Last week it was announced that Crossrail 2 has been mothballed because of the pandemic.

The move didn't come as much of a surprise, but it does pose questions about how areas such as Kingston will develop in the next 10 years without the new rail route promising more frequent trains into the city.

Crossrail 2 is the proposed north-south line that will connect Hertfordshire with Surrey, running from Broxbourne through London to several destinations in Surrey.

It would see increased frequency of trains into London from stations such as Chessington South, Tolworth, Surbiton and Norbiton.

The Crossrail 2 website says that the South West Main Line that runs here "is one of the busiest and most congested routes in the country" and if action isn't taken "congestion will get worse and passengers will find it increasingly difficult to board trains at stations along this route during busy periods."

But the funding crisis at Transport for London means the project has been put on hold along with the Bakerloo Line extension.

The Transport Commissioner Andy Byford told the London Assembly: "We're not tone deaf. We do know that there is a financial crisis in the country, £2 trillion of debt now. So, we won't be able to do everything."

However, he did insist that TfL is "seeking safeguarding for Crossrail 2" from the Transport Secretary so that its proposed route will also be protected.

The project was originally expected to be given the go ahead in the early 2020s with the aim of being operational by the 2030s, but now it has been "deprioritised" with no time scale.

Zazi, Manager at Oregano Pizza next to Chessington South Station said it would have been good to have more trains running from the station.

"It would be good to have more numbers, more customers, more people coming to the area. Since the Covid lockdown with Chessington World of Adventures shut, Go Ape shut, the business park and offices shut, it has affected us particularly. There's two trains an hour. It's not good for business."

He said having more regular services in the future would be good for residents and only good for his business which feeds hungry commuters.

However, Kevin Dillon, Branch Manager at Squaredeal, a building materials supplier in Chessington, said most of the businesses in the nearby retail park use cars and vans, so don't rely on the rail link as much.

"It won't affect us," he said.

"They get here with vehicles. They drive in and drive out."

Councillor Rebekah Moll, Kingston Council's portfolio holder for planning policy, said Crossrail 2 was "exciting" for the borough, as it promised more reliable services.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Although it has been deprioritised my hope is it is just that in the sense of funding. Because it still feels like something we need from an infrastructure perspective. Or have needed. I mean we could do with it now."

Discussing the issue at last week's Culture, Housing, Environment and Planning Committee, she explained that the move will have an impact on the way Kingston will develop.

She said: "The recently adopted New London Plan identifies the Kingston Opportunity Area as an area accommodating development and intensification to provide leisure, cultural and night-time activity, commercial and retail uses, as well as housing.

"The Kingston Opportunity Area as it stands is promised on the delivery of Crossrail 2, and due to current funding pressures the delivery of Crossrail 2 has been deprioritised and is unlikely to come forward early in the current London plan period.

"So there are discussions with the GLA regarding the possibility of reframing the opportunity area in support of different spatial strategy objectives for Kingston and that's being considered."

Alongside the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, it has prompted Kingston Council to further consult with residents about the local plan.

The next stage of engagement will begin after the Mayoral elections in May.

Richard Freeston-Clough from London Travel Watch, said he didn't think anyone was expecting Crossrail 2 to start construction anytime soon but it may have influenced some developers.

Looking ahead to the impact it will have on Kingston in the future, he said: "Kingston has always been a very desirable place and has had good transport connections to central London. The future is very uncertain in terms of how many people will be returning to the office full time after the home working revolution, or taking advantage of more flexibility when they do travel.

"Crossrail 2 would have expanded capacity significantly both in terms of local stopping services and of faster, more frequent long distance ones calling at Surbiton. It would have given better connectivity to the West End, relieving the Victoria, Northern and Bakerloo lines and improved access to North London and airports such as Stansted, Luton and Southend by connection."

He says that the route from Wimbledon inwards should be protected from further development.

"The links into central London are good but as I said earlier, the future is still pretty uncertain in terms of how much capacity will be needed. Even TfL's most optimistic estimates foresee that for the next year or two public transport levels will return to 80 per cent of the pre-Covid levels."