• Mayor makes first station to station journey from Custom House to Canary Wharf and views completed permanent track in east London
• 75 per cent of the project has now been delivered, and half of the permanent track on the line has now been laid
• Crossrail project is being delivered on time and on budget
• Sadiq Khan says the opening of the Elizabeth line will be a landmark moment for London.

The Mayor of London visited the Crossrail project at Custom House today to mark the construction programme reaching the 75 per cent complete milestone.

 He boarded a construction train to make the first station-to-station journey from the new Elizabeth line station at Custom House to Canary Wharf and met a number of engineers and apprentices working on Europe’s largest infrastructure project.

Half of the permanent track on the line has now been laid, and nearly all of the platform structures, which will give step-free access to the 200m long trains at all of the 10 new stations, have also been built.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London said: “The opening of The Elizabeth line will be a landmark moment for London. It will help us deliver a modern, truly world-class transport system that allows us to deal with the growth in London’s population over the coming decades.

“Half the permanent track has now been completed, and being able to travel the Elizabeth line route from Custom House to Canary Wharf shows the huge progress that has been made. I visited the Canary Wharf station site as Transport Minister in 2010 when construction had just got underway. The fact that the project is now 75 per cent complete, and being delivered on time and within budget is testament to the hard work of the thousands of men and women who have worked on the project.

“It is vital for the future prosperity of our city that progress continues apace and we deliver this wonderful project on time. With brand new trains and all the stations being step-free, the opening of the Elizabeth line will improve the quality of life for millions of people across London and the south east, and provide a huge boost to our economy.”

Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “The Crossrail programme has now reached 75 per cent complete. The remaining 25 per cent of the programme will present a new set of challenges as we finish installing the critical components that will transform this major infrastructure project into an operating railway. The Elizabeth line will be vital to the future success of the capital and we’re fully focused on completing the delivery safely, on time and on budget, for our handover to TfL in 2018.”