Crossrail 2 funding and finance study

Posted on: 28 November 2014
By: mackene
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An independent report produced by PricewaterhouseCooper sets out options into how Crossrail 2 could be funded. It shows that over half of the costs of the scheme could be met by London using existing funding mechanisms. Using the example of Crossrail 1, the report suggests paying back investment through existing methods: a combination of fares revenue, the Business Rate Supplement and Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The report also looks at options that could see funding raised through retaining the Council Tax contribution for the 2012 Olympic Games as well as potentially increasing the Mayoral CIL. Funding from developments and land owners adjacent to the line could also help contribute.

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Ambitions and opportunities: Understanding the spatial effects of high speed rail

Posted on: 24 November 2014
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Based on international research, this report from the Independent Transport Commission  argues that high speed rail can help increase the long term capacity of the UK’s transport infrastructure and act as a catalyst for economic regeneration of the country’s cities and regions.

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Crossrail 2: safeguarding directions

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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The Department for Transport is seeking views on updating the safeguarding directions regulation of 2008. The changes discussed are to show alterations in the proposed route for Crossrail 2. The safeguarding process enables government to issue directions to local planning authorities, protecting land from development. Any planning applications in the safeguarded area would be referred to Transport for London for advice. Comments are requested by 29 January 2015.

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Railway freight transport statistics

Posted on: 21 November 2014
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This article focuses on recent rail freight transport statistics in the European Union.

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Lessons from major rail infrastructure programmes

Posted on: 29 October 2014
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The National Audit Office has published the results of a review of five major rail projects sponsored by the Department for Transport since 1998, highlighting lessons the Department for Transport should apply to current and future rail programmes. The projects are the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (later called High Speed 1) and the modernisation of the West Coast Mainline, and ongoing projects: Crossrail, Thameslink and High Speed 2. The report argues that Government decisions on major rail projects have been made using a lack of common sense and ‘unrealistic analysis’.

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Rebalancing Britain: From HS2 towards a national transport strategy

Posted on: 27 October 2014
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This report sets out proposals for how to maximise the benefits of HS2 in the north and how transport links can be improved in the north of England more widely. In the report, the new chairman of HS2 Limited identifies the vital importance of improving east west connectivity across the north and considers the central role a high speed rail link could play. He concludes that with a high speed link the journey time between Leeds and Manchester could be cut from around 55 to between 26 and 34 minutes.

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The economic case for HS2: Oral and written evidence

Posted on: 16 October 2014
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This report presents the oral and written evidence submitted to the House of Commons Select Committee on Economic Affairs regarding the economic case for the HS2 rail project.

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Car-free concept in Changzhou high-speed rail station area development

Posted on: 7 October 2014
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Rapid urban development and increased car ownership and use in China bring many social and environmental problems. Many Chinese cities are promoting numerous large-scale transport infrastructures and development projects. How to shift the car-oriented development paradigm in the planning and construction of these projects is a challenge for planners and engineers. In the planning of the new town of Changzhou high-speed rail station, the car-free development concept was introduced to create a pedestrian-friendly urban space with easy transportation accessibility, safety and vitality. The planning team studied the car-free development concept and practices, and proposed an adaptive integrated solution for the HSR station project. It consists of four components: mixed-use development, maximum accessibility by public transportation, seamless transport transfer and continuous pedestrian network, which were integrated in the urban design by interfacing with land use, landscape and architecture. The result of the urban design is acknowledged and used as a guiding and control instrument by the city planning bureau for planning and management, serving as a basis for the regulatory planning and further spatial design.

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Future rail: part of the world

Posted on: 25 September 2014
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Increased demand, advances in design and technology and increased investment have seen rail become a leader in sustainable transport. Atkins’ chief executive officer Professor Dr Uwe Krueger explores the evolution of a global rail network and the drivers behind its development.

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East West Rail – Central Section: Conditional outputs statement

Posted on: 29 August 2014
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This report by Atkins Consultants, commissioned by the East West Rail Consortium, predicts that revival of an east-west rail link in England, from Oxford to Cambridge, could help to cut congestion on London lines as jobs in the area grow by up to 400,000. The report is the first step towards developing an outline business case for the central section of East West Rail route.

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