Crossrail 'breathes life into London' says PM as dig reaches half way

 
Boris and Dave under Tottenham Court Road as the dig progresses
LONDON - JANUARY 16: Prime Minister David Cameron (CR) and Mayor of London Boris Johnson (CL) visit a Crossrail construction site underneath Tottenham Court Road, on January 16, 2014 in central London, England. The Crossrail project, which is expected to
16 January 2014

David Cameron hailed London’s changing skyline as “new life being breathed into the city” as the Crossrail link reached its half-way mark.

The Prime Minister and Mayor Boris Johnson headed a delegation that des- cended 80ft below Tottenham Court Road to see the 18 miles of tunnelling dug so far in the £14.8 billion project.

“Big infrastructure projects like this are vital for the economy of London and the rest of Britain,” said Mr Cameron. “They are the foundation stone on which business can grow.

“As we look across London’s famous skyline — from the reconstruction of Battersea Power Station to the upcoming renovation of the Royal Albert Docks — we can see new life being breathed into the city. London, like the rest of Britain, is starting to rise.”

Tottenham Court Road will be a major interchange for Crossrail and the rest of the London transport network from 2018, when hundreds of new trains will pass through the heart of the capital.

The east-west Crossrail project was started five years ago. Mr Johnson said: “There was a time when some said that building a huge tunnel deep below the streets of London was a mad plan that would do nothing for our economy. But as this awe-inspiring project hits its halfway point we can see how wrong the naysayers were.

“Crossrail will revolutionise east-west transit in the capital, making London an even more attractive place to visit and invest.” With the city’s population set to hit 10 million by 2030, extra capacity is vital, said London Transport commissioner Sir Peter Hendy.

And Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said: “Everyone involved can be proud of this achievement. It demonstrates the UK’s growing capability to deliver major infrastructure projects.”

Next month ministers will award a huge rolling stock order to one of three bidders — Bombardier, Hitachi or CAF. Last year the Government was criticised after it chose German firm Siemens for the £1.6 billion Thameslink train contract over UK-based Bombardier.

Ex-transport minister Steve Norris called Spanish firm CAF the “dark horse” — but current ministers would safeguard 700 jobs at Bombardier’s Derby plant by giving it the contract.

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