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Crossrail has entered its “critical and most challenging final phase” as constructors battle to open the delayed £17.6 billion line in less than two years.

As new images of the project were released, today, chief executive Mark Wild insisted “good progress” was being made and the revised plan to open the line under central London between October next year and March 2021 “remains unchanged”.

Bond Street station remains a concern and will not be open when trains start running.

But engineers must make it safe enough to use as an emergency evacuation route, otherwise the line will not be able to open.

Testing of the new fleet of trains, which have been blighted by software problems, is due to start in the “first quarter” of next year.

When Crossrail opens, trains will initially run between Paddington and Abbey Wood. No date has been set for running the entire route between Reading and Shenfield, with stops including Whitechapel.

The project, which should have opened last December, has increased in cost by £2.8 billion.

A Crossrail spokesman said further cost increases were not expected but “this is the most difficult and challenging project phase of the Crossrail programme with significant integration and testing to complete”.