The big poker game that has been played over the financial future of Transport for London ever since the start of the pandemic is coming to an end as a deal seems imminent. But it won’t be good news for Londoners as there will be cuts to services, big fares rises and the extinction of any hopes for large investment schemes such as the Bakerloo line extension and Crossrail 2.
Luckily though, Crossrail 1, the biggest public transport project London has ever seen, crept under the wire and is just a few weeks away from opening. Yes really, it may be three years late after a series of bungles and mishaps, but now it is definitely happening. There are just a few final tests to carry out and then at last it will start taking paying passengers, probably straight after Easter, give or take a couple of weeks.
