The minutes of the meeting held on 12th May 1995 were approved.
Mr Clarke began by outlining the reasons why London needed new railways: to fill gaps in the network, to create assets, to relieve congestion, to create synergy with Railtrack's network, and to support the London "city state".
He then outlined each of LUL's major projects in turn. The Jubilee Line Extension benefited from the developers of Canary Wharf having the ear of the Government. Construction is now well under way, and the planned opening date is 26th March 1998.
Crossrail is a joint venture with what was British Rail, and is seen as a flexible railway. Unfortunately, it has been a political football, with, he said, "more reviews than they've put on at the Palladium".
The Chelsea-Hackney line would have filled the last remaining NE-SW alignment underneath London. In effect, it was a four-tracking of the Victoria Line between Victoria and King's Cross. However, the 21km of tunnels involved made it prohibitively expensive, and so the project has been recast as the Express Metro, making use of more existing alignments and requiring only 6km of tunnels. A Clapham Junction - Victoria - King's Cross - Stratford alignment would be the core, with a range of possibilities at each end.
The East London Line is the Underground's "yowling baby", and extensions are planned at both ends. A Richmond to Clapham Junction service via the Thames Tunnel was one possibility.
He also mentioned several minor projects, namely the Croxley Link, Heathrow Terminal 5, and Tramlink, as well as a few long-term possibilities.
He emphasised, throughout, the need to win over politicians and civil servants who have little practical knowledge of railways, as well as the need to plan ahead.
Mr Clarke answered several questions, after which the President gave a vote of thanks.
5. Announcements
