Written on 14 February 2022 by Courtney Manton in London
According to Transport for London (TfL), the Crossrail project’s Elizabeth line will launch this June, after significant delays. But what do Londoners need to know about this £19 billion transport project?
What is the Elizabeth line?
Heralded as the capital’s most important transport development in a century, the Elizabeth line promises to transform the commute for millions of Londoners. With more than 1.4 billion Tube journeys made in the year before the pandemic, the service was introduced to ease pressure on the network by taking 200 million passengers annually.
Where does the Elizabeth Line go?
The full line will connect Reading to Shenfield in Essex or Abbey Wood in South East London, via Heathrow and central London – a distance of more than 60 miles. While the entire line is expected to be running at its full timetable by May 2023, the central section, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, will be open for the June 2022 deadline.
Where will the trains stop?
The line has 41 stations, including nine new ones at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich.
How long will my journey take?
Example journey times include:
- Paddington to Canary Wharf in 17 minutes
- Bond Street to Liverpool Street in seven minutes
- Tottenham Court Road to Ealing Broadway in 13 minutes
- Paddington to Slough in 26 minutes.
Currently, test operations are taking place along the line, ready for its June opening, including mass evacuation tests with role-playing volunteers. TfL Commissioner Andy Byford said: “The Elizabeth line is extremely complex, and the trial operations phase will continue until it is clear that the highest levels of safety and reliability are in place before the railway can open to customers.”
Read more about this story in the Evening Standard.
