Kendall raises serious concerns with Crossrail

Brentwood Lib Dem County Cllr David Kendall attended the Cross rail exhibition at Shenfield Parish Hall last night (27th July 2011) and raised serious concerns with Crossrail officials regarding the following issues:

1) The poor off street car parking provision in Shenfield once Crossrail it is built,
2) The noise and upheavel residents are going to face during the construction work.
3) The need for some fast trains to London from Brentwood Station.

Cllr David Kendall has always been critical of the Crossrail scheme starting from Shenfield as he sees little real benefit to rail users and residents in this area. In his view when cross rail is up and running many rail users will still opt for a fast train from Shenfield to Stratford and then change so they can travel through central London to Heathrow without having to change trains again. He believes that the 75 minute direct journey time between Shenfield and Heathrow with the cross rail train stopping at every station will be a big turn off for many rail users. He also says that starting at Stratford would have made some good savings on the projected £15 billion cost of the scheme..

Speaking after the exhibition Cllr Kendall said "I didn't see or hear anything 'to convince me that starting Crossrail from Shenfield is really going to benefit our community. However the decision has now been made and we have to get on with it. Crossrail still haven't addressed the serious need for more off street parking provision at Shenfield once cross rail is built. They have also not addressed the real demand for fast trains to London from Brentwood Station to meet the needs of the many commuters who have moved into the area in recent years. I hope to see these issues properly addressed over the months ahead".