TRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond reassured businesses that the government is committed to Crossrail when he visited the new station serving the high speed �16 billion scheme at Canary Wharf. Mr Hammond said: We have to make sure hat this project deli

TRANSPORT Secretary Philip Hammond reassured businesses that the government is committed to Crossrail when he visited the new station serving the high speed �16 billion scheme at Canary Wharf.

Mr Hammond said: "We have to make sure hat this project delivers value to the tax payer."

But he added: "We have no plans to reduce the scope of this project."

It was his first visit to a Crossrail site and designed to reassure businesses which had had been jittery that the new government would trim part of the 74 mile scheme.

Crossrail will run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey wood in the east and is due to be finished in 2017.

Mr Hammond met workers building the Canary Wharf station which will be almost as long as three football pitches. Workers have excavated 25 metres below water level to secure the base slab in place.