London’s Crossrail railway delays opening until fall 2019

London’s new east-west railway, Crossrail, says it will miss its scheduled December opening by almost a year, with passenger services not starting until late 2019.

Crossrail Ltd. said in a statement Friday that the railway — which will be named the Elizabeth Line after Queen Elizabeth II — needs more time to finish “final infrastructure and extensive testing.” It said the central section between Paddington station in west London and Abbey Wood in the east will open “in autumn 2019.”

The 73-mile (118-kilometre) line is one of Britain’s biggest infrastructure projects for decades and has cost around 15 billion pounds ($20 billion). It includes a 13-mile (21-kilometre) underground section through the heart of the city.

Builders say Crossrail will add 10 per cent to central London’s rail capacity.