Plans to extend Crossrail to Hertfordshire will cut journey times into London by 15 minutes

 
Extension: Commuters using Tring, Hemel Hempstead and Watford Junction could be connected to the new regional rail line by the early 2020s

Crossrail could be extended to the Hertfordshire commuter belt and cut journey times into central London by around 15 minutes, the government announced today.

Commuters using Tring, Hemel Hempstead and Watford Junction could be connected to the new regional rail line by the early 2020s.

Announcing a study into the extension today, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said bypassing Euston station would have the added benefit of relieving pressure on the hub if it has to be rebuilt as the London terminus of HS2.

Northern and Victoria line Tube services through Euston would also be relieved as passengers take a direct route into the City and West End.

It is proposed that the Crossrail services - approximately four 1,500-seat trains per hour at peak - would switch from the West Coast Mainline onto the new regional route at Old Oak Common using a freight line.

Extra trains may have to be ordered for the service, but there will be no major upgrades to the new Hertfordshire Crossrail stations, which also include Berkamstead and Harrow & Wealdstone bringing the total number of stations to 45.

Mr McLoughlin said: “The (extension) plan would provide flexibility and reliability while we build HS2 into Euston. It would make it easier to get on with the massive job of rebuilding the station so it matches the amazing standard of King’s Cross and St Pancras - because everyone who uses Euston now knows it isn’t up to scratch.

"And it would be a huge boost to Crossrail and London commuters. We’re going to examine how we can run extra services direct into the city and through to Canary Wharf from key stations like Tring, Hemel Hempstead, Harrow and Watford - without the frustrating need to change at Euston.

"Preliminary analysis has indicated that the link could potentially reduce journey times to central London by up to 15 minutes.”

Passengers from Tring, for example, would save approximately quarter of an hour on journeys to Crossrail stations at Bond Street, Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf.

The study will model the final destinations of passengers travelling into London on the West Coast Mainline so they can assess demand. A final decision on the proposed extension may come by the end of this year.

Stephen Joseph, executive director of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Under the current planned timetable, a number of Crossrail trains from the East are due to terminate at Paddington so extending them westwards into Hertfordshire makes operational sense. It also allows more sensible thinking about the rebuild of Euston station.”

Earlier this year the DfT announced that the £15bn Crossrail service would be extended further west to Reading.

From December 2019 passengers will be able to travel directly into central London and the City without having to change at Paddington.

David Leam, Infrastructure Director at London First, said:

“Any investment to improve crowded commuter rail links into London is to be welcomed. It is also good news that Government is now looking at how major schemes like Crossrail and HS2 might interact with each other.

"We next need to see detailed proposals on the costs of additional track and trains and on the impacts on existing rail and Crossrail service patterns so that commuters can gauge whether they will benefit or lose out under these plans.

"It is also imperative that we continue to protect Crossrail from the ‘scope creep’ that has bedevilled major infrastructure projects in the past. Delivering Crossrail on time and on budget must continue to be the top priority.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in