Crossrail Ltd has announced that the Elizabeth line central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood will be opened in summer 2021, after the several suspensions. The line was initially set to be opened in December 2018.
“Our latest assessment is that Elizabeth line services through central London will commence in summer 2021 but we are aiming to open the railway as soon as we can. This forecast assumes a period of time will be required to undertake intensive operational testing,” Mark Wild, Chief Executive of Crossrail Ltd said.
The company says that this schedule is based on the current progress with completing software development for the signalling and train systems along with safety assurance for the railway so that intensive operational testing can begin this year.
It is expected that by mid-2022 the transport services will start between Reading and Heathrow in the west to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. This will connect the eastern and western sections straight through central London.
Crossrail’s detailed cost forecasts continue to show that the project will be delivered within the additional funding range announced in November 2019. This indicated a range of between GBP 400 million to GBP 650 million (EUR 471.5 – 766 million) more than the revised funding agreed by the Mayor of London, Government and Transport for London in December 2018. In 2007, GBP 15.9 billion (EUR 18.7 billion, at current ) was the project’s estimated budget, which now is expected at GBP 18.25 billion (EUR 21.5 billion).
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