The Crossrail Bill was re-introduced in the 2005 Queen’s speech.

On July 20 2004 Alistair Darling announced that the government would introduce a hybrid Bill “at the earliest opportunity to take the powers necessary for Crossrail to be built”.

The Bill made little progress in parliament following its introduction in February, before a special carry-over motion was applied, enabling it to continue where it left off once a new parliament was in place.

The Crossrail Bill will enable the construction, maintenance and operation of Crossrail, a new east-west rail link in central London.

The Bill follows a feasibility study led by Adrian Montague set to evaluate the value and affordability of the project. The study backed the plans in principle but warned about the rising costs.

Under the Bill, Crossrail will provide a new fleet of trains, operating a 24 times an hour peak service in both directions through central London.

This will significantly increase the capacity of the rail network into and across London, relieve congestion and overcrowding, meet demand and improve accessibility.

In addition, public transport access to Heathrow airport will be greatly enhanced, and Liverpool Street will be able to handle many more passengers travelling to and from Stansted airport.

Funding for the project will be taken forward in parallel to the development and introduction of the Bill.