Crossrail is running £590 million over budget because of “cost pressures”, the rail minister has revealed.

In the annual statement on Crossrail delivered this week, Jo Johnson said that costs are to rise from £14.8 billion to £15.4 billion.

The additional funding is being provided by TfL, Network Rail and the Department for Transport.

Mr Johnson said: “The programme is now 93 per cent complete and is entering the critical testing and commissioning stage.

“It remains the case that over 60pc of the project’s funding has been provided by Londoners and London business.”

The Elizabeth line, which is the official name for Crossrail, is currently scheduled to open in December 2019. The line will allow people to travel between Reading, Heathrow, Shenfield and Abbey Wood.

Trains will pass stations in central London including Paddington and Liverpool Street.

Mr Johnson added: “As with all projects of this nature, there have been a number of engineering and technical challenges that have already been surmounted in order to build the first new railway for a generation, and there will continue to be challenges right up until the final completion of the project.

“All core track work was completed last summer, which enabled the first Elizabeth line train to make its maiden voyage through the central tunnels in February this year.

“The new Abbey Wood station [in south-east London] opened to existing rail passengers, and the construction and fit-out of the other new Elizabeth line stations continues to progress with the installation of lifts and escalators and completion of architectural finishes.”

The Crossrail project will prove to be a valuable asset to London and the rest of the country, Mr Johnson added.

He said: “The new railway will transform travel in, to, and across London, with the positive economic benefits being felt across the country.

“Its legacy will continue to support many thousands of jobs, over 1000 apprenticeships and a supply chain that is spread across the length of the UK.”

There are now 15 Elizabeth line trains which are already operating on the TfL Rail line from Liverpool Street to Shenfield.