A report in the Watford Observer indicates the MLX might raise its ugly head above the parapet once again (Met Line Extension may return, July 9).

The report says our borough council, along with Hertfordshire County Council, Three Rivers District Council, TfL and Network Rail are all involved with bringing back the MLX. This project has been an unwarranted burden on Watford and an albatross around our necks for over 65 years now.

There have been many previous Croxley Rail Link (now MLX) schemes since 1956, when the Croxley Rail Link was costed at £5000,000 and stopped because it was too expensive. There may even have been attempts prior to 1956. When the current project started in 2011, the cost was to be £116 million ‘and not a penny more’. As usual with these projects, costs escalated until, in 2018, the estimate was £384 million. At that figure it was the most expensive five miles of rail track ever.

Read more: Are we looking at the replacement for the doomed Met Line extension?

TFL said at a London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee meeting “evidence shows that the MLX had significant cost escalation and that there were significant risks involved” with MLX. Therefore, very sensibly, Sadiq Khan pulled the plug on the project.

Mayor Taylor said some time ago that “MLX is dead”. After reading the report in the Watford Observer, it now seems our mayor is backtracking and could be possibly thinking of spending millions of pounds of local taxpayers’ money again on a project that has just kept hitting the buffers for more than 65 years.

Ernie Mackenzie

Gammons Lane, Watford