Department of Transport

Channel Tunnel Rail Link Bill receives Royal Assent
_______________________________________________________________

date 18 December 1996
source Department of Transport
type Press release

note 400

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Bill, authorising the
construction, operation and maintenance of the CTRL, received Royal
Assent today.

Mr Watts, Minister for Railways, Roads and Local Transport, said:

"I am very pleased to welcome this new legislation. The CTRL is a
huge undertaking which will benefit both commuters in Kent and
international travellers. Stations at Stratford and Ebbsfleet will
provide the impetus for the development and regeneration of the
Thames Gateway area and parts of east Kent, and the terminus at St
Pancras will stimulate the regeneration of the surrounding area.
Parliament's scrutiny of the Bill has taken over two years and
involved the consideration of over 1,300 petitions by the Select
Committees in both Houses.

"The way is now clear for London & Continental Railways to be granted
the powers conferred by the Act and to use them to press on with the
rail link, and I look forward to further progress being made on this
project of national, and historic, importance."

The CTRL project, linking Britain to the rest of Europe, is the
flagship of the Private Finance Initiative and will now be taken
forward by London & Continental Railways.

The Act also authorises the Secretary of State to carry out the
widening of the M2 between Junctions 1 - 4.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) will be a 67 mile (108
kilometre) high-speed railway between London and the Channel Tunnel
for both international and domestic passenger services. The
Government will provide a substantial financial contribution in
recognition of the domestic transport and regeneration benefits and
also the very large benefits to international passengers, but the
CTRL will be taken forward in the private sector, by London &
Continental Railways [see Press Notice 64 issued on 29 February
1996].

2. The CTRL Bill was introduced into the Commons in November 1994
and received an unopposed Second Reading in 16 January 1995. The
Select Committee started to consider the 993 petitions received in
February 1995 and issued its Special Report on 14 February 1996,
having made significant changes to the Bill, and considered a further
51 petitions against those changes. The Bill passed to the House of
Lords in April 1996. The House of Lords Select Committee received
293 petitions, began its work on 3 June and issued its Special Report
on 15 October. In total the Select Committees in the two Houses sat
for 102 days.

Railhub Archive ::: 1996-12-18 DoT-001