Tories support Crossrail & HS2

Despite sounding a little shaky of their belief that the Crossrail project, in the state agreed by Labour Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, backed by the Labour government, was what London needed to improve the transport system, the Conservative Party's shadow chancellor George Osborne agreed on Tuesday that, should his party win the forthcoming general election, the scheme would now be backed.

As part of the Conservative's A New Economic Model: Eight Benchmarks for Britain report, Mr Osborne that they now fully "support Crossrail". You can expect a Conservative government to make some small alterations to the scheme, if only to stamp its mark on the massive £15.9 billion scheme, but overwhelmingly the Tories now seem to approve Crossrail in its present condition.

The report also details their plans for a new high-speed rail line (HS2), linking central London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Similar to the announcement made last week by Lord Adonis, the Tories also plan 20-year rail franchises. But on the issue of HS2, what if the report by the High Speed 2 Company Limited suggests Britain's HS2 line should omit Heathrow at all costs and that phase 1 should only link London and Birmingham? Would the Tories ignore such a thorough and influential report and go ahead anyway?

The Conservative Party's report: A New Economic Model: Eight Benchmarks for Britain.