If we declare war on Poland, we could use the Poles as free labour like on
the River Kwai!

From Transport Briefing Website

Croxley Rail Link promoter gains regional sponsor

Filed 23/07/08

The Croxley Rail Link project has inched a step forward after scheme
promoter Hertfordshire County Council signed up the East of England
Regional Planning Panel to support the scheme.

Gaining support at a regional level is seen as essential if funding
for the project is to be forthcoming. The East of England Regional
Planning Panel can specify its transport priorities to the Department
for Transport and the inclusion of the Croxley rail scheme would allow
the £119.5m needing for the project to be channelled from government
through the region's transport funding allocation.

Meanwhile, the county council has revealed details of how it intends
to fund the remainder of what is now a £145.3m project. £18.05m of
capital will be raised by the county council, secured on the strength
of a guaranteed capital contribution and guaranteed revenue stream
from London Underground over 25 years. A further £3.44m of capital
contributions will come from the county council and through Section
106 development funding. In addition, £4.31m of further capital
contribution will be underwritten by the authority.

A benefit of the new funding package is that London Underground has
agreed to recycle surplus fare revenue back into other projects. This
revenue could be between £1m and £3m a year and worth up to £58m over
25 years.

“Gaining regional backing is a significant step forward for the rail
link, because the bid could not progress without their support,” said
County Councillor Stuart Pile, Herts County Council's executive member
for highways, transport and rural affairs. "This is good news for
everyone in Watford - the proposed rail link will have a major impact
on relieving congestion, as well as improving transport links between
London and Watford town centre."

“Our innovative and partnership-based approach to the funding package
offers the project the best chance of advancing," added Cllr Pile,
"and the county council's contribution within this demonstrates how
committed we are to this scheme. I look forward to seeing it come to
fruition."

The county council is currently seeking Programme Entry status for the
project from the DfT. This is required before the scheme can be
progressed through the Transport and Works Act process, where
Hertfordshire County Council and London Underground will seek formal
powers to construct the scheme.

Dorothy Thornhill, elected Mayor of Watford said: "I'm delighted that
the scheme has now got regional approval. We have been campaigning for
the Croxley Rail-Link for a number of years and it should help
alleviate traffic congestion by taking 300,000 car journeys from the
road network. Clearly, the green light for the Health Campus project
makes the rail link more viable. The link will open up the transport
systems for residents living in Watford and the wider area."

The Croxley Rail Link project would create a connection between the
London Underground Metropolitan line and Watford Junction station on
the West Coast Main Line by reinstating part of the mothballed Croxley
Green branch line. Two new Underground stations would be built at
Ascot Road and Watford West. More than 11,000 households are within
800m of stations on the proposed line and around 30% of them do not
own a car.
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John Burke
Watford Rail Users Group