CROSSRAIL BILL
The purpose of the bill is to:
- grant powers for the construction, maintenance and operation of Crossrail: a new east-west railway linking Maidenhead and Heathrow with Shenfield and Abbey Wood through new tunnels under central London;
- performing a similar function to a public inquiry, a special Select Committee stage is added to the normal public bill process to consider petitions from those whose property and private rights are affected.
The main benefits of the bill are to grant powers for Crossrail, which will:
- provide a new fleet of trains, operating a 24 trains-an-hour peak service in both directions through central London, carrying nearly 200 million passengers a year;
- significantly increase the capacity of the rail network into and across London, relieve congestion and overcrowding on the existing National Rail and Underground networks, meet the substantial growth in demand for travel in the capital expected over the coming decades, and improve accessibility;
- provide improved east-west rail access into and across London from the East and South East regions and support local and national Government policy for economic development and regeneration, particularly in the Lee Valley and Thames Gateway;
- significantly enhance public transport access to Heathrow Airport and allow Liverpool Street to handle many more passengers to and from Stansted Airport;
- facilitate the continued development of London's primary finance and business service activities, located in both the City and Docklands.
The main elements of the bill are:
- outline planning permission (10 year time limited) and a bespoke planning regime;
- compulsory purchase powers (5 year time limited);
- powers to vary railways regulation to ensure that Crossrail can be constructed and services run on Network Rail's network. LP Committee's approval has been given to cutting these powers back in the Lords once the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has decided whether to approve the access rights sought to the network;
- power to nominate an undertaker of the works;
- power to devolve the project to the Mayor of London.
The Bill was introduced February 2005. By mid July 2007 all petitioners will have been heard by the Commons Crossrail Bill Select Committee, which will then reach its final decisions and report the Bill. The Bill will then go through Public Bill stages in the Commons.
The bill would apply to:
- England and the UK Government is working closely with the DAs on responsibilities they have in this area."
Related documents:
Existing legislation in this area:
- a Hybrid Bill is a Public Bill that affects property and other private interests - a rarely used procedure, the last one of which was the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996.
Comments:
If you have any comments on the draft programme or individual bill being proposed, you can email them to:
legislation@commonsleader.x.gsi.gov.uk
|