Boris Johnson has claimed TfL “hasn’t got a business plan” for Crossrail 2 as the Elizabeth Line opens.

The Prime Minister urged transport bosses to follow his example with Crossrail 1 - which opened this morning.

On a visit to St Mary Cray Primary Academy in Bromley, Mr Johnson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service of the need to get on with Crossrail 2 even amid TfL’s (Transport for London) funding crisis.

He said: “I’ve talked to Sadiq [Khan, Mayor of London] about that and I think what needs to happen is that they need to do what we did with Crossrail 1.

"You need to get business together with TfL and produce a business case.

"So crossrail 1 – the current project was very largely financed by London business coming together and saying ‘this is a great thing’.

“So then we put in the CIL [Community Infrastructure Levy] to enable us to build it.

"So huge, huge sums came from business.

"At the moment we haven’t got the business plan – we’ve got the plans, the designs and the route, but we need the plan. So it’s up to TfL and London to come forward with it, so I’m urging them to get on and do that.”

Crossrail 2 had been planned to open in the 2030s, but has faced delays and funding issues like the Elizabeth Line.

Crossrail 2 would be set to run through areas like Surrey, Central London, Wimbledon and Clapham Junction and would help relieve some pressure on the Victoria Line.

The project is currently shelved while TfL sorts out a funding issue that has been worsened by the pandemic.

Speaking of his excitement ahead of the Elizabeth Line opening, the Prime Minister added: “It’s massive for South-East London but it’s also massive for the whole capital and the whole UK.

"This is a huge step forward.

"It’s quite an extraordinary investment, and it will drive jobs not just in London but across the whole UK.

“It’s already generated 72,000 jobs. We calculated it will be responsible for an additional £90bn of GDP for the whole country.

“It creates that East-West flow that enables people who live in the further reaches of Berkshire and Kent and Essex to be much, much closer to each other.

"So you’re uniting the two halves of the most powerful dynamic, economic region of Europe and it’s an incredible thing to do.

"It will allow lots of people to be much closer to the opportunity areas in London, so it will give people access to good jobs, which is what it’s all about.”

TfL has been contacted for comment.

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