The Queen made a surprise visit to Paddington station today (May 17) ahead of the opening of the brand new Elizabeth line.
Transport for London has (TFL) finally confirmed an opening date for the new line after the Crossrail route underwent years of delays.
TFL announced that it will open to the public open on May 24 2022.
Crossrail is a capacity enhancement rail project designed to create a rail link that connects east and west London.
The new railway, which is estimated to cost £18.7 billion, will feature trains nearly twice as long as a tube train that can carry 1,500 passengers.
The opening of the Elizabeth line comes after nearly four years of delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, planning issues and overspending.
But as the route is finally set to open, here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Elizabeth line?
The Elizabeth line is a new railway line for London and the South East that the Crossrail project is delivering.
The Elizabeth line splits off in two directions at either end, running out to Reading and Heathrow in the west (joining at Hayes and Harlington), and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east (which will eventually join at Whitechapel).
In total, the line will stretch over 100km, including 42km of new tunnels.
The line will run through central London, but it will also connect popular commuter towns to the east and west of London as it runs through Maidenhead, Slough, Ilford and Brentwood.
What stops are on the Elizabeth line?
Once fully operational, the Elizabeth line will stop at a total of 41 accessible stations and 10 of these are brand new stations.
Crossrail estimates that the line will serve around 200 million people every year.
The 41 stops include:
- Reading
- Twyford
- Maidenhead
- Taplow
- Burnham
- Slough
- Langley
- Iver
- West Drayton
- Hayes & Harlington
- Southall
- Hanwell
- West Ealing
- Ealing Broadway
- Acton Main Line
- Paddington
- Bond Street
- Tottenham Court Road
- Farringdon
- Liverpool Street
- Whitechapel
- Stratford
- Maryland
- Forest Gate
- Manor Park
- Ilford
- Seven Kings
- Goodmayes
- Chadwell Heath
- Romford
- Gidea Park
- Harold Wood
- Brentwood
- Shenfield
- Canary Wharf
- Custom House
- Woolwich
- Abbey Wood
- Heathrow Airport Terminals 2 & 3
- Heathrow Airport Terminal 4
- Heathrow Airport Terminal 5
When will the Elizabeth line open?
The new line is set to open on Tuesday May 24, but the line won’t be fully operational then.
When it opens, the service will run Monday to Saturday from 6.30am to 11pm. There will be 12 trains an hour, that’s a train every five minutes, between Paddington and Abbey Wood.
For now, the line will not run on Sundays but this is expected to change by autumn.
There will, however, be a special service in operation between 8am and 10pm on Sunday 5 June in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
How much does it cost to use the Elizabeth line?
TfL has confirmed that the Elizabeth line pay-as-you-go fares within zones one to six will be the same as the equivalent tube fare, and that they will also be subject to daily fare capping.
Speaking about how much it will cost to travel using the Elizabeth line, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "I'm delighted to announce today that the cost of travelling on the Elizabeth Line in Zones 1-6 will be the same price as a similar journey on the tube - fulfilling a key manifesto pledge to deliver truly world-class transport infrastructure which is also accessible and affordable for all Londoners."
The current cap for zones one to six is £14.10 for all travel within a 24-hour period.
TfL has also confirmed that those with a Disabled Person's Freedom Pass will be able to travel for free on the line any time, and those with an Older Person's Freedom Pass will also be able to travel for free after 9am on weekdays and any time on weekends and bank holidays.
Will the Elizabeth line be open at night?
The Elizabeth line will operate until 11pm when it first opens on May 24, but no services will operate on Sundays.
In autumn, frequencies will increase to 22 trains an hour and this is set to increase to 24 trains an hour by May 2023.
However, Crossrail has not yet confirmed whether later operating hours will also be introduced.
