which can replicate the results of the Crossrail Benchmark Scheme. This gives the comparison in the Table.
Meanwhile Editor is braced for a bulging postbag as out expert readership gets stuck in over the Christmas and the New Year. More details are available on www.superlink.org.uk
Project 60 year Net Present Value
Funding gap = capital plus operating costs less revenues
All figures £billion
| Phase | Construction cost | Funding gap | |
| Crossrail | 7.3 | 6 | |
| Superlink | 1 | 7.2 | 4.9 |
| Superlink 1+ | 2 | 8.0 | 4.2 |
| Superling full scheme | 9.6 | 3.2 |
Phase 1 Cambridge/Stansted-Reading/Maidenhead Heathrow
Phase 2 Tilbury Loop-Milton Keynes
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