Crossrail will not open in 2020, chief executive confirms
Crossrail will not open next year, the boss of the firm building London’s new east-west railway has said.
Mark Wild, chief executive of Crossrail Ltd, insisted services would begin “as soon as practically possible in 2021”.
He also revealed that the cost of the railway could reach £18.25 billion, representing an increase of up to £650 million on the previous funding total agreed by Mayor Sadiq Khan, the Government and Transport for London.
Crossrail’s budget was set at £15.9 billion in 2007.
The railway was initially due to be completed in December 2018, but this date was missed due to a series of problems.
It was later announced that it would open between October 2020 and March 2021.