Cost increases on the central section

2.3 The increase in programme costs is not the result of a failure of one particular project or contract. Costs on most of the 36 main works contracts on the central section have increased, including contracts for tunnelling, civil engineering, station construction and fit-out, and implementing the systems required to operate the railway and stations. The biggest increases have been on the contracts to install track and key systems in the tunnels and some of the new stations such as Whitechapel, Bond Street and Paddington (Figure 4). Whitechapel in particular has seen larger spend than anticipated as a result of difficulties building around existing London underground and overground lines and station architecture.

Figure 4
Changes in the forecast cost of selected contracts on the central section to December 2018

Cost increases have occurred across the programme

Forecast costs

Cost increases

Contract

Target at
Award

Jan 2015

Dec 2018

Award to
Dec 2018

Award to
Dec 2018

(£m)

(£m)

(£m)

(£m)

(%)

Tunnelling, shafts and portals

Eastern tunnels1

484

754

730

246

51

Western tunnels1

490

737

749

259

53

Thames tunnel1

196

269

229

33

17

Station Tunnels East - Early Access Shafts and Sprayed Concrete Lining Works1

246

360

510

264

107

Pudding Mill Lane Portal Civil Works1

52

131

184

132

254

Eleanor Street and Mile End Shafts Civil Works

46

56

255

209

454

Station main civils

Farringdon Station

239

436

634

395

165

Liverpool Street Station

147

271

374

227

154

Paddington Station

181

339

571

390

215

Bond Street Station

126

182

412

286

227

Whitechapel Station

110

229

659

549

499

Tottenham Court Road Station

98

135

282

184

188

Woolwich Station

70

N/A

234

164

234

Route-wide civil engineering and systems

Systemwide (Tunnel track and electrical fit-out)

323

360

956

633

196

Platform Screen Doors

27

N/A

63

36

133

Signalling

51

N/A

131

80

157

Communications and Control

43

N/A

139

96

223

Other

Ilford Stabling Sidings1

54

N/A

153

99

183

Notes

1 Contracts completed prior to December 2018 and show their final values. The figures for Thames Tunnel and Pudding Mill Lane reflect the costs when they were at 98% and 99% complete respectively - the final 100% figures were not reported in Crossrail's Board reports.

2 Target at award denotes the anticipated cost of the contract at award and does not include adjustments for risk. Other cost values are contractors' forecast of final costs which may include adjustments for cost risks where the contract is not yet complete. All values are drawn from Crossrail Ltd board reports.

3 All values are in cash prices.

4 N/A means that the forecast costs of these contracts was not reported in January 2015.

Source: National Audit Office analysis of Crossrail Ltd information