Plans to name Crossrail after Winston Churchill were ditched because Boris Johnson preferred to pay tribute to the Queen, it was claimed today.
The former London mayor chose to call it the Elizabeth line apparently after speaking to a member of the royal family, according to a new book, The Story of Crossrail, by transport expert Christian Wolmar.
Andrew Adonis, the then-Labour transport secretary, wanted to rename Crossrail the Churchill line after the wartime prime minister. But Mr Johnson, in his first term as London mayor, disagreed.
In an interview for the book, Lord Adonis told Mr Wolmar: “I thought it should be called the Churchill line because Churchill was a great London figure and he saved London. But Boris was intent on the Elizabeth line after chatting to some royal — I am not sure which one — and the pull of the royals became too great.”
Mr Wolmar told the Standard: “He said Boris persuaded the Department for Transport it was more appropriate to name it after the Queen.
"It was after a chat with some royals. Andrew didn’t say who, but I suspect it was William or Harry.”
In pictures: the progress of Crossrail project
The £15.8 billion line, whose opening by the Queen has been delayed until next autumn due to engineering setbacks, was named after her in 2016.
Lord Adonis said he was not suggesting the Royal Family influenced the decision. “It was Boris Johnson’s decision. I’m a thoroughly committed royalist and thoroughly approve of the Queen having infrastructure named after her, though Churchill should as well. I thought Crossrail was the opportunity to do so.”
He added: “If I were Mayor of London I would rename Heathrow airport after Churchill. I’m amazed it hasn’t happened... it should.”
The book also reveals how the route was picked in the Eighties by Margaret Thatcher, given a choice between the east-west route and the Chelsea to Hackney route that later became known as Crossrail 2.
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The book says: “She turned to Cecil Parkinson, her transport secretary, exclaiming: ‘Hackney! Hackney! Do you know what sort of people live out in Hackney? They are not Conservative voters. Who wants to go to Hackney?’”