Transport for London has announced that they are looking for confirmation from the Government regarding funding so that they can look into the possibility of purchasing additional Elizabeth Line trains.
The news from TfL comes after the recent announcement of delays to HS2 terminating at London Euston.
TfL says that without the extra trains, there is insufficient capacity on the Elizabeth Line (until HS2 is extended to Euston in the 2040s) for passengers looking to use HS2 and the Elizabeth Line to get into Central London.
Government funding now needs to be confirmed so that Transport for London can begin the procurement procedure for the new trains before the production lines at Alstom's Derbyshire factory are demobilised.
If procurement is completed after this, it would mean more delays and higher costs.
So more extra Class 345s could be needed because of the delays to HS2 extensions to London Euston from Old Oak Common.