Terry Morgan admits savings are necessary to mollify critics and warns of 'horrific' consequences of delays

Crossrail’s chairman Terry Morgan has said he would be looking to ways to cut costs on the £15.9bn project.

Morgan said the budget cuts were to mollify critics, in an interview with Bloomberg. He said: “There is an expectation we will find savings. We are looking at things we’ve said we’d like to do and asking ourselves, ‘Do we really need to do this?’”

He warned, though, that delays to the project would have “horrific” consequences. Morgan added that he had met Theresa Villilers, the Conservative Shadow Minister for transport in a bid to make sure “we get Crossrail up the priority list as high as possible.” He said Villiers had expressed support for the project.

The Conservative party, which is widely tipped to win the next election, has announced it would cut public spending but has not clarified whether it would cancel or delay Crossrail, or leave the project unchanged.