Crossrail delay: Is this more evidence of a nation in crisis?

The Elizabeth Line opening has been postponed by almost a year

At a time when the government is seeking to portray London as the capital of a nation that is “open for business” ahead of Brexit, the sudden announcement of a delay to a huge infrastructure project may be seen as more evidence of a nation in crisis.

Millions of commuters face almost a year’s more misery after the opening of Crossrail was abruptly postponed barely three months before it was due to open.

The rail line through central London, connecting Reading and Heathrow Airport with East London, south Essex and north Kent, was due to open in December 2018.

But Crossrail Ltd, the Transport for London subsidiary that is building the line, has announced it will now not be ready until “autumn 2019”. It has confirmed to The Independent that the opening could be as late as November – nearly a year after the intended launch.

The firm said more time is needed “to complete the final infrastructure and extensive testing required” in order “to ensure a safe and reliable railway for customers from day one of passenger service".

The Elizabeth Line, as it will be known once services begin, is due to run trains up to every 2.5 minutes each way through a central core between London Paddington and Whitechapel.

It is intended to increase rail capacity in London by 10 per cent, with more than 200 million passengers expected to use it every year.

Crossrail is blaming “more time being needed by contractors to complete fit-out activity in the central tunnels and the development of railway systems software”.

The company says: “Testing has started but further time is required to complete the full range of integrated tests.”

Crossrail’s chief executive, Simon Wright, said: “The Elizabeth Line is one of the most complex and challenging infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK and is now in its final stages.

“We have made huge progress with the delivery of this incredible project but we need further time to complete the testing of the new railway.

“We are working around the clock with our supply chain and Transport for London to complete and commission the Elizabeth Line.”

Lord Adonis, the former Labour transport secretary, lambasted his former department, tweeting: “Govt just announced, on day 39 of Parliament on holiday, that Crossrail is being delayed by a year and they have big problems with signalling & cost over-runs.

“This is huge story & smuggling it out on last Friday of August a classic ruse.”

In a reference to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, he added: “More Grayling catastrophe”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Crossrail is a world-class infrastructure project that will transform journeys across the South East, driving forward regeneration and adding up to £42 billion to the UK economy.

“We are disappointed by the delay to the opening of the Crossrail central section. The safety of passengers and staff and reliability of services is the overriding priority and we accept Crossrail Limited’s assessment that more time is needed to fully test the railway before passenger operations can commence.

“We remain confident that Crossrail will deliver a great improvement to passengers’ journeys once it is fully operational.”

The delay is the latest embarrassment for the Department for Transport, which has been criticised for its role in the botched introduction of new timetables in the London area and on Northern Rail.

In addition, electrification on lines in northwest England is way behind schedule, and plans to electrify the Great Western and East Midlands networks have been curtailed.

Work on the Crossrail project began in 2009, and has caused massive disruption on the lines from Paddington and Liverpool Street stations.

Some of the new trains built for the line are already running on suburban lines from these stations, but the big benefit was expected to be on relieving pressure on the Tube network through central London – particularly on the Central Line.

Businesses, which have contributed towards the £15.4bn cost, will be dismayed that promised improvements such as a 17-minute journey time from Paddington to Canary Wharf will be not now happen until late 2019.

The delay is likely to add hundreds of millions of pounds to the capital cost of Crossrail. The postponement is also likely to exacerbate a funding crisis at Transport for London. The Elizabeth Line was expected dramatically to increase the number of journeys undertaken in the London area, helping to reduce traffic congestion.

Efforts by Heathrow Airport to increase the proportion of passenger and staff using public transport, ahead of a third runway, will be hit by the delay.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to hear of this delay but remain excited that Crossrail will arrive at Heathrow next year. This project, along with HS2, Western and Southern Rail Links will treble our rail capacity by 2040, enabling 30 million more passengers to use sustainable transport options when travelling to the airport.

“In the meantime, Heathrow remains one of the UK’s most-well connected airports – with three rail lines providing excellent public transport links into the airport.”

The political upheavals resulting from the Brexit vote have delayed the process of approving a third runway at Heathrow. It is over three years since the Davies Commission unanimously recommended the airport’s expansion plans.