Examination of Witnesses (Questions 14040
- 14059)
14040. I do not believe that the first two points
have been adequately addressed in the Promoter's response to my
Petition and the third point may in the future be addressed by
the AirTrack proposal. I would certainly wish with this third
point to ensure that all parties involved in the various transport
infrastructure schemes that have been talked about at the moment
are co-ordinated so the taxpayer and the travelling public get
the best results possible.
14041. Despite the response to my Petition and
the other information provided I still cannot see that a convincing
a case for Maidenhead as the western terminus has been made when
so many different organisations—and I have mentioned businesses,
residents, political parties and councils—say exactly the
same thing. One might assume that somebody making the decision
might be getting a message but it does not seem to be a message
that is getting through and I am not quite sure why that is. So
let me share some of my constituents' thoughts about the western
terminus with the Committee.
14042. As you heard last week, my colleague
Theresa May MP suggested to the Committee that Maidenhead appears
to be the default option after Reading had been ruled out on the
grounds of cost. I believe this would be a mistake and I would
like to see the basis for the commercial modelling that arrived
at that conclusion. I would make two points in this respect.
14043. First, a proposal that puts the western
terminus at Maidenhead fails to integrate with the national rail
network effectively. Reading Station, which sits at the centre
of my constituency, is one of the busiest rail hubs outside of
London, second only I believe to Birmingham New Street, and it
offers a logical point of integration for Crossrail with the national
rail network. Reading is a pivotal hub for Wales, the South West,
the North West and stations to the south and is served currently
by four major train operators. Secondly, Reading is the centre
of economic activity in the Thames Valley. It is a growth area
and therefore also represents a logical terminus for Crossrail
which seeks to provide a service beyond the immediate confines
of London.
14044. Reading's connectivity into the transport
network and ability to directly serve the wider Reading conurbation
(which stretches from West Berkshire in the west, through Reading
Borough into Woking District) is a huge source of strength.
14045. When the commercial modelling took place
to look at the cost-benefit of a terminus at Reading were growth
forecasts for the town and growth forecasts for rail travel taken
into account?
14046. In the Promoter's response to my submission
it is suggested that Crossrail would not be an attractive proposition
to commuters from Reading because they would use a First Great
Western fast train.
14047. I can understand this point of view as
it is the view of my colleague Theresa May. She expressed it on
behalf of her residents in Maidenhead last week. Similarly, my
constituents would be horrified at the prospect of a slow metro
service stopping at every station and therefore effectively clogging
up the lines west of London with a service few would use.
14048. This is certainly not my vision for Crossrail
to the west of London. We need a similar scheme to the RER for
Paris, with a fast or semi-fast service serving some stations
on the external sections of the route and a slower service stopping
at all stations through the city. This is a real and exciting
vision for Crossrail west of London and this is the vision that
I believe local people in my constituency and businesses want.
I believe this would prove an extremely attractive commercial
proposition. Reading would be a national railway hub and regional
centre able to bring large numbers of people to a Crossrail service
that would cater for both commuters and for the local traveller.
14049. But, and as the Promoter says in his
response, there is also commercial justification for Reading to
be made on the grounds of reverse commuting. Reading is the high-tech
capital of the Thames Valley region. It is the international headquarters
for household company names such as Microsoft. Each day thousands
of people commute for work and school into Reading. Many of these
individuals come from villages and towns linked by the railway.
Their numbers have grown with economic success and will continue
to. An improved service along the lines I have set out above will
certainly add to those leaving their car at home, something I
am sure we would all agree is a good thing.
14050. Indeed, during his evidence last week
to this Committee, Mr Berryman highlighted "significant inward
commuting into Reading from the Twyford and Maidenhead direction".
Mr Berryman, I suspect, has made the case for me and perhaps the
Promoter's response to me should have taken note of this.
14051. I hope Chairman, the Committee can see
that by extending Crossrail to Reading the service will be far
more attractive to commuters with the right type of scheme. Certainly
a Reading terminus would attract far more additional commuters
than Maidenhead. There is certainly a return on investment to
be made if the service is made relevant to the travelling public.
14052. The Promoter's response does raise two
important issues about Reading. The approximate £360 million
required for the electrification of the line and, secondly, the
substantial cost of redevelopment of Reading Station to accommodate
Crossrail's trains.
14053. It is probably true to suggest that cost
and return on investment are the real grounds that Maidenhead
has been preferred, despite its many drawbacks, over and above
Reading. I have looked closely at document A1 in the response
to my Petition which outlines—and this is a bit of a mouthful—the
Government in Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies
(or GoMMMs for short).
14054. GoMMMs has been used as a basis for appraising
the Crossrail options. There are five main categories, as the
Committee will know: environment, economy, safety, accessibility
and integration, and each section has a sub-category. Taking this
guidance and comparing the merits of Maidenhead and Reading as
the western terminus, under its own terms Reading wins on almost
every category, in my view.
14055. Let me deal with the two issues of cost
in the Promoter's response document and I would like to raise
the following points, and questions indeed.
14056. Does all the electrification have to
be done in one go? I understand that there are dual-mode trains
that can switch from one mode to another on demand. Has this been
considered as a solution or option to keep costs down while introducing
the Crossrail service to Reading? Reading Station is already in
need of major redevelopment, indeed it is a well-known bottleneck
on the national network. Councils in Wales and the west of England
are already supporting attempts by myself and Reading Borough
Council to do something about these problems! Great Western would
love to have the chance of hitting government performance targets
which are destroyed by the bottleneck at Reading Station currently.
14057. But Network Rail is engaged in this problem
already. There is a major opportunity for Network Rail, Crossrail
and private commercial business to come together to bring about
wholesale redevelopment of the entire area. Significant proposals
for development all around Reading Station are currently under
consideration and it would make sense to develop the station and
surrounding area in a phased and sensible manner. There is no
requirement, as I see it, that Crossrail should take all the strain
and cost of the major redevelopment that is required in the area.
14058. Finally, I would add the sums of money
we are talking about are small in comparison to the size of the
project and in terms of the potential commercial gains.
14059. I have already alluded to Reading's strategic
nature as a railway hub, so I do not propose to repeat this. I
have also mentioned the business clusters around Reading as a
sign of its economic importance. Yet a rail link to Europe's busiest
airport does not exist from the west.
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