FOI request detail

Crossrail costs

Request ID: FOI-1552-1819
Date published: 09 October 2018

You asked

I am personally very interested in current issues, and the Crossrail has been on newspaper headlines recently. As I was reading The Sunday Times newspaper (Business & Money, 2nd Sep 2018 edition), I learnt that the Crossrail was to exceed its £14.9bn budget by roughly another £590m, which eventually could potentially swell to £1bn. Would it be possible for me to have a break-down of the budget allocation, and can I please know which areas are the further amount of budget going to be placed on?

We answered

 TfL Ref: FOI-1552-1819

Thank you for your  request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9 September 2018 asking for information about Crossrail. I apologise for the delay in replying to you.

Your request has been processed in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you requested. You asked:

Would it be possible for me to have a break-down of the budget allocation for Crossrail, and can I please know which areas are the further amount of budget going to be placed on?

A funding envelope of £15.9 billion was agreed to deliver the Crossrail scheme in its entirety. Following the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010, a revised funding envelope of £14.8 billion was agreed, comprising of £12.5bn for central section and £2.3bn for delivery by Network Rail of the Surface sections (the “On Network Works”).

The Department for Transport issued their annual written ministerial statement (WMS) updating on the progress of Crossrail on 24 July. As part of that update it set out that £590 million additional funding was being made available to Crossrail (£300 million) and Network Rail (£290 million). The WMS is available here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-07-24/HCWS918

On 31 August, Crossrail Ltd announced that they can no longer meet the December 2018 opening date for the central section of the Elizabeth line. The central tunnelled section (between Paddington and Abbey Wood) will now open in Autumn 2019. Crossrail Ltd are working to establish any additional impact on funding from the revised schedule. Details of how we will manage the change will be announced as part of our annual business planning process at the end of 2018.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

Melissa Nichols

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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