‘On time and on budget.” The number of times those following the construction of the UK’s most ambitious piece of new railway in a generation, Crossrail, listened to that monotonous mantra is probably beyond count. Throughout all evidence to the contrary, from strikes and design problems to a substation explosion and major contractor collapse, the same fixed mask was maintained to the outside world. “On time. On budget.”

Except, as the world now knows, it’s not.

In July, transport minister Jo Johnson admitted the £14.8bn cross-London railway – Europe’s largest infrastructure project – was £590m over budget, citing “cost pressures”. Then last week, the public company building it, Crossrail Ltd, admitted the central section will not open as planned in time for Christmas this year, but instead anything up to a year later. And even now the final cost of this latest delay is still to be quantified – with reports of a further £400m bill and no official pretence that even the budget announced in July can now be held. 

“This would and should have been brought in on time and on budget”

Rob Holden, ex-chief executive, Crossrail

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