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London's new east-west railway Crossrail will miss its December opening date
and services will not begin until autumn next year, a spokesman for the
project said.
More time is needed to complete "final infrastructure and extensive testing"
to ensure a "safe and reliable railway" is delivered, according to Crossrail
Limited.
Services were due to begin running by the end of the year, but the central
section between Paddington and Abbey Wood will not be opened until autumn
2019.
Rail minister Jo Johnson announced last month that the scheme's budget has
been increased from ￡14.8 billion to ￡15.4 billion due to "cost pressures".
The railway is known as Crossrail during the construction phase but will
become the Elizabeth line once services begin.
When it is fully opened, trains will run from Reading and Heathrow in the
west through 13 miles of new tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
Responding to the delay in the Crossrail project, a spokesman for London
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "It's obviously disappointing that Crossrail Limited
have advised that they need more time than anticipated to complete the final
pieces of infrastructure, and to carry out the extensive testing required
before the next phase of the Elizabeth line can open.
"This has been a 10-year construction project and is one of the most complex
engineering schemes ever undertaken. It is essential that a safe and reliable
railway operates from day one, and this has to be the top priority.
"When complete, the Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and
the South East, with new state-of-the-art trains taking millions of people
more quickly across London, providing a boost to the economy worth billions
of pounds."
Mark Wild, London Underground and Elizabeth line managing director, said: "We
will continue to work closely with Crossrail Limited as they complete the
remaining railway infrastructure work and testing needed to deliver the new
railway.
"The delayed opening is disappointing, but ensuring the Elizabeth line is
safe and reliable for our customers from day one is of paramount importance."
東西穿越倫敦的Crossrail(Elizabeth Line)在2018年底的預定通車跳票
要延後到2019年秋天才能通車
預算從英鎊148億(約新台幣5915億)增加至154億(約新台幣6156億)
Crossrail的路線西起Reading與希斯洛機場
東到Abbey Wood與Shenfield
當中Paddington-Liverpool St.-Whitechapel-Abbey Wood的路線是新建
也是本次延誤的部分
其他路段則是舊線改良