On Sep 28, 12:48*pm, Tony Walsall wrote:
http://www.meltontimes.co.uk/news/na...ossrail_statio...

or

http://tinyurl.com/33yeeyt

Cost savings to the £16 billion cross-London Crossrail scheme will not
involve shortening the planned route or scrapping stations, it has
been announced.

But Crossrail Limited (CRL) said new trains for the 73-mile long
project would be based "on tried and tested designs" as designing a
new train from scratch drove up costs.

The company also said that Whitechapel and Canary Wharf stations were
being redesigned to save money.

Charged with producing a project that is value for money and
affordable, CRL will report to the Department for Transport and
Transport for London with an update on construction delivery costs
later this year.

CRL has said that its value management exercise did not involve
reducing the scope of services between Maidenhead in Berkshire and
Heathrow in the west, and Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood in south-
east London in the east.

Also, no stations would be removed from the scheme, which will bring
an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes commuting distance
of London's key business districts.

Another saving will involve the use of disused rail infrastructure for
a major proportion of the branch to Abbey Wood.

CRL said that the scheme - due for completion in 2017 - was worth £42
billion to the UK economy - a figure in excess of a previous estimate
of £36 billion.

Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said: "Crossrail and its delivery
partners recognise fully that Crossrail is a significant investment.
It is critical that every pound invested in this vital scheme achieves
maximum value for money. Sensible efficiency savings will be made at
every opportunity.

"Crossrail is bearing down on its whole cost base, while ensuring
delivery of a new railway that is fit for purpose and delivers the
capacity improvements required. We are looking at every aspect of
Crossrail to identify where efficiencies can be made and understanding
what cost-saving lessons can be learned from other global
infrastructure projects."

This is good news and the correct way to go. Tried and true train
technology should be utilized on new routes. New technology should be
used in upgrades to existing routes. Risk should always be minimized.