In a new report on London’s Crossrail, the U.K. National Audit Office says the beleaguered transportation project is around two years late and nearly 20% over budget because of poor management. The NAO, charged by Parliament with monitoring public spending, pointed to ill-conceived “aspirational” plans that proved to be unfit for the technologically challenging and vast program when things went wrong.
“There have been a number of choices made in the course of this project that have clearly damaged public value,” comments Amyas Morse, head of the NAO. Throughout the program, the delivery company Crossrail Ltd. (CRL) “clung to the unrealistic view that it could complete the programme to the original timetable, which has had damaging consequences.”