Crossrail sets opening date between October 2020 and March 2021 April 25, 2019 Crossrail will open to passengers between October 2020 and March 2021, about two years later than originally planned, its board revealed today. Read more: TfL boss Mike Brown says he will not stand down over Crossrail criticism The central section of Crossrail – which will be known as the Elizabeth line – will open between Paddington and Abbey [...]
TfL boss Mike Brown says he will not stand down following calls to quit over Crossrail April 25, 2019 TfL boss Mike Brown has said he will not resign following criticism he "downplayed" the risks to the Crossrail opening date to London mayor Sadiq Khan. Appearing before the London Assembly's transport committee this morning, the TfL commissioner rejected suggestions he should resign. "No, I'm not reflecting on whether I'm fit to be in position," he said. [...]
DEBATE: Is Sadiq Khan ultimately responsible for the ongoing delays to Crossrail? April 24, 2019 Is Sadiq Khan ultimately responsible for the ongoing delays to Crossrail Keith Prince, GLA Conservatives’ transport spokesman, says YES. Londoners are all too familiar with this mayor’s penchant for passing the buck and blaming others for his mistakes. But when it comes to the Crossrail project, Sadiq Khan’s attempt to dodge accountability simply won’t wash. [...]
TfL chief faces calls to resign for ‘downplaying’ Crossrail pressures April 23, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) chief Mike Brown is facing calls to resign over allegations he downplayed the pressures facing Crossrail as it became clear the project would struggle to open on time. Email extracts cited in the London Assembly’s second report into Crossrail, which is jointly sponsored by TfL and the Department for Transport, show Brown, [...]
HS2 ‘ignored concerns’ about winning bidder for £1.3bn Old Oak Common contract April 21, 2019 HS2 ignored warnings about a contractor’s ability to build a key station before awarding it the £1.3bn tender, according to a High Court claim. HS2 acknowledged a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and Vinci was “severely under-resourced [and] a real risk to the safe and timely completion and handover” of the crucial Old Oak Common station [...]
Crossrail ‘could be delayed until spring 2021’ April 18, 2019 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. Read more: MPs warn Crossrail may not [...]
TfL scraps Brunei tourism adverts amid outcry over new anti-LGBT laws April 4, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) has scrapped adverts promoting Brunei following international condemnation of the state’s draconian new anti-LGBT laws. The adverts, which have appeared across the London transport network, promote the country as a tourist destination under the slogan “Abode of Peace”. Read more: Sadiq Khan says TfL will remove controversial Michael Jackson bus ads [...]
MPs cast doubt over Crossrail 2020 opening aim as they warn Elizabeth Line may need more than £2.8bn bailout April 3, 2019 MPs are “not convinced” that Crossrail will open in 2020 and fear the project will need more than the extra £2.8bn in funding it received to stay afloat, according to a damning report released today. Spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the costs of the railway, also known as the Elizabeth Line, had [...]
Government sets aside nearly £5m to help boost business case for Crossrail extension to Kent March 25, 2019 The government has pledged £4.85m to help local firms develop the businesses case for a Crossrail extension to Ebbsfleet in Kent. The delayed £17.6bn Elizabeth Line will stretch from Abbey Wood in the east to Heathrow in the west when it is due to open around 2020. A number of MPs and local businesses, including [...]
TfL awards controversial £1bn ‘sale and leaseback’ Crossrail fleet deal to Natwest-backed group March 22, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) has awarded a controversial £1bn "sale and leaseback" deal for a fleet of Crossrail trains to a rail company backed by Natwest and Japan's second largest bank. 345 Rail Leasing, which was set up in January this year and comprises Equitix Investment Management, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Natwest, will own the [...]