The new Crossrail line is significantly over budget.
London’s delayed Crossrail project is on track to open by the end of June, Transport for London (TfL) says.
The over budget scheme, which will be known as the Elizabeth Line, will initially operate between Abbey Wood and Paddington through new tunnels under the centre of the capital.
The railway had been planned to open in full from Reading, Berkshire, to Shenfield, Essex, in December 2018, but has been held up by various problems, including construction delays and difficulties installing complex signalling systems.
The scheme was set a budget of £14.8 billion in 2010 but the total cost of it is now estimated to be £18.9 billion, including £5.1 billion put in by the Government.
TfL said London will ‘ultimately fund the majority of the cost’.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan added: ‘The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East, benefitting millions and supporting hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs.
‘Its brand new trains and step-free stations will help us deliver a modern, truly world-class transport system that allows us to support the growth in London’s population over the coming decades.
‘That’s why I’m delighted it is on track to open in the first half of 2022, in what will be a landmark moment for the capital.
It comes after two new Tube stations opened in September, following an extension of the Northern Line.
Now thousands of staff from TfL, Network Rail and other partner organisations will soon take part in exercises to test timetables and simulate scenarios such as evacuations from trains and stations.
The emergency services will be involved, meaning police, fire and ambulance vehicles could be seen near stations.
The full timetable is scheduled to launch by May 2023, with Elizabeth line trains running tests through the tunnels since May 2021.
The final phase of testing involving trials to ensure the safety and reliability of the railway began in November last year.
And it was announced in August 2020 that trains will begin running on the central section in the first half of 2022.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE : ‘Boris bikes’ hired 10,900,000 times in 2021 as Londoners give up Tube
