The usually critical spending watchdog lauded firms involved in the £15.8bn scheme in its latest report on the project.

Committee member Richard Bacon MP said: “Major, complex infrastructure projects are notoriously difficult to deliver on time and in budget.

“With Crossrail we see a textbook example of how to get things right. Happily, this means Crossrail – a £15.8bn programme in total – is on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer.”

The committee is now calling on Crossrail to be used as a template for major infrastructure schemes like HS2.

Bacon added: “Construction of Crossrail is not yet complete, and considerable risks remain in delivering the programme by 2019, particularly managing the transition from building the railway to operating it, and delivering the Crossrail trains.

“So far, though, the signs are good.”

The committee’s report said: “Crossrail is a textbook example of how to focus on the essentials of programme management, including defining a realistic scope, establishing a management team with the necessary skills and securing the required funding.

“Two years of planning took place before the construction programme began on Crossrail, allowing the scope of the programme to be well defined, resulting in only a handful of subsequent changes being required.”