‘High security’ breach at Crossrail as stowaway takes Elizabeth line for a spin
Crossrail has reported a “high-risk security breach” after a stowaway boarded the Elizabeth line and managed to travel undetected.
According to reports, the person boarded at Abbey Wood on 29 November and travelled for 30 minutes reaching Paddington station before being removed by security, trade news website Construction News reported first.
“Clearly a customer should not have been able to board an Elizabeth line train at Abbey Wood in November,” Elizabeth line’s chief operating officer Howard Smith told the outlet.
“Our operator MTR Elizabeth line has put in additional procedures to increase security and ensure this cannot happen again and we have worked with them to investigate this incident.”
Since the incident, MTR Elizabeth line has added a lock to the Abbey Wood station and placed ‘no entry signs’ around the site.
Transport for London announced on Tuesday the project is on track to open by the first half of 2022, with commuters gaining access to services travelling between Paddington and Abbey Wood stations, CityAM reported.
“The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East, benefitting millions and supporting hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs,” commented London mayor Sadiq Khan.