Ministers accused of 'smuggling out' delay to Crossrail's new Elizabeth line
3 min read
Ministers have been accused of "smuggling out" news that London's flagship Crossrail project will be delayed by nine months.
The underground branch of the cross-London scheme will now open in autumn 2019, missing its original deadline of December this year.
The delay to the major rail project comes after months of chaos on train services in the North, and prompted former transport secretary Lord Adonis to accuse the Government of slipping the delays out during Parliamentary recess.
The Labour peer tweeted: "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."
Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald also leapt on the admission, saying the delay meant "people will have to wait for the benefits Crossrail is set to bring".
The Labour frontbencher added: "Our rail network needs upgrading and expanding but the Conservatives have shown themselves incapable of delivering investment on time or in budget.”
The Liberal Democrats meanwhile demanded a "full and transparent explanation" for the delays from Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
The party's transport spokesperson Jenny Randerson said: "Given the project is already running almost £600m over budget, serious questions must be answered."
Earlier this year Theresa May pointed to Crossrail as an example of a successful tie-up between the state and the private sector which had "delivered for this country".
The latest delays are understood to be down to difficulties reconciling the three signalling systems set to be used on the network.
Justifying the hold-up, Crossrail 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."
The Department for Transport meanwhile said ministers were "disappointed" with the delay to the much-vaunted rail overhaul.
A 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.”
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