Crossrail to be delayed indefinitely as crisis-hit London rail project needs extra £1.7bn in funding

'There is a huge amount still to do,' says project's incoming chief executive

The opening of London‘s crisis-hit Crossrail has been delayed indefinitely while an additional £1.7bn may be needed to complete the project, transport bosses have said.

The capital’s flagship east-west Elizabeth line underground rail link had been due to open this month but was pushed back to autumn 2019 after delays were announced over the summer.

However Transport for London (TfL) officials have now scrapped that proposal, saying it had “become clear that more work is required than had been envisaged”.

It is unclear when the first paying passengers will begin using the line, which stretches from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

The scheme requires further funding of between £1.3bn and £1.7bn, bringing the total expected cost of the scheme to £17.6bn, following a £590m cash injection in July.

The project has suffered from a series of delays including problems testing the new tracks and stations and the fit out of the tunnels at “varying stages of completion”.

Last week the project was thrown into further turmoil with the resignation of its chairman, Sir Terry Morgan.

Announcing the delay, Crossrail’s new chief executive, Mark Wild, said there was “a huge amount still to do” and that he was therefore unable to “commit to an autumn 2019 opening date”.

He added: “My team and I are working to establish a robust and deliverable schedule in order to give Londoners a credible plan to open the railway and provide a safe and reliable service. Once that work is completed we will then be in a position to confirm a new opening date.”

Newly-laid Crossrail track at Stepney, east London (Reuters)

The Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority (GLA), and TfL said a financing package had been agreed with the government to open the Elizabeth line “as quickly as possible”.

A review by auditors KPMG found the cost of the delay could hit £2bn – including £300m already promised in July.

To reach this figure, up to £1.3bn will be handed over in the form of a loan from central government, alongside £100m funding from the GLA.

An additional £750m will be made available as a loan from the Department of Transport as a contingency, pushing the total funding package above £2bn.

This deal will replace the need for a £350m loan announced in October.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said: “I haven’t hidden my anger and frustration about the Crossrail project being delayed. This has a knock-on consequence of significant additional cost to the project.

“It has been increasingly clear that the previous Crossrail Ltd leadership painted a far too optimistic picture of the project’s status.”

Mike Brown, London’s transport commissioner, called the delay “extremely disappointing” and warned the scale of the work to be completed was only now becoming clear.

When fully open, the Elizabeth line will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10 per cent, carrying over half a million passengers per day.

Mr Khan said his priority remained “getting this monumental project completed as soon as possible”.

The mayor has ordered the release of all Crossrail Board minutes over the last five years in a bid to provide transparency of the process and has written to the National Audit Office confirming his full support of its planned investigation into the project.

Rail minister Andrew Jones said he was committed to the “rapid completion of the project, in a way that is fair to UK taxpayers, and that enables London – as the primary beneficiary of Crossrail – to bear the additional costs”.

TfL said Mr Khan would continue to back Crossrail 2, which would link southwest and northeast London. The precise route and cost for that scheme is currently being studied by the government and the mayor’s office.