Ministers Must Give Commitment To Crossrail Completion Before Olympics

12.00.00am GMT Tue 21st Oct 2003

Commenting on the Debate held in the House of Commons on Crossrail this morning, Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes MP said:-

"It was disappointing that the Minister of Transport for London was unwilling to make the Government's commitment to Crossrail any firmer in Parliament today.

"Given the importance of the Olympic bid, it must be in everyone's interest if the core route of Paddington to Liverpool Street and Stratford can be in place by 2011 rather than 2013.

"I expect the project to be funded mainly out of the private sector. The more positive the Government can be about innovative ways of raising money, such as collecting money from windfall profits on commercial properties on the route, the more confidence investors will have that Crossrail can become a reality."