Planning Bill

I hope that my noble friend does not mind if I ask him a question about his amendment. It seems a little odd that a Crossrail extension is again suggested as a special case. I am not sure exactly what he means by that. Crossrail trains will end up—apart from at Heathrow Airport, where there are buffers underground—on the main line. If the trains go beyond the existing extension, that will involve electrification and, possibly, the building of some sidings. Much of that would probably be on permitted development, because it is on the existing railway. Why is it thought important to bring Crossrail in as a special case whereas an extension to a railway line in Manchester or elsewhere would not get this preferential treatment?