Proposals are currently being considered to extend Crossrail into Hertfordshire it has been announced by Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin. The proposals which have been put on the table are said to reduce journey times between London and Hertfordshire by 16 minutes and ease pressure off London Underground’s busiest sections.
McLoughlin said that the plans would ease pressure off Euston Station - which will have eleven new platforms built under HS2 proposals and is currently described as not being “up to scratch” – and make improvements easier to implement.
Other stations which will benefit from the plans include Tring, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction, Berkhamsted and Wealdstone. If the plans are to go ahead, journey times will be cut as follows:
- Tring to Liverpool Street: 57 minutes (a 13 minute reduction in journey time)
- Tring to Bond Street: 55 minutes (a 16 minute reduction in journey time)
- Watford Junction to Liverpool Street: 37 minutes (a 13 minute reduction in journey time)
- Watford Junction to Canary Wharf: 43 minutes (a 12 minute reduction in journey time)
Chief Executive Officer at the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce, Yolanda Rugg, described the proposed extension as “a catalyst to drive economic growth” with the creation of additional jobs for both the construction of the extension plus operational staff to run the new services.
According to Patrick McLoughlin, final decisions on the plans will be subject to a wide range of considerations, including affordability.
Crossrail is scheduled to be fully operational by 2019.
