The UK's Crossrail project has been given the thumbs up by the government, signalling a new era of rail travel for London and the south east.
The project, which will be the largest civil engineering work in Europe, finally received royal assent after more than three years of wrangling after MPs agreed a final package of amendments by the House of Lords yesterday.
Crossrail will run 24 air-conditioned trains every hour between Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, passing through tunnels and stations in central London.
The service is expected to provide substantial new passenger capacity to an overcrowded service currently in operation across the Tube network.
"When complete, it will carry twice as many passengers as the Jubilee line, increasing London's public transport network capacity by 10%. Our priority now is to ensure delivery of this project, on time and on budget," said London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy.
"Royal Assent is the most significant milestone in the history of Crossrail. After years of planning and discussion, we are ready to move into the delivery phase of a project that will benefit London, the south east region and the UK as a whole", added Douglas Oakervee, Executive Chairman of Cross London Rail Links.
By Ozge Ibrahim
