Crossrail will provide 'value for money'

“The sponsors and Crossrail Limited have so far done well to protect taxpayers’ interests, by taking early action to stop costs escalating and, during construction, tightly managing the programme,” the NAO said.

Although progress is slightly behind schedule, the watchdog said, Crossrail Limited, the company in charge of delivering the scheme, remains confident the new train line will open in full by December 2019.

The NAO stressed that “a number of risks remain”, however, namely the delivery of trains for the line and the appointment of an operator, but the report will boost the Government’s case for major rail projects at a time when HS2 continues to come under fire.

Earlier this week, Shaun Spiers, the chief executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said his organisation is reconsidering its support for HS2.

“The reason is that it is increasingly hard to see HS2 as any sort of green project,” Mr Spiers said in a blog on the CPRE’s website.

Crossrail also had a bumpy start to life - the first Parliamentary bill for the rail project was rejected in May 1994. Concerns were also raised in 2009 about spiralling costs.

Margaret Hodge, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said on Friday: “The Crossrail project has been well managed and controlled to date.

“I was concerned to learn that in 2009, the estimated costs of Crossrail had increased to £17.8 billion. However, Crossrail Limited, the Department for Transport and Transport for London appear to have worked together to reduce these estimated costs by around £3 billion, which is £1.1bn below the initial funding package.”

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