Crossrail is going nowhere, says Kiley

London's Crossrail scheme is "going nowhere" and may not be approved before the general election.

Bob Kiley spoke of his frustration at the failure to win funding for the £11 billion high-speed line that would link Heathrow with Stratford and Canary Wharf.

He said the earliest date for passing a "hybrid" Bill in Parliament to get the line built was next March - but this would slip to November next year unless ministers gave the go-ahead within weeks.

This would mean the scheme could be delayed if a general election was called in autumn next year - meaning it would be unlikely to be finished before 2015, two years behind the current schedule. Mr Kiley said: "We have essentially being going nowhere for 18 months and it doesn't look like the road ahead is going to be any more rapid."

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling last summer gave backing in principle for Crossrail but commissioned a consultant to assess funding. The report is still unpublished.

Mr Kiley said £5.5 billion to £6 billion could be raised from Crossrail fares, council tax and London businesses. But that still left a ?5 billion gap, with the Government only offering £2 billion.