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Crossrail represents vital economic boost, says transport secretary
Wed 16 Jun 2010
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to the Crossrail project amid the backdrop of public spending cuts.
Transport secretary Philip Hammond said the UK is currently going through difficult economic times.
However, he said this does not mean that major infrastructure projects such as Crossrail should be scrapped, as they could help to boost the economy.
Nevertheless, Mr Hammond insisted that every pound of taxpayers' money must be well-spent on "affordable" schemes.
The transport secretary was speaking during a visit to Canary Wharf, which will be the site of a future Crossrail station.
Mr Hammond described the work being carried out there as a good example of how infrastructure improvements can be delivered in an innovative and efficient way.
His visit came shortly after he brought forward the deadline for Sir Roy McNulty to submit the findings of his review on achieving better value for money in the rail industry.
Mr Hammond wants preliminary findings to be made available earlier than planned so the government can have more information on hand when it makes public spending decisions later this year.
