Newspaper claims ministers "going cold" on Crossrail 2 as Khan warns of "unprecedented" Tube crowding

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has highlighted TfL modelling suggesting "unprecedented" crowding on the tube by the early 2030s without Crossrail 2 as The Evening Standard claimed ministers were "going cold" on the £30bn scheme.

Khan said the capital will "grind to a halt" as he released modelling results indicating that there would be five or more people standing per square metre on some lines and regular closures at 17 Underground stations and at Victoria and Waterloo mainline stations without the 10% extra rail capacity the south-west to north-east Crossrail 2 would provide.

When HS2 phase 1 opens in 2026, total demand for Euston and Euston Square is predicted to nearly double to more than 85,000 people during the morning-peak - wiping out time-savings from HS2 due to queues to use the tube. Khan said: "Half the cost of the project can be met through funding from London, but we need the Government to meet the other half if we are to avoid this unbearable strain on our transport network."

TfL is preparing to submit an updated business case and funding plan to the transport secretary, who is due to make a decision on further Government support in the spring.