All Crossrail, and TfL construction sites are being shut-down during the Coronavirus pandemic. In a short statement, TfL confirmed that it will be “bringing all project sites to a temporary Safe Stop unless they need to continue for operational safety reasons.”

Essential maintenance of the transport network will continue.

Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “This is being done to ensure the safety of our construction and project teams and also to further reduce the number of people travelling on the public transport network. It is vital that the transport network is only used by critical workers. As we work through these issues with our supply chain, consideration will be given to the impact on workers, particularly those who are on low incomes.”

There had been suggestions that with fewer trains running, and the night tube suspended that TfL and Network Rail might be able to bring forward some of its engineering works.

However, apart from the health issue of bringing so many people together in often very cramped working conditions — there is the problem that much of the equipment needed for engineering works is booked months in advance and is going to be in the wrong place to be of any immediate use.

With suppliers themselves also cutting back of deliveries to building sites, a suspension of engineering works on TfL and shutting construction sites on Crossrail was more a matter of when rather than if.

Mark Wild, Chief Executive, Crossrail confirmed that while they are doing everything they safely can to keep the Crossrail programme on track, the virus shut-down will have an impact, but also that it’s too early to tell what that impact will be.