Comment- Crossrail 2 is go

It will be all change at Raynes Park in the 2030's if the Crossrail 2 scheme has gone ahead. Many trains such as this one will have their origin switched from Waterloo station to new destinations north of London via a tunnel which will emerge at Wimbledon. It may also be the perfect time to replace the train fleet with the current class 455's which will be between 45 and 50 years old.  

Discussing the outcome of the 2016 UK budget is quite beyond the realms of this blog- but the fact that funding has been secured to give the go-ahead for London's next super infrastructure project cannot be ignored. Crossrail 2 will link parts of the West Anglia Main Line and Great Northern Main Line with the South West Main Line via a new tunnel under the capital from Seven Sisters/Tottenham Hale in the north through to Wimbledon in the south west. It will form the third heavy rail route through London after Crossrail [now to be known as the Elizabeth Line] and Thameslink.
The project is much needed and will provide extra capacity on the routes it serves as well as freeing up space at several busy London terminals; Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and Waterloo. By providing direct links into the heart of the city the route will also alleviate congestion on underground routes, most notably the busy Victoria Line.

The West Anglia Main Line will form the northern part of the
Crossrail 2 link

The 80 million committed to the project in the latest budget is of course a drop in the ocean when put next to the 27 billion (at today's prices) to build the complete route. This funding will allow studies to push forward to allow planning to continue on the scheme. There are of course many milestones yet to reach before any work can start on the ground. Hopefully this new funding will allow the project to press forward, and if done quickly we may not be too late to utilise the pool of skilled workers which have been working on the current crossrail scheme.