A day of hope for Londoners

THE GOVERNMENT'S decision to go ahead with Crossrail is a rare example of a good day for transport in London. After years of struggle over the rebuilding of the Tube, the appalling performance of most commuter lines, the strikes, relentless fare hikes and several avoidable crashes, there is the hope of a brand new east-west rail line across the capital.

In terms of transport improvements and passenger morale, the building of a major new line provides real hope for the future. Crossrail will link Heathrow in the west with Stratford, Shenfield, and probably Canary Wharf in the east. It will pass through Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Liverpool Street in the centre of the city.

At its simplest, this will reduce what is currently an awkward journey involving, for example, a Thames train service, a struggle through Paddington, the Bakerloo line and the Central line to a single, air-conditioned train from Slough to Liverpool Street. Journey times will be halved. The Central line will be relieved. Human happiness will be increased.

Essential service providers, such as nurses, teachers, police officers, fire fighters and post office workers will find it just that bit easier to take advantage of lower property prices on the edge of or just outside the London boundary. Staff shortages should ease. But there would be far greater gains for London than the benefits for existing passengers.

Vast areas of east London will be made more attractive for developers who, for understandable reasons, have been held back from rescuing the East End from its industrial past.

Stratford, which is already in the process of rescue, will be able to develop more intensively and quickly. Canary Wharf will be able to expand its already large estate. No one in their right mind will ever again use a car to travel from the City or West End to Heathrow airport. Pollution will be reduced.

Then there is the question of the Olympic Games. If London is to be able to compete head-to-head with Paris, the proposed new line will surely be an element in the offer, though it is widely accepted that the two projects can easily be divorced if the completion date for Crossrail goes beyond the Games. The French capital already has its extensive version of Crossrail (the RER ) built and open. New York is planning to extend the "7" subway line from its proposed Olympic stadium to a competitors' village in Queens. If the Government really wants the Olympics to come to Britain, the creaky old Tube cannot cope alone.

But perhaps the greatest gain for London from a final go-ahead for Crossrail is the signal it sends out from Whitehall. The perception that London would have to make do forever with its current, clapped-out, rail services can now be replaced with the possibility that Crossrail would only be the first of a number of new lines. The final obstacle to the much-delayed East London line extension has just been removed.

It would be a prize of rare delight if not one but two key London transport projects went ahead at the same time. Londoners could look to the future with real optimism.

The Prime Minister and his government have had a bad time recently. They will face a general election in possibly less than two years. There will need to be physical progress towards the early construction of Crossrail if the capital's sophisticated electorate is to be convinced there really is to be a major improvement in their lives.

Today's decision stage is rather easier than the financing and building ones. It will now need Mr Blair to maintain his interest in the project and to keep the Chancellor on side. But it is a good day for the capital's transport.

Tony Travers is director of the Greater London Group at the London School of Economics.