A PROPOSED railway scheme which backers says will increase economic growth and reduce commuting times into London will benefit Basingstoke, a meeting heard this week.

Crossrail 2 will link National Rail networks in Surrey and Hertfordshire via an underground tunnel through London.

The new scheme will greatly benefits commuters into London from stations like Basingstoke and Andover, a roundtable discussion held in Basing View and organised by Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) on Tuesday heard.

The estimated cost for this project is £33bn and it is predicted it would provide a £150bn boost to the UK’s economy as well as offering space for 200,000 new homes and jobs.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the managing director of Crossrail 2 and the head of Crossrail 2 at Network Rail shared their vision of the project.

Michèle Dix, managing director of Crossrail 2, said: “Crossrail 2 will have a dramatic effect on rail services between Hampshire and London by freeing up rail space into Waterloo for additional and faster services.

“Although Crossrail 2 trains themselves will run out only as far as north Surrey, we know that it’s a struggle for many Basingstoke rail commuters with lines into Waterloo among the most congested in the country. The new railway is designed to relieve such pressure.”

She added the new project will add an estimated 11,800 train seats every weekday morning peak across trains coming in from the south west.

At the conference, it was said Crossrail 2 has to be up and running in the early 2030s, when pressure on the current transport system network is predicted to reach its worst state.

For this to happen, there needs to be a consultation with the public on the latest proposals and then a Hybrid Bill must be prepared, submitted and passed in Parliament.

It is hoped construction is scheduled to start in the early 2020s.

Chris Curtis, head of Crossrail 2 at Network Rail, said: “Over the next 18 months, passengers will see their rail journeys transformed as Network Rail’s £50bn Railway Upgrade Plan reaches its final stages. We are mindful of the increasing demand on the railway and constantly plan ahead.

“Crossrail 2 is a key component of Network Rail’s longer-term strategy to increase capacity and improve rail services for passengers across London and the South East.”