http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtime..._crossrail.php
Stop dithering and give Kingston Crossrail

THE government has been warned to stop dithering and delaying over its
Crossrail plans for Kingston.

Cllr Tricia Bamford, executive member for transportation and sustainable
development, has written to the Chancellor Gordon Brown, Minister for
London Tony McNulty and chief executive of Crossrail Sir Christopher
Benson urging them to support the Crossrail proposals in full, including
its development in Kingston.

She has also urged the Mayor of London to throw his weight behind
Kingston's cause.

Recently there have been rumours that the government is considering
axing Kingston from the Crossrail 1 plans. The line may now finish
instead at Richmond or Turnham Green.

Crossrail 1, which is a £10 million joint venture between Transport for
London and the Strategic Rail Authority, will create a brand new network
of services linking areas to the east and west of London. It would give
Kingston a direct rail link to Heathrow and Paddington for the first
time if it comes to the royal borough.

Cllr Bamford said: "Crossrail is vital to Kingston's future. We are
currently the second biggest retail centre in London, but we will need
Crossrail to maintain our economy and tackle congestion in the years ahead.

"It would be shocking if these rumours are true, and the government is
thinking of excluding Kingston from the Crossrail project. The loss to
Kingston would be incalculable."

She concluded: "The government have dithered and delayed for too long.
They need to commit themselves to Crossrail and commit themselves to
Kingston. They must not leave us out in the cold again."

Transport Minister Alistair Darling has been expected to make an
decision about the future of Crossrail for months.

Kingston's Town Centre Manager Graham McNally said: "We have brilliant
bus services but compared with other towns of a similar size such as
Croydon, the number of trains and carrying capacity is well down.

"If we get a link like Crossrail it will be really helpful our overall
transport policy- otherwise we are just left with the motor car."

He said it is important for Kingston to be included in Crossrail as it
is not just a retail centre, but has a large numbers of offices and a
major university. He said they were disadvantaged by poor public
transport links.

A spokesman for Transport for London said this week that an announcement
was expected but they did not know exactly when.

----
I spot two major inaccuracies and a grammatical mistake.
I would also contest that Kingston has "poor" public transport links.
I'm sure not all towns have as frequent a rail service, as good a bus
service and easy access to the motorway network. That's not to say they
can't be improved.

I'm also quite sure as chairman of Crossrail, Sir Christopher Benson
doesn't *need* to be persuaded of the value of Crossrail.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London