Our Ref:         FOI-0712-1920

Thank you for your request received on 7 June 2019 asking for information about Crossrail2.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

Crossrail2 costs have not increased. As is standard practice with infrastructure projects, the £30bn cost for the proposed railway has been quoted at a baseline year, which in this case is at 2014 prices. The £40bn figure is a nominal figure that includes construction inflation since 2014, it is not a revised figure. These costs have in fact come down following work undertaken to ensure best value for money, including as part of the Government’s Independent Affordability Review.

In accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply a full breakdown of the cost of every station as this information is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2).

In this instance the exemption has been applied as disclosure of the information you have requested is commercially sensitive and disclosure would be likely to prejudice our commercial interests. We are currently in discussions with possible development partners to help build the stations for us as part of wider developments around the stations. Disclosing information on the expected cost could impact our commercial discussions as it would be likely to result in a clustering of bids based on how much we estimate the costs to be.

The use of this exemption is subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, particularly where the expenditure of public money is concerned, but in this instance the public interest in ensuring that we are able to obtain the best value for public money outweighs the general public interest in increasing transparency of our processes.

If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
[email protected]