Will Noble

Coronavirus Will Cause Further Crossrail Delay, Admits Sadiq Khan

Hampered yet again. Image: TfL

We were waiting for the next Crossrail delay, and now we've got it. As coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in every conceivable way, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said it is 'inevitable' that the pandemic will affect Crossrail's progress.

The massive (and massively over-budget) rail infrastructure project — linking home counties in the East and West, via London — was originally due to open in December 2018, but various setbacks have seen it pushed back again and again.

Most recently, it was estimated that Crossrail would be running in its entirety by December 2022, but now, reports City AM, the mayor has admitted that this opening date will likely be postponed.

At a recent London Assembly meeting, when questioned by Caroline Pigeon, deputy chairwoman of the London Assembly's Transport Committee, what the implications of coronavirus on Crossrail would be, Khan replied:"If I'm saying only essential workers should go to work, if I'm saying the best way to reduce the spread of the virus is to stay at home unless you have to work, that is an impact.

"The Crossrail team will do what they can to work remotely where they can but some of the things you need to be physically there to do."

These further delays aren't just bad news to commuters, but to businesses whose livelihoods hang in the balance over the timeliness of the Crossrail project. An even later opening date — along with the economic implications of the Covid-19 outbreak — means that some businesses will likely struggle to survive.

Keep up to date on all the latest London coronavirus news.