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Uncertainty around the future of Transport for London鈥檚 funding is contributing to a brain drain at the body with worries that it scupper the completion of Crossrail, bosses have warned.

Last week, the transport body鈥檚 emergency funding deal was extended by two weeks after it failed to satisfy the Department for Transport (DfT) demands for savings.

The DfT has provided close to 拢5bn in emergency funds since May 2020, after the coronavirus pandemic destroyed its fares income and hit the already delayed and over-budget Crossrail project.

The bailout has been repeatedly extended by the government and under the terms of the most recent deal TfL had been required to find 拢400m of savings in 2022/23.

But senior figures at TfL believe the funding situation is now having an impact on talent retention at the organisation.

An agenda released ahead of TfL鈥檚 programmes and investment committee tomorrow (Wednesday) revealed that investment delivery planning director Alexandra Batey is set to join HS2 as development director overseeing Phase 2b 鈥� the part of the line which connects the first phase with Manchester.

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According to the document, committee chair Ben Story said the loss of Batey, who has been at TfL for 20 years, 鈥渉ighlighted the need to secure certainty on TfL鈥檚 future funding and address pay disparities with other major transport and infrastructure providers鈥�.

Last month, TfL chief financial officer Simon Kilonback said he was leaving the organisation after 12 years to join broadband firm G.Network as its new chief financial officer.

TfL commissioner Andy Byford told the London transport committee in February that the funding situation was 鈥渞eally causing uncertainty within the organisation鈥�.

鈥淥ne thing that I鈥檓 very concerned about is an absolutely evident brain drain, whereby quality people are leaving,鈥� he said.

Last week, TfL鈥檚 group finance director Patrick Doig told the Greater London Authority鈥檚 budget and performance committee that the unresolved funding situation was preventing a final injection of funds to complete the Crossrail project.

In 2020, the previous Crossrail board said the project would need up to 拢1.1bn above what had previously been allocated.

Doig said: 鈥淥f that 拢1.1bn, at the moment we only have 拢825m that is funded.鈥� He said it was 鈥渦nlikely鈥� the project would keep within the 拢825m figure and said TfL was speaking with the GLA and DfT about how to fund the missing funds, which could be up to 拢275m.

鈥淚t will get to a point later this summer where we need clarity on that additional funding to allow the project to continue,鈥� he said.

鈥淪o it is something that we need to resolve by about September, because otherwise the project will not have the funds authorised to complete the rest of the scheme, so it鈥檚 becoming an urgent issue.鈥�

The east and west sections of Crossrail 鈥� now known as the Elizabeth Line 鈥� are not currently connected with the new central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood which opened to the public in the spring, while Bond Street station on the central section of the line is also not open.