"It is an open secret that Transport for London strategists have long been sceptical of Crossrail. When he left in April 2009, TfL's then boss, Tim O'Toole, pleaded with colleagues to concentrate on upgrading the tube, fearing that London would end the next decade with years of Crossrail chaos still ahead, while the rest of the undercapitalised network degenerated. Johnson was half-persuaded of this, until the construction industry lobby told him Crossrail was a virility symbol and he capitulated. Hammond should kill the project forthwith."
This is interesting as one of the reasons given by the last Labour government about why their limited national high speed rail plans couldn't begin for another full seven years in 2017 was Crossrail. Indeed, Lord Adonis said that HSR would be a successor project to Crossrail.
If Crossrail is unneccesary, let's make a start on HSR now, and use the money saved to make the Tory plans of going from London to Leeds more ambitious to connect Scotland on it. It is after all what will be best for the environment.
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