Scheme became centre of dispute between railway and developer
Work to fix the electrical work carried out at the Canary Wharf Crossrail station was one of the reasons why the scheme was only completed last month, the railway’s boss has said.
Practical completion was originally reached more than six years ago in September 2015 but the job became the centre of a dispute between the railway and the developer after Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild said work on the station was not up to scratch.
He told MPs nearly three years ago that problems with the work meant the station “has had to have a wholesale retrofit, particularly in the safety systems”. He said the station, designed by Foster & Partners, would require an extra £80m to fix.
But Canary Wharf Group, which sank £150m into the scheme, said it “categorically dismiss[ed]” the comments and added that Wild’s comments were “an attempt to pass blame for the delays on Crossrail”.
Responding to the latest report from Jacobs, the US consultant which is acting as the government’s eyes and ears on the job, Wild said: “The key issues [at Canary Wharf] have been the quality of the electrical installation [redacted phrase] and the extensive safety critical upgrade work that has been required.”
Last year it was revealed that TfL would have to pay up if Crossrail did not start running trains through Canary Wharf before the end of this year.
A written answer from London mayor and TfL chair Sadiq Khan revealed the pair had struck a deal that will see Canary Wharf compensated if the Elizabeth line falls more than six months past its current scheduled completion date which has been slated for this June.
Earlier this week, Wild reiterated that the central section of the £18.6bn railway was on track to complete by the summer. It was originally due to open in December 2018.
No comments yet