1.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 1.2 Delivery of the Elizabeth line is now in its final complex stages. Significant progress has been made across the project. The penultimate stage, Trial Operations, commenced on 20 November 2021 as part of the major railway trials taking place ahead of the Elizabeth line opening. 1.3 The central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood will open in the first half of 2022; with a target date for services from the east and west connecting to the central section in autumn 2022, and full end to end services delivered between December 2022 and May 2023. 1.4 Crossrail Ltd is taking steps to deliver Crossrail within the available funding. Crossrail’s current forecast is currently £151 million above the £825 million funding package agreed in December 2020. The programme remains within the £1.1 billion of additional funding identified as necessary by the outgoing Crossrail board announced in August 2020, which the Commissioner has committed to staying within. 1.5 On 12 January 2022, Mark Wild, CEO of Crossrail Ltd wrote to the Committee providing an update on the latest programme plan and the revised forecast cost for the whole programme, and opening date for the central section and the entire railway. Crossrail Ltd provided the information in a similar format to that presented in Figure 11 of the National Audit Office report. The cost and schedule estimates are accurate as of November 2021.