TfL pledges £30m towards Crossrail public realm scheme

Crossrail's public realm development plans include 92,000 square metres of improved public space created outside the new Crossrail stations in central London; wider pavements; new pedestrian areas, and additional traffic-calming measures outside stations.

There will also be improvements to transport interchanges including improved connections with buses and taxis as well as cycle parking and walking routes with improved signage and way-finding.

Public areas will be improved to integrate with local streets and buildings and new seating areas and meeting places will be created.

Crossrail Ltd said in a statement that it had developed the regeneration plans, which go beyond the improvement works it is required to do under the project, to maximise the long-term benefits that Crossrail will deliver. Crossrail will lead the design work and the improvements will be delivered jointly by local authorities and developers.

The cost of the planned public realm improvements is expected to be in the region of £90m, with £28m having already been secured through the Crossrail budget. Crossrail said that the TfL funds now in place will bring more comprehensive improvement schemes a step closer at new Crossrail stations in central London and Docklands and at existing stations across the rest of the Crossrail route such as Abbey Wood, Ealing Broadway, Hayes & Harlington, Ilford and Romford.

“Crossrail will transform London’s transport network, massively increasing rail capacity and bringing an additional 1.5 million people within a 45 minute journey of London’s key business and leisure districts," said London Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy. "It’s vital that Crossrail also acts as a catalyst for improving the public space in the areas it will serve, which is why TfL has committed £30 million towards the £90 million needed to support public realm regeneration and improve local transport access at locations along the route.”

“Crossrail’s public realm plans are deliberately ambitious, exceeding our own requirements and raising the bar on what any other rail schemes have delivered before," said Crossrail chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme. "We are using the huge momentum of this project to encourage further investment in new and improved public spaces and regeneration over a much wider area around Crossrail stations."

"The additional funding secured from TfL is an important piece in the jigsaw and takes us a step closer towards delivering a legacy of improved public areas and new open space throughout the Crossrail route,” he said.

Crossrail said it is carrying out design work for the scheme six years ahead of Crossrail services starting in 2018, as this will allow it to "engage with local authorities and developers well in advance, encouraging their input and further investment". It said it has completed the initial urban realm design work for 16 stations so far, with masterplans for another 12 stations to be completed by the end of 2013.