Crossrail delay: Maps being included in 2019 diaries

Misleading transport maps featuring the delayed Crossrail railway are being included in 2019 diaries sold by a major retailer.

WHSmith is selling the products, which were printed before it emerged the line would not open on time.

London's new east-west railway was originally set to open last month but has since been delayed past 2019.

The delay has resulted in a row over when London mayor Sadiq Khan knew the railway would not open on time.

Sportswear firm Adidas was also caught out by Crossrail's problems as it put special edition trainers displaying the Elizabeth line roundel and purple branding on sale to coincide with the scheduled opening.

Transport bosses have also been forced to partly cover a large Crossrail poster at Tottenham Court Road Tube station to hide references to an opening in 2018.

It was announced on 31 August that Crossrail, to be known as the Elizabeth Line, would not open until autumn 2019, it has since been announced that the project will be delayed even further.

Mark Wild, who became the project's chief executive in November, revealed that "none of the stations could have been ready for December" and admitted there are "still thousands of hours of construction work to do in the tunnels".

Testing of the signalling systems is also taking much longer than expected.

The diaries were already in production when the delays were announced, TfL said.

A spokeswoman said: "The Elizabeth line naming was announced in February 2016 and we have been working with a range of companies on products to generate commercial revenue, which is then reinvested in TfL services.

"...Due to lead times some of these products were already in production when Crossrail Ltd announced there would be a delay to the opening of the line."

Mr Khan claims he only found out on 29 August, two days before Londoners were informed, but Crossrail Ltd's former chairman Sir Terry Morgan insists the mayor was aware of problems at least a month beforehand.

Keith Prince, a Conservative member of the Greater London Authority who sits on the transport committee, said: "The delay to Crossrail will have an effect on housing, business, Transport for London's (TfL) finances and the ability of Londoners to travel around our city.

"The delay has even impacted on the manufacturers of products such as trainers and diaries, who invested in adapting their products to coincide with the Crossrail opening."

Once fully opened, the Elizabeth line will run from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, through 13 miles of new tunnels in central London.

The cost is being met by the Government, the Greater London Authority and London businesses.

Its budget was set at £15.9 billion in 2007. This was cut to £14.8 billion in 2010, but raised to £15.4 billion in July 2018.

In December, the project was given a £1.4 billion bailout due to the delays.

WHSmith has been contacted for comment.