RAIL union leader Manuel Cortes has demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the “badly delayed and over budget” running of the Crossrail project.

The TSSA general secretary made the call in a letter to Huw Merriman, who is the incoming chairman of the transport select committee.

In the letter, he asks the committee to “consider an inquiry into why this vital piece of infrastructure, which would increase rail capacity by 10 per cent across the capital, is so badly delayed and over budget.”