A group called Superlink is proposing £3 billion worth of additions to the £15 billion Crossrail scheme which as currently proposed “does so little for so few”.

They have put forward a five-point plan which includes the extension of Crossrail from Maidenhead to Reading – a move campaigned for by Reading’s MPs and the borough council.

The other four points, which they say will generate real benefits to train users and make the scheme more profitable, are:

* A short extension to Terminal Five at Heathrow, not just Terminal Four – and a short tunnel under Staines which would allow Crossrail to serve Woking, Basingstoke and Guildford relieving congestion at Waterloo.
* Trains from Northampton, Milton Keynes and Watford should also be diverted to the new Crossrail tunnels relieving congestion at Euston.
* A new branch line from Canary Wharf to Stansted Airport with through trains to Cambridge supporting the development of the airport as a real alternative to Heathrow.
* A branch from the eastern end of the line from Shenfield to Barking to support development in the Thames Gateway.

They also question the use of the Great Eastern Line for the Stratford to Shenfield section which they say will make existing services worse.

John Prideaux, former British rail senior executive and now Superlink chairman, said: “We applaud the City of London, Canary Wharf and BAA on agreeing with the Treasury and the London government to fund the Crossrail project.

“But given that complex funding agreements for other major rail projects, including the Jubilee Line extension and Channel Tunnel Rail links, had to be renegotiated before construction could actually proceed, we urge Crossrail promoters to improve the case for the project now.

"We need to get this once-in-a-lifetime project right.

“We remain concerned that so much money is being spent on a rail scheme that does so little for so few.

“Extending Crossrail to Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Reading, Stansted, Cambridge, Ipswich and Southend would add about £3 billion to the cost but would be more than self-financing – generating much greater passenger revenues.

“We believe that now is the time to study these proposals in order to implement them following the construction of the core Crossrail tunnels.”

The Crossrail plan, first raised 18 years ago, involves redeveloping tunnels under London to improve the east-west rail link through the city providing a “Metro-style” high frequency service.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the go-ahead for the Maidenhead to Shenfield scheme on Friday, October 5. The first trains are due to run on it in 2017.

See also:

Call to expand Crossrail's route

BBC News: 16 October 2007

Construction on Crossrail is due to start in 2010

A planned rail route through London should be expanded as it does "so little for so few", a group of railway managers has said.

The £16bn Crossrail plan was approved by the prime minister last week.

It will run from Maidenhead, Berkshire, through to Essex, but the Superlink group wants it to start in Reading and terminate at Stansted Airport.

Crossrail said Superlink's proposals had been analysed by experts before the route was finalised.

Construction of the route is expected to start in 2010 with trains running from about 2017.

It will provide 24 trains an hour into the heart of London from the east and west, improving rail links to the West End, the City and Docklands.

The proposed new line would also have spurs off to Heathrow and to south London.

But among changes Superlink would like to see are an extension as far west as Reading in Berkshire, a link to Heathrow's new Terminal 5, and a branch line from Canary Wharf in east London to Cambridge via Stansted Airport.

The group also wants to see extensions taking in Woking and Guildford in Surrey, Basingstoke in Hampshire, as well as links to Barking and Tilbury in Essex.

Superlink chairman John Prideaux - a former British Rail InterCity boss - said: "We remain concerned that so much money is being spent on a rail scheme that does so little for so few.

"Extending Crossrail to Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Reading, Stansted, Cambridge, Ipswich and Southend would add about £3bn to the cost but would be more than self-financing - generating much greater passenger revenues."

A Crossrail spokeswoman said Superlink had promoted several alternatives to Crossrail for many years including the longer-distance "regional" services.

She said: "Compared to the Crossrail scheme Superlink's concept would be considerably more expensive, entail major environmental difficulties, offer fewer regeneration benefits and present considerable operational difficulties.

"It offers limited congestion relief to the most crowded sections of the existing Underground network.

"It was partly on this basis that the Crossrail scheme was submitted to Parliament in the Crossrail Bill in 2005 and it is this scheme that is now being taken forward, with full funding and full government support."

The government is providing a third of the money with the rest made up from borrowing against future fares and a levy on London business rates.