Cross London Rail Links Limited (CLRL) the company responsible for the £16 billion Crossrail project to build a new East-West link across London, today announced the appointment of Douglas Oakervee OBE as its new Chairman.

Mr Oakervee is one of the country's most distinguished civil engineers, with vast international experience in the successful delivery of major projects. He oversaw the construction of the new Hong Kong airport, and was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in 2004.

Commenting on the appointment, Keith Berryman, who will move across from acting Chief Executive to a new post of Managing Director, Project in CLRL, said: 'We are delighted that someone of the stature of Douglas Oakervee is going to lead the Crossrail project. This is going to be one of the biggest civil engineering undertakings anywhere in the world and will benefit enormously from having him at the helm.'

Mr. Oakervee is currently Project Director of the civil engineering aspects of the planned P&O port development at Shellhaven, in the Thames Gateway. He will continue in that role, taking up the Crossrail appointment on a part-time basis.

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For further information please contact: the Crossrail 24 hour seven day a week helpdesk on 0845 602 3813 or e-mail helpdesk@crossrail.co.uk

Issued 17 February 2006



Doug Oakervee

Notes

1. The proposed Crossrail route will run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through a tunnel under Central London with stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Isle of Dogs, out to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, joining the Great Western and Great Eastern railway networks.

The Crossrail hybrid Bill, which is promoted by the Secretary of State for Transport, Alastair Darling, received its 2nd Reading on 19 July 2005 and entered Select Committee stage on 17th January 2006. The project has an estimated cost of £10.292 billion at Q1 2002 prices - equivalent to approximately £16 billion in money of the day over the construction period (ie, allowing for future predicted inflation).

2. Cross London Rail Links (CLRLL), the company promoting Crossrail, is currently a 50:50 joint venture between the DfT and TfL, each of whom appoint three directors to CLRL's board.

3. The decision to appoint Mr Oakervee was taken by Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, in agreement with London Mayor, Ken Livingstone,.

4. Douglas Oakervee OBE FREng CEng FICE FHKIE joined Charles Brand & Sons Ltd in 1963, working on projects such as the Victoria Line and the Grand Canal Drainage Tunnel in Dublin. He then went on to join the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation in 1975, where he was involved in tunnel design and the construction of the first two lines. In 1982 he established his own consultancy.

In 1991, Mr Oakervee was appointed project director for the planning, design, construction and commissioning of the new Hong Kong International Airport. He was awarded the OBE in 2000 for services to civil engineering overseas, was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2001, and in was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers for 2004.

Issued 17 February 2006