If you're counting, and I am, Crossrail is now 1234 days late.
1 Abbey Wood
due 2018 expected 2022
2 Abbey Wood
due 2018 expected 2022
3 Abbey Wood
due 2018 expected 2022
Services are currently running 1776960 minutes late
It's still all about software issues because umpteen updates still haven't quite fixed everything, so the question has now become how many imperfections management can live with. The functionality needed for opening day works fine but not the extras needed later on, specifically with regard to turning back at Paddington and connecting into Stratford, so better to keep running trials while trains are empty. Eventually either things'll be fixed or someone'll decree "ah stuff it, open anyway", and finally purple will be go. That's the brief version anyway - for the detailed nuanced version check out the latest post from London Reconnections.
In good news Crossrail's not going to get to two million minutes late because we've been promised it'll open before the end of June. But that still leaves a nine week window and as yet no specific announcement has been made, apparently for the good reason that even internally no specific opening date has been confirmed. So let's have a go at predicting the date ourselves.
To enter the Great Crossrail Sweepstake, pick an opening date between May 7th and June 30th. It can't be before that because of the council elections and also because they'd have to have announced it by now. Also I'm talking about the first date the general public is allowed aboard the service, not the day the Mayor turns up to cut the ribbon.
Just pick the appropriate comments box and tell us the opening date you predict. That's a specific date within the given week.
The first date in each box is a Saturday. If you're feeling particularly pessimistic use the July or later box. I don't mind if you pick the same date as somebody else - we can have more than one winner. Keep your comment short, and if you've got a lot more to say use the ordinary comments box at the bottom of this post.
Oh and if anyone important from TfL wants to take part under a pseudonym, go ahead...
