In message .com, MIG
writes

Is this a case of the article mistakenly referring to Crossrail when
they meant Thameslink,

It is about "a £16bn project to build a new rail link through central
London, connecting Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west to Essex and Kent
in the east". So I don't think its simply a case of saying Crossrail
when they meant Thameslink.

or is it a misunderstanding about funds being
diverted rather than routes encroaching?

I suspect the latter. But its sloppy journalism.
--
Paul Terry