The second phase of the London Crossrail Project could generate £102bn for the UK economy, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) said.

The £32bn Crossrail 2 programme will see 36km of twin-bore tunnels dug underground.

It will run beneath the streets of the capital from Wimbledon to Tottenham Hale and New Southgate, before joining existing rail networks in Surrey and Hertfordshire.


However, research carried out by KPMG suggests SMEs in the supply chain stand to gain from a total of £5bn, with £1bn going to the West Midlands economy, over £200m to the North East and £170m in Scotland.

Yorkshire and the Humber could net around £910m from the project, while Northern Ireland could get £170m and Wales £260m.

Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said: "The economic benefits of Crossrail 2 will be felt across the length and breadth of the UK, potentially supporting 60,000 full-time jobs in the supply chain and providing a boost to UK engineering, construction and manufacturing sectors.

It is understood construction could get underway from 2020, with a completion date estimated for the 2030's.

(LM/CD)