A little under 160 years ago, the world’s first underground railway opened right here in London. At Paddington, to be precise. At the time, it was hailed as a roaring success, a marvel of engineering that was admired and envied across the globe. Yesterday, it was Paddington’s turn to be in the spotlight once again as Her Majesty the Queen visited the station to hail the completion of the latest jewel to be added to our capital’s transport crown and the very line named in her honour.
Londoners had to wait until Tuesday to enjoy a journey on the new £19 billion Elizabeth line but, as one of the lucky few who was afforded that honour already, let me tell you it will be worth the wait.
Rush-hour commuters will be able to get from Paddington to the very heart of the city, Canary Wharf, in just 17 minutes. What’s more, journey times from the end of the line in Abbey Wood to Paddington will be slashed from 58 minutes to 29.
Better still, that journey will now only cost £4.30 instead of £6.30. Paying less for quicker, more comfortable journeys. This is a Government which understands the squeeze many families are under at the minute and is doing all it can to ease the burden.
Riding alongside me was the Prime Minister, who was Mayor of London when the Crossrail Bill received Royal Assent and who has now finally delivered the Elizabeth line thanks to £9 billion of government investment. Almost half the total cost and an amount which, quite simply, the project would not have been completed without. A beauty of the Elizabeth line, one of many, is that it brings huge benefits to the entire country. As well as the many obvious and immediate ones it will bring to London, this modern wonder will boost the whole UK economy by £42 billion.
It has already created over 55,000 jobs across the country, as well as more than 1,000 apprenticeships and 60 per cent of the contracts associated with the project were awarded to suppliers outside of London. Thousands of affordable new homes are to follow and the three million tonnes of excavated spoil paved the way for Jubilee Marsh, a magical landscape that will be enjoyed by local families for generations to come. This is levelling-up in practice and an example of how a prosperous London means a thriving Britain.
It also shows what city mayors and central government can achieve when they work together but, unfortunately, is in stark contrast to how Sadiq Khan is currently presiding over Transport for London’s finances.
By relying on government bailouts to keep his Tubes, trains and buses running, the Mayor is asking taxpayers up and down the country to balance his books. It is not a fair way to run London’s transport system and, quite simply, it’s not a sustainable one either. Yes, the pandemic was difficult but it was difficult for everyone, and the close to £5 billion this Government has given TfL is more than enough to make up for lost ticket revenue.
London has the greatest transport system in the world, with the Tube alone covering almost 250 miles and serving more than a billion passengers every year. The Elizabeth line will only add to that. In my role as Transport Secretary, I too will do everything I can to protect this invaluable asset but only in a way that is fair and sustainable to taxpayers across the country.
But this is a two-way street, and Mr Khan must make some promises of his own. Promises to advance and accelerate the long-overdue reforms TfL needs if it is to remain the yardstick against which all other major capital cities’ transport networks are measured for years to come.
In 1863, when that first Underground service left Paddington station, Great Britain was at the cutting edge of engineering, showing the rest of the world what was possible. Yesterday, as I pulled out of the very same station, I was filled with an enormous sense of pride that we were leading the way once again.
However, for that to remain the case in a further 159 years from today, I urge the Mayor to work with me — not against me — and deliver the world-class travel system London deserves in a way that is fair and sustainable for the entire country.
Grant Shapps is the Transport Secretary
