星空传媒

By 2017, a line will link Abbey Wood in the east with Maidenhead in the west right underneath the centre of London. A great many hopes are hanging from it. For one, the regeneration of the Thames Gateway; for another, the ability of London to retain the power of movement. The question is, will we be able to actually build it on time and within its 拢16bn budget?

The question is not an idle one, given the angst over what kind of Olympics we can build for the money, the collapse of Metronet and the industrial relations disaster that was the Jubilee Line Extension (still fresh in the industry鈥檚 collective memory). If the government and the industry has got the collywobbles it鈥檚 not surprising. Not so Doug Oakervee, Crossrail鈥檚 chairman. In his first interview since the line got the go-ahead, Oakervee calmly asserts that it won鈥檛 go a penny over its budget. Although the response might be 鈥渉e would say that鈥�, Oakervee is a confident man. The reason is that the planning for Crossrail has gone on for such a long time that every length of cable and track can be designed before the project starts on site. Contrast that with the almighty time pressures the Olympics is facing.

Crossrail has also listened to the industry. It has reduced its project team鈥檚 risk by avoiding design and build, and has generally portrayed itself as a user-friendly, partnering client. That is far from the position of London Underground, for example, which was forced kicking and screaming into an arranged marriage with the infracos. Then there is the careful consideration that Oakervee is giving to the impact of Crossrail on the wider industry. He is planning to dovetail his work with other big civils projects, such as the 拢9bn Tideway sewage tunnel under the Thames.

That said, details of the project are still sketchy and it鈥檚 difficult to ascertain