Mayor speaks out on rail link

By DINA BEHRMAN

From Watford Observer, Friday, October 22, 2004

MONEY being held by the council for the Croxley Rail Link should be used for
other projects in the town, unless funding for the entire scheme can be
guaranteed.
That was the message from Watford’s Mayor Dorothy Thornhill on Monday, who
spoke out a week after Mayor for London Ken Livingstone said he backed the
scheme.
Mayor Thornhill said "It’s a good scheme but I cannot see any real will to
fund this. What Ken Livingstone’s announcement is doing is keeping the
Croxley Rail Link alive but I don’t think there’s a good package attached
to this."
The rail link is part of Mayor Livingstone’s £10bn transport blueprint to
transform the capital’s transport system. The link would bring the
Metropolitan line out to Watford Junction to link with the national rail
network.
But this week, Mayor Thornhill said she was concerned Watford Borough Council
was holding on to money for the scheme that could be used more immediately if
they knew the link was not likely to be carried out for several years.
She said: "My concern is I would rather the Government came clean and said we
will not be able to fund this but we will do it in the future.
Mayor Thornhill said: "I am now getting to the stage where I wish someone
would say "nice scheme but no money for x years" - then I could spend the
earmarked reserves we have for the scheme on some other transport initiatives
like a hopper bus around the town centre linking the junction to the town
centre and hospital/football ground."
She added: "Nobody will actually say when it will be funded, I don’t
understand why they can’t do that. It would be wonderful for Watford and
London but there is no real funding package. "
She said that the current situation of having no definite cash source was
causing problems for the council. Council bosses are forced to protect the tube
line, so they can’t allow development. They are also prevented from using
money reserved for the link for public transport initiatives such as a Park and
Ride scheme.
The Croxley Rail Link has an estimated price tag of £97million. It is hoped
the Government will stump up £70million, with the rest of the cash coming from
London Underground, Hertfordshire County Council and Watford Borough Council.
Mayor Livingstone’s five-year investment programme will be subject to
consultation and has now been sent to the Transport for London (TFL) board for
approval later this month.

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John Burke
WATFORD RAIL USER GROUP