London’s Crossrail: A Case Study in Transit Investment

The Crossrail is a transformative transit investment that will traverse London. It was planned through a rigorous process that focused on supporting the region’s economic growth and reducing congestion by shifting travel patterns, connecting employment areas, and capturing the resulting increase in land values. With a price tag of £16 billion, financing Crossrail required a complex public-private partnership between local and national governments, the business community and other stakeholders. Also essential was a funding model that shared the burden through a mix of business taxes, development levies, public funds and transit fares. How did they get there? Jim Berry, who played a central role in the planning with the Canary Wharf Group, will tell the story of Crossrail.