The public could be given shares in Crossrail in return for stumping up the cash needed for the £10 billion project, the FT reports.

With passengers, businesses and council tax payers likely to be involved in funding the scheme if it receives the green light from ministers, an independent review has suggested "imaginative" ways of softening the blow.

This could include discounted tickets, a say in the way the company is run, financial dividends or a share in the company's equity.