§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he expects(a) Crossrail, (b) Thameslink 2000 and (c) the west coast main line to be completed. [8993]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Government, with the Mayor and the Strategic Rail Authority, have commissioned project definition work on an east-west London rail link, often known as Crossrail. This is looking into possible routes and service patterns. At this stage it is too early to say when such a scheme, if it were to receive the necessary approvals, could be completed; the earliest date is late 2010.
The Thameslink 2000 proposal is dependent on powers being granted under the Transport and Works Act 1992. The public inquiry into the scheme finished earlier this year, and the Inspector's report is expected next spring. If the scheme is approved, the earliest date that it could be operational is late 2007.
At present, phase 1 of the west coast main line project is expected to be completed in 2002–3. Some elements of phase 2 of the project are dependent on powers being granted under the Transport and Works Act and are the subject of public inquiries. If powers are given for these elements of the project, the principal outputs of phase 2 could be completed in 2005, and the work could be fully completed by 2007. However, in recent discussions with Railtrack about its financial position, the company indicated that these dates are subject to some uncertainty.