Crossrail set to survive Comprehensive Spending Review

On October 20th, the government will reveal its spending plans in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Crossrail's future had been in some doubt (although not on this blog) but the BBC now reports that all the stations and branches will be built.

The decision makes absolute sense, not only because Crossrail is vital to London's long-term development, but because a large chunk of the public money has already been spent on several large holes in the capital and once these funds have been spent, they will unlock a lot of private investment in the project.

However, the report suggests that two of the most ambitious stations in the project are likely to undergo value engineering and possible redesign to reduce costs. One of these is the gorgeous Whitechapel station design - Brockley's Crossrail interchange via the East London Line - we hope they don't butcher it too much.

[Full disclosure: the company I work for, Edelman, works for a company with a commercial interest in Crossrail]