Transport for London (TfL) has appointed four major consulting groups who will help flesh out details for the rail line that will run between southwest and northeast London to increase transport capacity across the capital.
Crossrail 2 is the new name for what used to be called the Chelsea-Hackney line plan. It will also serve some destinations in Surrey and Hertfordshire using the existing National Rail network. (See below.) The project is being developed jointly by TfL and Network Rail.
Initial proposals have been consulted on publicly and the Department for Transport is consulting on safeguarding along the route.
The consultants chosen formed part of TfL's engineering and project management framework (EPMF) and were selected following a competitive tendering process. Each set of consultants has been commissioned to offer specialised advice and will work with TfL to deliver these plans.
The winning bidders along with their project area are:
- Arcadis Hyder (in partnership with Weston Williamson, Vinci Construction, Interfleet and First Class Partnerships and Dr Sauer & Partners) – engineering/technical aspects;
- CH2MHill / Atkins (CAST) – strategic modelling, route development; planning, appraisal and evaluation;
- MTEW (Mott MacDonald Ltd, Temple Group Ltd, ERM, and WSP) – environment and sustainability;
- Aecom, Weston Williamson, and Turkington Martin – town planning, economic development, socio-economic and urban design.
TfL managing director for planning Michèle Dix will soon take up the post of managing director of Crossrail 2. She said: “The appointment of these four major consultancies is another important step in taking Crossrail 2 forward. They will work with us to help make the case for Crossrail 2 and prepare more detailed proposals for public consultation later in the summer.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “There is now real momentum behind Crossrail 2 and a growing sense that we can get it off the drawing board. We're seeing strong recognition from the business community that this project could have major benefits for London, helping to boost rail capacity and the creation of new jobs and homes in the capital and beyond.”
Options currently under consideration involve constructing a tunnel across the capital from Wimbledon to Alexandra Palace, with an option to connect to existing national rail networks in the southwest and northeast of London. This would create routes from stations such as Kingston and Surbiton through central London to Tottenham Hale and beyond. Crossrail 2 would serve Victoria station and the proposed new high speed terminal at Euston, adding capacity to London’s network.
The stations and national rail routes shown on proposed route maps are all indicative and designed to show potential Crossrail 2 service opportunities, Network Rail says. No station or infrastructure location has been finalised yet.
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