Business chiefs want 'Crossrail 2' underground link

London business chiefs have set up a panel to explore building a new rail link - dubbed Crossrail 2 - beneath the capital.

Former transport secretary Lord Adonis will lead the group in assessing plans to connect Chelsea and Hackney.

Business group London First recruited him, amid fears that the Tube will be swamped by a future population boom, and by the extra commuters who will pour into the capital using high-speed rail.

Mayor Boris Johnson's transport strategy promotes a new east-west underground line but firms want to ensure it does not suffer the kind of delays which have dogged the existing Crossrail scheme.

London First chief executive Baroness Valentine said: "We need to start planning for the next generation of improvements now."