10. In summer 2018, a member of this Committee visited a Crossrail site and was told that the programme was on schedule to open on time. A visit by Committee members in May 2019 illustrated how much work there was still left to do.17 While the bulk of construction work is complete, there are a number of key activities that must be completed before the railway can be brought into operation, including: completing the fit-out of those stations that are planned to open on day one, testing the trains can operate safely through the tunnels, certifying that equipment on the railway and in stations is functioning correctly, and integrating new services with the national rail network.18
11. The current Chief Executive of Crossrail Ltd told us that he had been surprised by how much work was incomplete and that he thought Crossrail Ltd did not have a full grip during early to mid-2018 of the work that was left to do. He also stated that Crossrail Ltd spent 10 weeks at the start of his tenure going through all the remining work in detail. Some stations, for example, remain a long way from completion. Tottenham Court Road is the most of advanced of the 10 new stations and Crossrail Ltd doesn't expect that station to be completed until August or September 2019. Bond Street might not be complete until spring 2021.19
12. The current Chair of Crossrail Ltd told us that there remained a substantial amount of work to do on the software of the trains, which was not always entirely predictable. He also explained that the change from Crossrail being a construction programme to a programme with trains running while work was still going on raised safety concerns, which the company was working on.20 The current Chair told us that the programme had lost momentum following the decision to delay the opening schedule and re-plan the programme. He identified getting back the right levels of drive and can-do spirit so that contractors and the Crossrail team worked together effectively again as one of the biggest leadership challenges of the programmed.21 In April 2019, Crossrail Ltd announced that it had produced a new plan for the introduction of new services on the central section of the new railway.22
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17 Q 56
18 C&AG's report, paras 3.1-3.3
19 Qq 113-115
20 Q 228
21 Q 228; C&AG's report, paras 3.8-3.9
22 C&AG's report, para 3.5