What Is Cross City Connect?

The project described in this paper is a scheme to develop an alternative alignment to HS2 in London and to create a link with HS1. It would give rise to transport benefits and real estate opportunities within central London and could be delivered by the private sector. It represents a significant commercial opportunity for those involved in its development.

The Scheme

Cross City Connect would connect Old Oak Common in west London to HS1 at Rainham in east London. The scheme involves:

· building a circa 30km twin bored railway tunnel linking Old Oak Common Station to a portal and junction with HS1 at Rainham;

· constructing an underground station in the Waterloo/Southwark area (South Bank Central Station) to maximise linkages with the existing underground and national rail networks and overground development opportunities; and

· providing a turn-back and siding maintenance facilities in the Rainham Marshes area.

This proposition would enable Government to dispense with the current proposed HS2 London terminus at Euston and the associated rail connection from Old Oak Common.

Three levels of services are envisaged:· HS2 services stopping at Old Oak Common, South Bank Central and possibly

Canary Wharf and/or Barking;· through-running HS2 European services from the North; and· Javelin type services linking the Thames Gateway and Kent with the new London

stations and possibly terminating in Birmingham, with the potential to link to the Thames Valley.

Connecting HS2 through Central London to HS1

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Improving Regional Connectivity and Network Resilience

Improved Dispersal Using London’s Public Transport

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The Scheme Benefits

· Improved functionality – Cross City Connect would (a) help ensure HS2 acts as a connectivity spine for the whole country rather than just a rail project linking London with the Midlands and the North, (b) improve HS2’s journey times into central London, (c) grow HS2’s patronage, (d) improve HS2’s economic case and (e) address dispersal issues at Euston.

· Reduced cost – Removing the line from Old Oak Common to Euston and some of the major reconfiguration of Euston station could reduce the cost of HS2 by circa £7bn.

· Reducing disruption – Construction of the Old Oak Common to Euston link, together with a future Crossrail 2 station, may cause up to 20 years of disruption. Not only will much of this disruption at Euston be avoided by Cross City Connect but construction of the tunnel and underground stations will minimize impact of the proposed scheme.

· Other transport benefits – The plan for Crossrail 2 to pass through Euston to mitigate dispersal issues could be reconsidered, improving the business case for Crossrail 2. The development of through-running routes presents opportunities to take greater advantage of digital technologies to improve services. Linkage of rail routes east and west of London provides improved resiliency for the network in this region.

· Climate Change - Rail transport is an energy-efficient carrier of people and goods and produces relatively less CO2 emissions per passenger than other modes, reduced noise impacts and improvements to air quality and public health. This extension of the HS2 alignment is primarily a tunnelling project, which offers all of these benefits plus greater climate change resilience and future proofing over above ground railways by way of protection from extreme weather events. Further, it will cause minimal disruption and a corresponding reduced climate change impact by comparison with the extended disruption at Euston, where construction is forecast to create negative impacts for more than a decade.

The promoters have undertaken an informal market consultation exercise and have spoken to the HS2 Review Panel. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the benefits which Cross City Connect would deliver.

The Commercial Case

The promoters anticipate that the scheme can be delivered for less than £10bn and can be financed and delivered by the private sector. It would enhance the South Bank (and possibly other areas south of the Thames in London) boosting economic activity and creating significant value in the area(s) it serves. This creates a considerable commercial opportunity, particularly for those who invest in the scheme at this early stage.

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