Crossrail ‘could be delayed until spring 2021’

Crossrail could be delayed until as long as 2021 after incurring some difficulty with the dynamic testing of trains and signalling, according to a BBC source.

The Elizabeth Line, which will run between Reading and Shenfield Essex underneath central London, had been due to open in December 2018.

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Despite the delays, the Crossrail team said that the resting had been “progressing well”, however a source close to the project has told the BBC the dynamic testing was “proving more difficult than was first thought”.

How well this testing goes between now and the end of the year will be vital to determining when the line can start running a trial timetable – in real time – before then officially opening.

The best case scenario will see the Elizabeth Line open in spring next year, with the worst case scenario a year later, in spring 2021, according to the report.

Initial news of the delay only become public in the summer of 2018, months ahead of its proposed opening date.

As well as delays to trains and signalling, the stations are also behind schedule, with Paddington and Bond Street the furthest from completion.

Construction began in 2009 with an estimated cost of £14.8bn, although that was revised to £17.6bn after the delays were announced last year. Further delays could see the cost rise further.

In a statement, Crossrail said the line would be "completed as quickly as possible and brought into service for passengers".

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"We are working very hard to finalise our new plan to deliver the opening at the earliest opportunity and we will be providing more details later this month."

It is estimated the Elizabeth Line will serve 200m passengers across 41 stations, increasing central London rail capacity by 10 per cent and enabling connecting west and east London in minutes.