London's Crossrail project gets green light

The Crossrail project, which is set to result in substantial improvements in the London transport network, passed through parliament and has been given royal assent this week.

Work on the Crossrail system, which will be the largest civil engineering project in Europe, is set to begin in 2010 and the network is scheduled to be up and running by 2017.

People catching flights from Heathrow Airport will be able to make use of Crossrail, as it will run from Heathrow and Maidenhead in the west, through new stations at Paddington, Tottenham Court Road and others to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

As well as providing more capacity and faster journeys for passengers, the development is expected to boost the UK economy by £20 billion.

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly said: "This landmark project is of major significance to both London and the whole country.

"It will generate jobs and economic growth, help re-vitalise some of our most deprived areas and deliver major improvements for the travelling public."

Crossrail will be the largest addition to the transport network in London and the south-east for more than 50 years.

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