More than 350million journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line in its first two years, it was revealed on Friday – with passenger numbers expected to rise further.
The “game changing” £20bn cross-London line has become the UK’s single best-used railway and has delivered an estimated £42bn boost to the economy, according to London mayor Sadiq Khan.
It opened to passengers on May 24, 2022, a week after the Queen performed the official unveiling, about three-and-a-half years late and £4bn over budget.
But it proved far more popular than expected and is responsible for one in seven of all rail journeys in the UK.
In its first year it carried 150m passengers. That increased to 210m in 2023/24. Transport for London, which oversees the line, expects a further eight per cent increase this year, to 226m.
Mr Khan said the line, nicknamed the Lizzie line, had played a vital role in the capital’s post-pandemic recovery.
He said: "The Elizabeth line has been a game-changer for our city, transforming travel across London and the South East and delivering a £42bn boost to the UK economy.
“In just two years, more than 350 million journeys have been made and the line has directly impacted the development of 55,000 new homes and significantly supported employment growth.”
According to the Office of Rail and Road, the 58.5m passengers it carried between October and December last year was up 40 per cent on the same period a year earlier.
The Elizabeth line was also the UK’s second most punctual railway, with 76.5 per cent of trains arriving on time and 87.4 per cent within three minutes.
However it has suffered more than 100 days of delays, service reductions or closures, some lasting for several days at a time, since the start of last year, to the particular frustration of passengers using the line west of Paddington.
TfL blames these on HS2 works at Old Oak Common, signalling and computer software upgrades and track maintenance.
On average there are more than 700,000 journeys on a weekday. The busiest day to date was on April 18, when there were 787,000 journeys. The busiest station is Tottenham Court Road, followed by Liverpool Street.
The line between Reading and Hayes & Harlington has seen the biggest growth, of 80 per cent, while demand to Heathrow airport has increased by 64 per cent.
There are 41 stations on the line, which stretches from Reading and Heathrow to Shenfield and Abbey Wood. There are 24 trains an hour at peak times in the “core” central London section.
When it opened, it was described as the most significant addition to the capital’s transport network for more than 50 years – since the since the Victoria line opened in 1969.
TfL said customer satisfaction was high and performance since the start of 2024 was the highest it had achieved. Network Rail has long-term plans to improve the tracks west of Paddington.
Howard Smith, TfL’s director of the Elizabeth line, said: “The Elizabeth line has rightly and quickly become one of the most popular railways in the country.”
